Have you ever found yourself in the woods, in the park with lots of singing birds, but you could not see or identify them?

Some bird species are quite small and can conspicuously blend in with their environment, but what is a birder ( bird-watcher) to do?

Answer: Download the FREE Merlin Bird ID App (not sponsored, just a big fan)

What is Merlin Bird Id App?

Merlin Bird ID, which was designed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is widely recognized as the best digital tool specifically designed for bird identification. With the help of eBird, this app is powered by Visipedia and has over 1382 supported bird profiles. The app's outstanding features of mostly accurate bird ID have helped all types of birders, from complete newbies to seasoned bird lovers.

Why should you download Merlin Bird ID?

The first time we learned about this new app, was from a guest, who loved the ease of use and easy identification based on the bird’s call. She opened the app, pressed the middle green button - Sound ID and the app used its magic to identify a bird that was singing at that moment. Or take a picture of the bird and use the Photo ID button instead.

Better yet, you get photos, sounds, range maps, and expert ID tips as you learn and build your birding skills while using the app.

Based on our last article on Birding around Missoula, MT, some people keep Life List of all bird species that they’ve ever witnessed. Merlin Bird ID helps you maintain that list if you sign in to a new account.

Explore function allows you to check out various birds that may be likely in an area near you (this morning, my app tells me that there are 119 bird species likely today near Missoula County). It is possible that other bird watchers in the area are also using this app and have been able to spot a few new ones for me.

My Sound Recordings inside the app keeps track of all the recordings I’ve done so far, which makes it fun to share with folks who are not familiar with this magical app.

When you connect with another birder, you realize that it’s not just the birds that we’re after, we’re observers and pay closer attention to nature. Some of us are photographers, like myself, and enjoy “getting that perfect shot.” Some of us are list-makers, using birding as a hobby we can track. Some of us are ornithologists, aka scientists who study birds using formal scientific methods. And if it wasn’t for the latter, we’d probably never have the ease and excitement of Merlin Bird ID.

More than 100 focal recordings are needed to train Merlin to identify a species, but only 20% of bird species worldwide have enough recordings. And that’s where you and me come in, by downloading and using the app!

FUN FACT!

Canada Jay or Grey Jay are very smart birds. Their incredible adaptability allows them to eat almost anything, such as ticks off the back of a moose, baby bats, amphibians, baby birds, in addition to more normal foods like invertebrates, seeds, and berries.

One of our friends’ family is so passionate about birds, that they once competed against each other in a contest where you had to be able to identify birds by names and by their calls/sounds. This friend could identify a whopping amount, over 250 different bird species.

How many bird species can you identify?

birds I identified with merlin bird id app at The Hohnstead this summer?

• Cassin’s Finch

• Mountain Chickadee

• Northern Flicker

• Clark’s Nutcracker

• Stellar’s Jay

• Sharp-shinned Hawk

• American Goshawk

• Brewer’s Sparrow

• Golden-crowned Kinglet

• Dark-eyed Junco

• Black-capped Chickadee

• Hairy Woodpecker

• Western Tanager

• Cedar Waxwing

• Chipping Sparrow

• Swainson’s Thrush

• Yellow-rumped Warbler

• Williamson’s Sapsucker

• Pine Siskin

• House Finch

• American Robin

• Evening Grosbeak

  
  

Wow! And that is only in the past 3 months.

While my camera and zoom lens haven’t always been available during my identifications, I was still able to catch some pretty great shots of a few birds (and other critters) in or near our garden, check them out below.

Whether you’re a birder or not, if you love nature, walking in the forest, or traveling and exploring National Parks and Forests, you’re definitely going to enjoy using Merlin Bird ID App. With this app, you are able to store, quickly identify, and share your knowledge of silly creatures that fly around you. I’m sure that you’re going to have fun and feel like a kid again when you start to memorize and eventually identify them on your own. Who knows, maybe you’re already ready to connect your Merlin App to the advanced Swarovski Optik binoculars for seamless observation and identification of more than 8000 birds or wildlife critters. But if you’re just a novice, like me, you’ll stick with the free app and a zoom lens :)