This past spring I successfully used a PDA in the field to enter basic bird census info after creating a custom template using Pocket Excel. I found it very useful for transfer to my computer database (saved time not having to re-transcribe notes for example). However, I too was reluctant to use them in rainy or moist conditions. My day job is selling mobile electronics (e.g. cellular and sat phones), and I would be very surprised if any of current models would stand up to anything more than a brief shower! Electronics and moisture do not mix and until one of manufacturers comes up with a more "robust" outdoor-proof model, I would not risk damaging a handheld PDA for field work! Granted there are pelican-cases available (e.g. waterproof cases, but would probably need to be custom-made for size as most are made for larger items such as cameras or laptops), but they would make the PDA cumbersome.

David Allinson
President, Rocky Point Bird Observatory
3370 Passage Way
Victoria, BC
V9C 4J6

Web site: www.islandnet.com/~rpbo
273 species and counting!
Look for a bargraph checklist coming soon.

"Not everything that can be counted counts,
and not everything that counts can be counted."
Albert Einstein