Many of you are probably already aware of - and using - The Cornell Lab Merlin
ID app. For those of you who are unaware of this totally free app, check it out
here:
https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org
Great for beginners and long time birders alike.
Recently the app was upgraded to include “Sound ID”. While it is still in the
early stages it will no doubt improve over time. The benefits to this upgrade
are already numerous and helpful.
I was able to field test the Sound ID portion while in WI and then while
traveling through IA, NE, KS, CO, NM and finally in AZ. Overall, I found the
accuracy of IDing birds by song/call to be impressive. That said, it’s still a
work in progress and misidentified a few species. Or told me a particular
species was within ear shot but clearly it was the wrong habitat. For example
in the back yard of a house in Sierra Vista, AZ, it listed “Spotted Owl”.
Spotted Owls do nest in a few of the nearby canyons but not in urban Sierra
Vista, specially during midday. It was probably one of many dove species. ID’s
need to be taken with a grain of salt. Fortunately the app will alert you to
possible issues through a series of icons (as it did with the Spotted Owl).
Personally, I have found the benefits to be:
1.The app alerted me to the presence of birds I was not seeing (my hearing
isn’t the best these days). I was able to search and find birds the app told me
were present.
2. As for calls/songs of birds tough to differentiate by sight alone (think
flycatchers), the app proved helpful differentiating between Alder and Willow
calls/songs.
3. For calls/songs I hear only seasonally (like Dickcissel), the app quickly
reenforced what I thought I was hearing thus helping me to better remember
these calls/songs in the future.
4. In addition to displaying birds the app ID’ed, each ID is accompanied with a
sonogram.
Unfortunately, the update to the app came after the main warbler migration had
taken place in WI so I was unable to give the app a more thorough test.
However, the app was able to identify several species of warbler on territory.
For example, Cerulean Warbler which has a song/call too high for my ears
(unless it’s directly overhead). The app told me they were around and I was
finally able to spot them. I experienced the same accuracy with several vireo
and sparrow species.
During a walk in the Garden of the Gods in CO, the app told me that
White-throated Swifts were present. It took a few minutes but we finally did
see them soaring high overhead. The same was true with Chimney Swifts while we
were walking in Downton Appleton.
Summing up, the Sound ID portion of the app, in and of itself, makes acquiring
the app worthwhile. Other features already present in the app: photos, range
maps, and numerous calls and songs plus the ability to add “bird packs (lists
of birds from a long list of countries) make this free app a must have.
Tom Sykes
sykes@xxxxxxxxxx
(presentlin in Cochise County, AZ
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