Birdbrained: When Nature and Technology Collide

About this episode

The episode explores the impact of technology and competition on the experience of observing nature, particularly in birdwatching.

What happens when technology and competition start to invade our experiences in nature? For example, what if you’re so focused on documenting a bird sighting in your iPhone app that you fail to appreciate the majestic songs of the bushtit or dickcissel on the branch in front of you? In this episode, Jason, Rob, and Asher explore the world of competitive birding, the relationship between those who love nature and the technology they use to connect to it, and how even the most gentle of shared passions can get corrupted by status-fueled competition. Bear with us through the maddening tech and over-the-top competition as we rediscover how to observe and just exist within our home ecosystems. Originally recorded on 3/5/26. Sources/Links/Notes: Holding the Fire Owen Reiser, Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching , 2025 David Frankel, The Big Year , 2011 film Nature photographer Hannah Seilhan

People in this episode

Hosts: Jason, Rob, Asher

Topics covered

• technology
• nature
• birding
• competition
• ecosystems

Keywords

• birdwatching
• technology
• nature
• competition
• ecosystems
• birding

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching, The Big Year

More episodes of Crazy Town

• Join the 2026 Crazy Town Hall · June 10, 2026 · 2 min
• The Hypocrite’s Guide to the Galaxy: Muddling Toward a Sustainable Footprint · June 3, 2026 · 1h 5m
• The Lighter Side of Dark Ages with Chris Smaje · May 20, 2026 · 58 min
• Take Me to the River: Getting Rid of Deadbeat Dams · May 6, 2026 · 58 min
• Mailbag: The Crazy Townies Speak! · April 22, 2026 · 53 min
• Being Team Human in Crazy Town · March 25, 2026 · 54 min