The ornithological artist drawing 1,000 birds by hand – all for an app that wants you off your phone

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Aug 08, 2026 · 1741 words · By Nick Czap; Guardian staff reporter

Technology vs. Nature Avian Conservation Ethical App Design

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On a brilliantly bright afternoon in his gallery and studio in Bolinas, a small town on the northern California coast, Keith Hansen was putting the finishing touches on a watercolor of an almost improbably flamboyant painted bunting.

Claims checked 22

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage

Left50%

Center50%

Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

With an ultra-fine sable brush, he made a few intricate additions to the cobalt blue plumage on the bunting’s head, and, satisfied with his work, slipped the watercolor into a stout binder that every few days welcomes a new addition.

Common ground

Hansen, a renowned ornithological illustrator and author, has a monumental task – a hand-painted compendium of every one of the roughly 1,000 bird species ever recorded from the US and Canada, including those found in waters up to 200 miles from shore,…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Technology vs. Nature story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Among Flock’s growing flock is Amy Tan, the bestselling writer whose most recent work, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, grew from a series of pencil sketches, color portraits and journal notes she collected on her avian neighbors during the pandemic?
How does this story connect Technology vs. Nature with Avian Conservation over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/08/birds-artist-flock-app-californi…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 70% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 22 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 12

check_circle Corroborated 6

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “Among Flock’s growing flock is Amy Tan, the bestselling writer whose most recent work, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, grew from a series of pencil sketches, color portraits and journal notes she collected on her avian neighbors during the pandemic.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Hansen, a renowned ornithological illustrator and author, has a monumental task – a hand-painted compendium of every one of the roughly 1,000 bird species ever recorded from the US and Canada, including those found in waters up to 200 miles from shore, Hawaiian birds not included.”

CORROBORATED

The Guardian, Briefly, and WhatTheyThink all report that Keith Hansen is creating a hand-painted compendium of roughly 1,000 bird species from the US and Canada.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeremy Roger Hansen (born January 27, 1976) is a Royal Canadian Air Force colonel and CSA astronaut. As a mission specialist on Artemis II in April 2026, he became the only person not from the United …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Hansen

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Life on a Rock is the fifteenth studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on April 30, 2013 via Blue Chair and Columbia Records. Chesney co-wrote eight of the album'…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_a_Rock

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hawaii ( hə-WY-ee; Hawaiian: Hawaiʻi [həˈvɐjʔi, həˈwɐjʔi]) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two no…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Donkin grew up on the San Francisco peninsula and began birding at the age of four under the wing of his father’s friend Rich Stallcup, an esteemed ornithologist and birder, and a founder of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “the Cornell Lab’s Merlin app, which identifies birds based on their songs and calls, or images.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 5: “Initially Stevenson and Donkin thought they might develop an app in partnership with Audubon, or with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “As a lead product designer at Amazon, he led the charge on design for several models of the Kindle e-reader.”

CORROBORATED

The Guardian and Briefly both state that Adam Donkin was a lead product designer at Amazon for Kindle e-readers.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Adam Donkin. I'm a Product Design Leader. I love driving strategic vision, crafting experiences, and inspiring creativity with energy and optimism.
https://adamdonkin.framer.website/home-designer

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Discover what Kindle can do. Kindle is purposefully designed to help you tune out the noise and focus on what matters—reading, writing, deep thinking. Spark your imagination Get lost in colorful books…
https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=210710947011

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Flock was conceived and created by Adam Donkin and Bob Stevenson, with Donkin previously leading Kindle e-reader design at Amazon and Stevenson founding a company in Edinburgh at 18 and later working …
https://briefly.co/anchor/Graphic_design/story/the-ornitholo…

help

Claim 7: “in 1986... he settled in Bolinas, opening his gallery there in 1991.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific dates of Keith Hansen moving to Bolinas (1986) or opening his gallery (1991).

info

Claim 8: “embarking on a decades-long career as an art or design director, or as a producer, for more than 50 video games.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is mentioned in the 'WhatTheyThink' snippet as part of a report on Bob Stevenson, but no other independent sources in the evidence provided confirm the '50 video games' figure.

schedule

Claim 9: “Donkin moved to Marin in 2012.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 10: “When finished, it will complete the visual backbone of an app called Flock”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including The Guardian and Impactful Ninja, confirm that Hansen's illustrations serve as the visual basis/backbone for the Flock app.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gaylen Capener Hansen (born September 21, 1921) is an American artist best known for neo-expressionist figurative paintings that feature the flora and fauna of the Palouse, a geographically unusual ar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaylen_Hansen

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sheep (pl.: sheep) or domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are a domesticated ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term sheep can apply to other species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Superhero Movie is a 2008 American parody film written and directed by Craig Mazin, produced by Mazin, Robert K. Weiss and David Zucker, and starring Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superhero_Movie

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 11: “the spark was a conversation with Robert Snow, the president of the Fresno Audubon Society”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 12: “By April of that year, Flock had about 100 users. Today... it has on the order of 1,000.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “opened his own gallery in Tiburon.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 14: “in 2017, set to work on Flock.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 15: “He founded his first company in Edinburgh at 18, and at 24, moved to California to work as an art director for Richard Branson’s Virgin Games”

SINGLE SOURCE

While 'Briefly' mentions Bob Stevenson founding a company in Edinburgh at 18 and working for Virgin Games, the other search results provided for this claim are irrelevant (B.o.B the rapper, etc.). Only one relevant source (Briefly) corroborates this.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, [note 1] is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons signed with …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.o.B

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Shop everyday discount prices and unbeatable deals on furniture for your whole home at Bob's Discount Furniture.
https://www.mybobs.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Login to your Bob account
https://app.hibob.com/

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Claim 16: “Flock was conceived and created by two of Hansen’s friends, Adam Donkin and Bob Stevenson.”

CORROBORATED

The Guardian and other web results explicitly state that the Flock app was conceived and created by Adam Donkin and Bob Stevenson.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Age of Discovery (c. 1418 – c. 1620), also known as the Age of Exploration, was part of the early modern period and overlapped with the Age of Sail. It was a period from approximately the 15th to …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Discovery

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Cybils Awards, or Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards, are a set of annual book awards given by people who blog about children's and young adult books. Co-founded by Kelly Herold …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybils_Award

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The mission of the Flock app is quietly subversive: to encourage users to ditch their screens and explore the wonderful world of birding.Hansen’s illustration of the painted bunting appears in Flock, …
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/08/birds-artist…

+ 2 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 17: “a Steller’s sea eagle... one of which, acting on some unknown impulse in 2020, flew from northern Asia to Alaska and then Texas, before settling on the coast of Maine.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 18: “Keith Hansen was putting the finishing touches on a watercolor of an almost improbably flamboyant painted bunting... in his gallery and studio in Bolinas, a small town on the northern California coast”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (The Guardian, MapQuest, and a talk description) confirm Keith Hansen has a gallery and studio in Bolinas, California.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Bolinas, California, a small coastal town where Keith Hansen has his studio.Hansen, in his gallery and studio in Bolinas. Photograph: Nick Czap. In early 2025, they released Flock on Apple’s app store…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/08/birds-artist…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Get more information for Wildlife Gallery & Studio in Bolinas, CA. See reviews, map, get the address, and find directions.
https://www.mapquest.com/us/california/wildlife-gallery-stud…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — If you can’t make this talk — his workspace, The Wildlife Gallery” is located in Bolinas California where people can view originals, prints, and the various works that are on display (and the birds vi…
https://sfnhs.com/2015/03/21/april-29th-keith-hansen-the-art…

schedule

Claim 19: “In 2016, Donkin visited Stevenson at his home in the southern Marin town of Tiburon”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 20: “In early 2025, they released Flock on Apple’s app store.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 21: “Donkin, 52, who lives not far from Hansen in Marin county’s San Geronimo valley, worked for many years as a product and user experience designer.”

CORROBORATED

The Guardian reports his age, location in San Geronimo valley, and profession. This is supported by his LinkedIn and Medium profiles which confirm his UX/Product design background.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Donkin, 52, who lives not far from Hansen in Marin county’s San Geronimo valley, worked for many years as a product and user experience designer. As a lead product designer at Amazon, he led the charg…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/08/birds-artist…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Executive coach with 20 years experience leading teams—handheld devices, apps, games… · Location: San Francisco Bay Area. 500+ connections on LinkedIn. View Adam Donkin’s profile on LinkedIn, a profes…
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-donkin-235565

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Read writing from Adam Donkin on Medium. UX Director at N3TWORK. In my spare time, making experiences to thoughtfully reconnect people with nature.Techniques for Product Designers.
https://medium.com/@adamdonkin

info

Claim 22: “Stevenson, a 58-year-old Scotsman, lives in St Helena in the Napa valley.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this specific claim consists of irrelevant results (B.o.B the rapper, Bob's Discount Furniture). However, the original claim is part of a narrative corroborated in other sections. Since no independent second source confirms his age or residence in St Helena in the provided evidence, it remains single-source.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Bob's Discount Furniture, Inc. is an American furniture store chain headquartered in Manchester, Connecticut. The company opened its first store in 1991 in Newington, Connecticut and is ranked 7th in …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob's_Discount_Furniture

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Shop everyday discount prices and unbeatable deals on furniture for your whole home at Bob's Discount Furniture.
https://www.mybobs.com/

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.