TL:DR – The language model ChatGPT seems to put a positive spin on everything, even rather negative topics.
I fed the paragraphs from my recent blog post about our new year trip to the Norfolk coast sequentially to the ChatGPT, language model to see what sort of things it would say in response to my words…its responses put a positive spin on everything, even my complaint about the number of dogs!
It’s also interesting, that it recognises that I said “for starters” and so asked if I saw any other interesting birds. For the most part, it looks like the bot repeats back to you what you’ve said like a vaguely interested and patronising friend might! Be interesting to know from where it grabs the additional information about each species and whether that’s copyright material or open to use because it was my creative input that generated it using the app…
I discuss this artificial discussion in an article entitled “Will AI help us be more creative and innovate?”
Here’s the call-and-response chat I had with the AI:
Sciencebase: As has been our habit for the last few years, we have eschewed the midnight festivities of New Year and escaped to the coast. This time, we straddled the New Year with three nights in a cosy cottage in Wells-next-the-Sea. We enjoyed the local hostelries in the evenings during our trip, but the main focus was to walk as far as we could manage each day (usually 7 or 8 miles) and to take in the birding and other sites of nature en route.
ChatGPT: Sounds like you had a great time! Wells-next-the-Sea is a beautiful location and it’s always nice to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Walking and birdwatching are both excellent ways to relax and connect with nature. It’s great that you were able to spend some time doing activities that you enjoy and getting some exercise at the same time. I hope you had a wonderful trip and that you’re feeling refreshed and rejuvenated for the new year.
Sciencebase: Wells, Warham, Titchwell, and Holkham Gap were the main areas, beach, woodland, marsh, and nature reserve. A couple of Muntjac (one deceased), two or three Grey Squirrel, half a dozen Grey Seal, and 1001 dalmations and others dogs were the limited list of mammals we saw.
ChatGPT: It sounds like you had a great time exploring the different environments in Wells-next-the-Sea and the surrounding areas. Muntjac, grey squirrel, and grey seal are all interesting animals to see, and it’s great that you were able to spot them during your walks. The variety of dogs you saw must have been fun to watch as well. I hope you were able to get some good photos or memories of your adventures!
Sciencebase: The birding list was much better as you’d expect, for starters, we saw a rare vagrant over the marsh at Warham east of Wells, a Pallid Harrier, along with a couple of Hen Harriers on the same marsh. It was dull and grey at that point and the low-light photos of the harriers are just my record shots.
ChatGPT: Seeing a Pallid Harrier and a couple of Hen Harriers is quite a treat for birdwatchers! These birds are not often seen, especially the Pallid Harrier, which is a rare vagrant to the UK. It sounds like you were lucky to spot them during your trip. It’s understandable that the photos may not have turned out well in the low light, but I’m sure the experience of seeing these birds in person was well worth it. Did you see any other interesting birds during your trip?
Sciencebase: The Pallid Harrier, Circus macrourus, is a migrant that breeds in Eastern Europe, Iran, and central Asia, wintering in India or Africa depending on its migratory wont. It is rare in Western Europe and the UK, but occasional vagrants are ticked here. That said, the species is now known to have bred in The Netherlands (2017) and Spain (2019). A changing world means a changing world for the birds too.
ChatGPT: Yes, that’s correct. The Pallid Harrier is a species that typically breeds in Eastern Europe, Iran, and Central Asia, and winters in India or Africa. It is not a common sight in Western Europe, including the UK, but as you mentioned, there have been a few instances of the species being spotted as a vagrant in these regions. It’s interesting to see how changing environments and conditions can affect the distribution and migration patterns of different species of birds. Did you see any other unusual or rare birds during your trip?
Sciencebase: We saw dozens of other species (around 80). Many of those we had seen before, some many times, but one was rather special and we’d only seen it once before, in Poole Harbour in the autumn of 2022 – White-tailed Eagle. An immature specimen flew over us as we were heading back along the beach to Holkham Gap from the westward marsh end of the patch. The bird itself was heading to its roost on the marsh where it had been reported at roughly the same time for the previous couple of days. We don’t know at this point whether the bird we saw was one of the two we saw in Poole, these Isle of Wight reintroduction birds do cover a lot of ground on their travels.
ChatGPT: Seeing a White-tailed Eagle is definitely a special and memorable experience! These birds are not commonly seen in the UK, so it’s great that you were able to spot one during your trip. It’s interesting that you saw one in Poole Harbour in the autumn of 2022 and then saw a potentially different one in Wells-next-the-Sea a few months later. It’s possible that the one you saw in Poole was one of the Isle of Wight reintroduction birds, as you mentioned. These birds are known to cover a lot of ground on their travels, so it’s not uncommon for them to be spotted in different locations. It’s wonderful that you were able to see such a beautiful and impressive bird during your trip.
Sciencebase: On a smaller scale, but much more numerous, we had some lovely views of visitors from The Arctic, Snow Buntings (30+), which are distant cousins of the Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings. We also saw Shorelarks (about 11) at Holkham Gap despite the best efforts of uncontrolled dog walkers to repeatedly scare the birds away.
ChatGPT: Snow Buntings and Shorelarks are both interesting and attractive birds to see. It’s great that you were able to spot a large number of Snow Buntings and a few Shorelarks during your trip. It’s unfortunate that the Shorelarks were being disturbed by uncontrolled dogs, but it’s good that you were still able to get some views of them. These arctic visitors can be a real treat for birdwatchers, and it sounds like you had a great time spotting them during your walks.
Sciencebase: Below is the, hopefully complete, list of birds we saw, we may have a few others that we may have glimpsed in passing but are not claiming for the list, Grey Partridge, Bullfinch, Whooper Swan, Sparrowhawk. There were no feeders at the RSPB Titchwell cafe area on this visit, so no sighting of Coal Tit on this visit.
ChatGPT: Here is the list of birds you saw, with a few notes about each species:
- Grey Partridge: This is a bird that is native to Europe and Asia. It is a medium-sized bird with a plump body and a reddish-brown head and neck.
- Bullfinch: This is a small, stocky finch with a distinctive black head and a bright pink breast. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
- Whooper Swan: This is a large, white swan with a long neck and a distinctive, bell-like call. It is native to parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
- Sparrowhawk: This is a small, agile bird of prey with a long tail and short, rounded wings. It is found throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.
It sounds like you had a good variety of birds on your list, and it’s a shame that you weren’t able to spot a Coal Tit on this trip. I hope you had a great time birdwatching and that you were able to get some good views of the birds you saw.Sciencebase: I listed all the birds we saw in my original blog post and then fed them to the bot to see what it would give me.
ChatGPT: It looks like you saw a wide variety of birds during your trip! It’s impressive to see such a long list of different species. Some of the more interesting or notable birds on the list include the Pallid Harrier (which is a rare vagrant to the UK), the Hen Harrier (which is a threatened species in the UK), the Great White Egret (which is a large and striking bird), the Red Kite (which has made a comeback in the UK after being nearly extinct in the 19th century), and the Rough-legged Buzzard (which is a rare winter visitor to the UK). It’s great that you were able to see so many different birds and that you had such a successful trip. I hope you enjoyed your birdwatching experience and that you were able to get some good views of the birds you saw.
Sciencebase: I then fed it a shorter list of some of the birds – Avocet, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Brent Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Pintail, Red-breasted Merganser Red-throated Diver, Shore Lark.
ChatGPT: Here is some information about the bird species you listed:
- Avocet: This is a long-legged wading bird with a distinctive upturned bill. It is found in parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
- Bar-tailed Godwit: This is a large, long-billed shorebird with a reddish-brown head and neck and a barred tail. It is found in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
- Black-tailed Godwit: This is a large, long-billed shorebird with a reddish-brown head and neck and a black tail. It is found in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
- Brent Goose: This is a small, dark goose with a distinctive black neck and head. It is found in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
- Pink-footed Goose: This is a medium-sized goose with a pinkish-brown breast and pink legs and feet. It is found in parts of Europe and Asia.
- Pintail: This is a medium-sized duck with a long, narrow tail and a distinctive, upward-curving bill. It is found in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
- Red-breasted Merganser: This is a medium-sized diving duck with a thin, serrated bill and a distinctive, crest-like tuft of feathers on its head. It is found in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
- Red-throated Diver: This is a medium-sized diving bird with a distinctive red throat patch and a long, thin bill. It is found in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
- Shore Lark: This is a small, plump bird with a distinctive, black-and-yellow head pattern. It is found in parts of Europe and Asia.
These are all interesting and attractive birds to see, and it’s great that you were able to spot them during your trip. I hope you enjoyed your birdwatching experience and that you were able to get some good views of these species.