![]() This is really helpful in helping you to pick out the song or call of that bird and help to identify it yourself later. They accumulate as more species are identified, and if a previously identified bird is recorded again, it is highlighted in yellow. As the recording runs, the top of the screen shows a sonogram display of the live sounds, and as birds are identified, their images are highlighted in a list below. The sound ID feature is simple to use and beautifully designed: choose ‘Sound ID’ from the menu, hit the record button, and point your phone in the general direction of the bird sounds. ![]() There’s another much smaller download to enable photo ID of birds. This would be useful if you travel, or if you are in a region where you might be more likely to spot the rarer migrants and visitors. I chose to start with the one for birds of Britain and Ireland (657 MB), but I could also have chosen the whole of Europe, or the whole of the Western Palearctic region. Some of these can be quite large in size, so you need to check you have enough free space to install them. You then choose which databases of birds you would like to install, based on your location. It is free to use, though you need to give an email address so that they can send you an activation link. I finally installed it a few weeks ago, and I’ve been amazed by its capabilities. However, my knowledge of calls and songs is embarrassingly poor, so I need all the help I can get to improve my skills. Does it look like a hi-viz vest just flew past? It’s an orange-backed troupial, and photographs do not do justice to how fluorescently orange they are. I can also turn my hand to birds of other regions that I visit with some help from a good guide book, though some species are easier than others. As you probably know, I am a biologist, and I am moderately proficient at identifying most British birds by sight. I had heard people say how good it was - particularly for identifying birds by their calls and songs, as it is often described as ‘Shazam for birds’ - but I had not got around to installing it. ![]() ![]() I’ve recently started using the Merlin Bird ID iOS app produced by The Cornell Lab, and I can’t stop raving about how amazing it is. Screenshot of Merlin Bird ID sound recording. ![]()
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