I must confess I am not a "techie," but I do know the possibilities for sharing information and knowledge are seemingly endless these days. A recent evening sitting at an outdoor restaurant with friends gave proof. There we were, peering at a 4x2-inch smart phone screen and sharing their photos of Seattle and Portland. We got to see flowers, landscapes, fish, chuckers, and flies. A demonstration of the Audubon application (or app) came next. By simply keying in brown bird, black wings, size, and location, up came identification and the bird's song. Amazing!

So it was then that I began to investigate nature apps - those micro programs you can buy or download free for your phone or ipad. The number of apps to tantalize your exploration of nature is bountiful. Online reviews can be helpful in making selections.

For bird identification you will want to check out these apps: Audubon Birds, iBird Explorer Pro, National Geographic's Handheld Birds, Peterson's Birds of North America, and The Sibley eGuide to Birds of North America. Some of these have a free version; others can range from $10 to $30.

iTunes has the WildObs with apps to record your wildlife encounters and encourage collaboration. Others of their versions are WildObs Lookout, WildObs Look Up, and WildObs Naturalist where you can reference your personal wildlife encounters.

More apps to explore:

There are still other available apps for identifying the stars, constellations, and planets of the night skies, garden insects, or scat and tracks of animals. If you are tuned in, wired or wireless, e-connected, you don't have to leave the simpler pleasures of nature behind. Using apps can magnify, identify, categorize, photograph, and record ventures into your backyard or beyond. Apps are here to stay - and with them comes the power of knowledge at your fingertips. And if you are not wired, there are always the tried and true field guides.