I'd been meaning to download the Merlin app to my phone ever since my lovely friend, who blogs at Crimson Kettle, mentioned it back in March. Merlin helps you to identify the birds you see or hear. I finally downloaded the app just over a month ago and I've been enjoying using it since.
The first thing I did was sit in the garden for a couple of minutes while I recorded the birds I could hear. Just in that short time (less than two minutes) it identified house sparrows, greenfinches, starlings, blackbirds and wrens.
A couple of days later we went for a short walk down the lane which runs at the top of our street. There's houses and stables running along one side and farmland along the other, at the bottom it opens out into woodland but we didn't get that far. We walked for half a mile, turned round and walked the half mile back again and the app identified the calls of sparrows, starlings, chiffchaffs, blackbirds, wrens, robins, greenfinches, goldfinches, dunnocks, blackcaps, collared-doves, blue tits and skylarks.
It's fun seeing what birds the app identifies on our different walks. We visited RSBP St.Aidan's, a nature reserve a few miles from where we live. There, the app picked up reed buntings, cetti's warblers, black-headed gulls, moorhens, coots, swifts, reed warblers, willow warblers, blackbirds, robins, greater whitethroats, blackcaps, sedge warblers, wood-pigeons, chiffchaffs and dunnocks.
We often see different birds on our walks at Lotherton. We did a two mile walk one afternoon and the app picked up wrens, blackbirds, robins, rooks, chiffchaffs, blackcaps, chaffinches, great tits, wood-pigeons, yellowhammers, firecrests, song thrushes and blue tits.
I thought it would be fun to see what seabirds the app picked up at RSPB Bempton Cliffs. Unfortunately, there's an error and the app won't allow me access to the list of birds recorded, however, it was rather disappointing as there's literally hundreds or thousands of gannets, guillemots and razorbills there but it didn't record any of these. It did pick up common gulls, eiders, kittiwakes as well as skylarks, house sparrows, tree sparrows, reed buntings and blackbirds in the surrounding fields from what I can remember, as well as some others which have now escaped my memory.
I'd only recorded in the garden for a couple of minutes so I decided I'd try the garden again. I sat out there for ten minutes this time and the calls of house sparrows, chiffchaffs, blackbirds, goldfinches, magpies, kingfishers, linnets, thrushes starlings, greenfinches and wrens registered this time.
There are birds we see which the app doesn't pick up, for instance at St.Aidan's we saw ducks and geese but the app didn't pick up their call, though I have to say that they were remarkably quiet as we walked by. I've seen nuthatches and treecreepers at Lotherton but unless they're singing, the app won't register them. We have red kites flying over our house every day, we often hear their distinctive call, I must turn the app on and see if it picks those up.
Knowing what birds are around is becoming a bit of an obsession. Do you use the Merlin app?
I don't use the Merlin app, but another. It's interesting to know what's around and about, and you seem to live in an area rich with birds. Long may it last.
ReplyDeleteNot heard of that app, I'll have to try it. I can recognise lots of birds by sight (my Granddad was an avid birdwatcher all his life and taught me) but not many by their songs or calls. Thanks Jo.
ReplyDeleteI DO use the Merlin app. It gets frustrating when it hears something interesting, but I can't SEE it. LOL We have mostly the usual birds most days. We don't have a lot of variety living in a somewhat "urban" setting. When I walk up at the lake I get MUCH more variety.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very handy app to have. Loved the pictures.
ReplyDeleteMerlin is so fun! I spend so much time looking at the app that i start to ignore the other stuff on the walk!
ReplyDeleteHa ha you are hooked like me! It's great fun isn't it! It's so interesting to hear what's around you even if you can't see them and it helps you to learn each bird call so you can spot them without the app. It doesn't pick up the gulls flying over our garden or some of the waterbirds in London and one bird, I forget which one, was recorded but I was really sceptical about that. Nevertheless, it is great fun and you have had some brilliant success with all the fabulous birds you have found. I am now using Google Lens to try and identify plants and what with taking photos, my walks have never been so active! Ha! Thanks for the kind mention. X
ReplyDeleteIt's a very popular, and useful app. I don't use it as I rarely use my mobile as my arthritic fingers make it difficult to hold let alone use. xx
ReplyDeleteI think it's a popular app, quite a few bloggers seem to use it.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy seeing your photographs.
All the best Jan
Sounds a very clever app. l can't use anything like that, but I think I can recognise most of our native birds. Take care & hugs from a very cold Oz.
ReplyDeleteWow! You must have plenty of birdlife around your way. The Merlin app is great for me, as I'm not very good at identifying birdsong. X
ReplyDeleteVery useful! I'd not heard of the Merlin app before.
ReplyDeleteI've not come across the Merlin app I'll look it out. I have an app that plays bird song. I play the call of the buzzard to scare off the wood pigeons.
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried that app but it certainly shows how many different birds are around. Enjoy all the wonderful birdsong.
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