Twitter has been all over the news lately and not typically for good things. Whether you like the changes Elon Musk has brought to the company since buying it for $44 billion at the end of October, one thing is for certain: a lot of people are looking for alternatives just in case the worst-case scenario comes along.
Enter Birda, a new social networking app that aims to replace some of that mindless chatter that happens on social media with a twitter of a different kind. This social network is focused on helping people to stop looking down at their phones and, instead, look upward at the trees and enjoy the constant beauty nature treats us to each and every day.
Looking to post? You'll start by either posting about a single sighting — that's just one moment where you saw a fun bird or something remarkable that's only in town for a little while — or start a birding session while you go out for a walk or a hike. This last one, in particular, is a ton of fun for folks who enjoy going out on daily walks and makes it easy to pay a little more attention to the world around you.
Either way you post, you'll share your location, either the exact pinpoint spot — probably best for when you're out at a park or another public location — or just a general area where you saw them. If you're someone who enjoys watching the birds at home, you'll probably want to select the more generic location.
It's a lot of fun to have conversations on this platform and work together toward something wholesome and fun. Gosh, what a massive difference from other social networks, huh?
Heck, you can keep your individual sightings and sessions completely private if you want to, turning it more into a personal catalog of adventures instead of a social media blitz.
While the main feed shows folks from around the world — not unlike how Twitter works — you can opt to keep things more local by sliding over to the Nearby tab up top or help others identify birds they've seen but don't yet know.
It's a lot of fun to have conversations on this platform and work together toward something wholesome and fun.
Gosh, what a massive difference from other social networks, huh?
Outside of posting your own sightings or commenting on others' sightings, you can also join in one of the many challenges Birda offers its users. Want to set a goal for 2023 to see at least 100 different species of birds? There's a challenge for that!
There's even a fun New Year's Challenge that I'll be joining in that challenges users to log at least 10 different bird species on New Year's Day. Given that I just set my bird feeders up again for the Winter, you'd better believe I'll be seeing plenty of my feathered friends making their way to the easy food source.
Or maybe you're using one of the best Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra or Google Pixel 7 Pro that can zoom way in and still get a clear picture? Join one of the many bird photo challenges and see if you can compete with those folks that use big DSLR cameras and long telephoto lenses.
Seriously, see how good those pictures look? They were all taken from at least a 30x zoom and many of them were taken from further away from that. It's crazy impressive what the Galaxy S22 Ultra's camera can do.
And yeah, you know I had to sneak a picture of my backyard chickens in there for good measure. Hard to resist!
In fact, if you end up getting hooked on using Birda and find that birding is something you love — it is a truly relaxing and remarkable way to enjoy nature, after all — I'd definitely recommend getting a Galaxy S22 Ultra or waiting just a few months for the Galaxy S23 Ultra which will, no doubt, take even better photos than the current model.
Get an up-close and personal photo without having to actually get close. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra can zoom up to 100x away, making it easy to snap a crisp picture of that new bird species you've never seen before.
