Pokemon Go and Birding
7/24/16
By David Brown
The newest craze is a smartphone game called Pokemon Go. Birders have noticed the similarities between the game and birding. One objective of the game is to catch all 151 types of Pokemon, which are fictional creatures based off of plants and animals. The game uses the player's actual GPS location meaning you must walk around to move your game character. Different types of Pokemon can be found in different habitats and at different times of day. Some are common and others are very rare.
A recent video showed hundreds of Pokemon Go players gathered in New York City to catch a rare Pokemon. It reminded me traveling to Wallkill, New York a few winters ago to search for a gyrfalcon. I ended up waiting for the bird on a dead-end street with over a hundred other birders. Hobbies such as Pokemon Go, birding, geocaching, or stamp collecting all are driven by the human desire for collecting and we will go to extreme lengths to add rarities to a collection. The excitement of catching a rare Pokemon is the same as that of seeing a rare bird and it is always more exciting when it happens as part of a group so you can share the moment. Pokemon Go keeps track of which Pokemon you have collected in the same way that eBird keeps track of all the bird species you have seen.
The number of Pokemon Go players is incredible. On an average night at the Williamsport river walk I see at least 30 people playing the game. My hope is that Pokemon Go players will continue to spend time walking outside and will expand their interest to the native wildlife and birds of the area. On my daily walks I take my binoculars and watch birds while I also have Pokemon Go open on my cell phone keeping track of my milage, collecting items, and catching Pokemon. You can catch a pidgeotto in the game then look up and watch a peregrine falcon. You can evolve a psyduck into a golduck then watch mallard ducklings swimming behind their mother.
The problems that Pokemon Go players face are similar to ones that birders have dealt with for a long time, from security guards questioning you to avoiding being distracted while driving to wondering if it is worth going into that bad neighborhood to see those nesting yellow-crowned night-herons. Luckily most problems are avoided by being aware of your surroundings and using common sense.
Regardless of whether you think the game is a bit silly it is undeniable that Pokemon Go is getting people out of the house to spend time with their family and friends. Go outside and play the game but also grab a pair of binoculars and you'll discover that our local wildlife is just as magical as the world of Pokemon.
