[2023-05-26] Merlin
A few days ago, I downloaded the Merlin app by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This free app (available for both Android and Apple phones) allows me to record the sounds of nearby birds, then makes suggestions about all the birds it is picking up, highlighting which bird is singing at any given time. (When I mentioned this to my daughter, she said, "It's like Shazam for birds.") When I think I have a match, I can listen to recordings of each bird on the list generated by Merlin, which helps me to confirm the bird I'm hearing.
I can also take a photo of a bird (if I can manage to get close enough) and Merlin will suggest possible matches.
A third way to identify a bird is by browsing Merlin's extensive database of birds, answering questions to help narrow down the possibilities. Merlin asks five questions:
- Where did you see the bird (search by city or select current location or recent locations)?
- When did you see the bird (choose today or another date from a pop-up calendar)?
- What size was the bird (size of a sparrow, robin, crow or goose)?
- What were the main colours (you can choose up to 3 of 9)?
- Was the bird...eating at a feeder, swimming or wading, on the ground, in trees or bushes, on a fence or wire, or soaring or flying?
Merlin will then present information (text, photo, sounds) on several birds that could be a match.
Whether I find a bird by browsing a list in the app or by using the app to record or photograph a bird, I can save a confirmed hearing or sighting of a bird to my personal list by selecting "This Is My Bird!" So far, I have two birds on what Merlin calls my Life List: a mourning dove that I heard at the Bruce Pit dog park (Nepean) this morning, and a mallard that I saw at the Walter Baker Park (Kanata) this evening. Each item on my Life List captures when and where I heard or saw the bird, and presents information on the bird, such as a photo, text, recordings of the sounds it makes, and a map showing its habitat.
The Merlin app has added a learning component to what was previously just a peaceful activity that Chris and I could share. I now notice birds so much more than I used to, frequently pulling out my phone to record a bird that I hear (I'm more likely to hear a bird than to see it).
I had downloaded the Merlin app to my phone a few years ago, but didn't find it to be particularly useful or user-friendly. The current version, by contrast, is superb. If you like listening to and/or watching birds, you would probably love the Merlin app.
