A new app called Birdex has launched to make birdwatching fun and competitive. Users record birds they spot in the UK to collect digital cards. They gain points, with rare birds giving the most rewards. Friends can join and compete on who sees the most birds. Harry Scott, one of the app's creators, said, “Birds are great.” He added they built the app over six months to get young people interested in nature. Scott said, “I think birdwatching and Pokémon do share a lot of similarities.” Some worry using phones might distract from nature. Scott replied, “We’re trying to make sure that that screen time [people are] having is a lot more positive.” Michelle Williams, a psychologist in London, uses the app to watch birds like robins with her kids. She said, “This is an opportunity to get out and help them engage with nature.” However, some users criticized Birdex for using AI-generated bird art. One wrote on Reddit, “If the art is AI it’s an instant uninstall, sorry.” Scott explained they used AI due to limited funds but plan to hire real artists. The app is free now but may add paid features later. So far, users have logged over 200,000 bird sightings. Viola Ross-Smith from the British Trust for Ornithology said Birdex might aid citizen science if sightings are shared. She called the app “pretty engaging” and said her Pokémon-loving son found it “quite cool.” But she warned the app should include notices not to disturb rare birds like Scotland’s capercaillie during nesting, as it is illegal to disturb them. Visitors near the Cairngorms are already told not to seek out these fragile birds. Ross-Smith suggested adding such warnings to Birdex.