BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 8, 2025
Technology is advancing so fast, it’s hard to keep up. Swarovski Optik’s new AX Visio binoculars use built-in GPS and image-recognition AI to know where you are and what you’re looking at. Supposedly, these new binoculars can identify 9000 bird species with reasonable accuracy. The binoculars cost over $5000 to identify a bird in your backyard. I’ll come over to your house and do it for half that price. Scientific advances are making a difference on the landscape, too. University of Missouri researchers are using drones and artificial intelligence to monitor migratory water birds more safely and accurately. BirdCast combines radar data with weather forecasts to predict migration waves. AI connected to BirdCast could automatically dim the lights on tall buildings to reduces mortality in migratory flyways. It could also power-down wind turbines. With modern tools, many people don’t need to sharpen their personal identification skills. Ultimately, AI can only do so much. ~ Bob Duchesne