Media We Love: Merlin Chook ID app
Kelly Kizer Whitt recommends the Merlin Chook ID app
On a comparatively quiet Sunday night in my neighborhood, I sat out on my porch about an hour earlier than sundown. With the development, garden mowing and automotive sounds of the weekday lastly absent, the air got here alive with a refrain of birds. Utilizing my not too long ago downloaded Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, I clicked on Sound ID and the app started recording all of the tweets, chirps, caws and coos surrounding me.
I let the app run for 20 minutes, recording hen sounds all the time. It robotically recognized the birds behind the noises. Because it did, it stored a operating record within the window and would gentle up yellow beneath every hen’s identify to point what my telephone – and my ears – have been listening to.
Over the 20 minutes, the app recognized 15 birds. Most of them I used to be well-acquainted with, as they go to my hen feeders or hang around on my garden. One of many birds, the widespread nighthawk, had a particular half-filled circle by its identify. The half circle signifies that it’s an unusual species (apparently regardless of its moniker). Uncommon species can be indicated by a strong purple circle.
It felt a bit like I used to be attending to know the neighbors higher as I noticed every new hen species pop up on the record.
My mom, who made me conscious of the app, lives about 15 miles (25 km) away from me. Her location is in a forested space, and on the Monday morning after my experiment, she ran Sound ID for 10 minutes. The app counted 33 birds at her website. Greater than twice as many as mine!
I’m excited to attempt the app a pair weeks from now as I journey to the Rocky Mountains and “meet” some new birds.
Extra concerning the free app
If you wish to attempt the app, it’s free, however it could actually take up numerous storage space in your telephone. While you first obtain the app, you’ll wish to put in your location and set up the “hen pack” to your area. Or – for 1.39 GB of space – you’ll be able to set up the hen pack for each the U.S. and Canada. I plan to journey to Canada later this summer time, so I went forward and put the larger hen pack on my telephone.
After all, you can even determine birds on the app by means of pictures with their Picture ID choice. You may also discover the birds of their database and check in to create your individual record of birds, important for the true birder.
And when you’ve created a log in, you should utilize the identical log in for issues such because the Great Backyard Bird Count, Project FeederWatch and extra.
Photos from the Merlin Chook ID app
Right here’s a take a look at what you’ll see while you obtain the Merlin Chook ID app. Right here’s a screenshot of a number of the birds the app recognized in my yard.
And, if you must determine a hen you noticed, they provide help to with a step-by-step information.
Backside line: On this installment of Media We Love, EarthSky editor Kelly Kizer Whitt recommends the Merlin Chook ID app.
