How to Plan a Birding Trip with Ai

Here’s how I plan birdwatching trips with Ai.

Don’t you hate Ai?

A lot of people hate Ai, especially in the birdwatching / nature-enthusiast space. I totally and 100% understand why.

A big idea is that it “ruins work” because it does so many jobs and so quickly, that we’re left with not much to do. There are a long list of reasons this is a bad thing, but today I want to show you how that can be a great thing!

I love birdwatching. I love being outdoors. And most importantly, I love going through my bird list and trying to see new species of birds that I haven’t seen before.

However, with a job and a million other responsabilities; it’s very difficult to find the time to plan birdwatching trips; let alone actually go and do a trip.

The crazy thing is though, it can take just as long planning the trip as it does going on it!

It takes HOURS if not DAYS going through my birdlist and trying to find the missing bird species and then research and find where I should go for my best chance of seeing new species.

Honestly, I don’t like this part of my Birdwatching passion.

I didn’t get into birding to sit in front of a computer all day as a travel agent. I fell in love with birding to spend my time outside.

But with 50% of my birdwatching interest being spent on the computer trying to research old forums, websites that were designed in the 1700s and maps that were scanned with the first ever copy machine; I needed a new solution.

So I came up with an genius plan: “what if Ai planned my Birdwatching trips for me?”

I’d been using Ai (specifically Chat GPT for a long time now). Chat GPT for those who don’t know is a free Ai that you can talk to, like messaging a friend, and it can do tasks FOR you, find information for you and basically replace the need for Googling anything.

 So here’s my step by step breakdown of how I use Chat GPT to plan my birding trips, and can spend my birdwatching time ACTUALLY birdwatching; not being a travel agent.

Plan Birdwatching Trips with Ai

Step 1. You’ll a list of all the birds you’ve seen. Now this can be in a Google Sheet, Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, or literally a simple list.

Either way you need it written down. I just converted my Google Sheet into a “CSV” file and then uploaded that, but if you have a written out species list, then you can simply copy and paste that. 

Here is the prompt that I gave Chat GPT below.

By the way, for those of you who haven’t used Ai programs before; a “prompt” is basically just the message you give the program to get it to do a task.

If you want to copy and paste the Prompt you can find it at the bottom of this article!

Chat GPT responded with this exact text you see below:

1. Gluepot Reserve

Gluepot Reserve is a renowned birdwatching location, particularly for mallee birds.

Species to Look For:

1. Malleefowl
2. Black-eared Miner
3. Red-lored Whistler
4. Regent Parrot
5. Southern Scrub-robin
6. Shy Heathwren
7. Chestnut Quail-thrush
8. Striated Grasswren
9. Crested Bellbird
10. White-browed Treecreeper

2. Coorong National Park

Coorong National Park is an excellent spot for waterbirds and coastal species.

Species to Look For:

1. Eastern Curlew
2. Red-necked Avocet
3. Fairy Tern
4. Black-tailed Godwit
5. Banded Stilt
6. Little Tern
7. Curlew Sandpiper
8. Australian Spotted Crake
9. Hooded Plover
10. Rock Parrot

3. Innes National Park

Innes National Park offers diverse habitats, from coastal to woodland, attracting various bird species.

Species to Look For:

1. Rock Parrot
2. Brush Bronzewing
3. Painted Button-quail
4. Elegant Parrot
5. Western Whipbird
6. Southern Emu-wren
7. White-bellied Sea-Eagle
8. Tawny-crowned Honeyeater
9. Purple-gaped Honeyeater
10. Rufous Fieldwren

To which I responded:

“This is great! I have already visited Gluepot Reserve. Is there anywhere else I could go instead to see similar species / or other species not listed on my CSV”

And Chat GPT Responded with:

Since you have already visited Gluepot Reserve, here is an alternative location:

4. Flinders Ranges National Park

Flinders Ranges National Park is a great location for a mix of arid zone and woodland birds, offering opportunities to see species unique to this area.

Species to Look For:

1. Short-tailed Grasswren
2. Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (unique to the region, though not a bird)
3. Inland Thornbill
4. Redthroat
5. Chirruping Wedgebill
6. Grey-fronted Honeyeater
7. Red-backed Kingfisher
8. Crimson Chat
9. Elegant Parrot
10. Western Grasswren

This location, along with Coorong National Park and Innes National Park, should provide you with a diverse birdwatching experience and a chance to see many species not on your list.

This is by far the most efficient way for me to plan my Birdwatching Trips.

As a birder who wants to see as many different species as possible, it can be really difficult to find new places to visit that won’t have me seeing the same species I’ve already seen.

Plus, the more bird species I see, the harder it gets to find a new location that gives new sighting possibilities.

That’s why I outsource this work to Ai, more specifically Chat GPT.

Ai tools (such as Chat GPT) aren’t just for work, as most people think. It can help you spend more time doing what you love;

and for me, that’s seeing new bird species.

Prompt I used for you to copy and paste:

Here is my bird list of every bird that I’ve seen. I need your help planning a trip that allows me to see as many of bird species as possible. The rule is it can only be to one location in (State / Area you’re willing to travel).

For example, “Visit Belair national park”. Which 3 locations would give me the BEST chance of seeing the most amount of bird species that are found in (Your State), but NOT on this list.

With these 3 locations, give me a list of 10 species that I can find at that location, that are missing from my list.

Here is my list:

(copy and paste your list here)