![]() We learned from watching the National Geographic series “Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper,” which also airs on Disney Plus, that there is no such thing as a singular pigeon or seagull. Maybe they didn’t mean to, but I see it.Īnytime they hear an unfamiliar bird call, they scramble for my phone to find out what it is. ![]() My two kids - in particular my tween son - love to make fun of my nerdy interests, but they’ve learned some things about birds from Merlin. HAVING THE KIDS JOIN IN - SOMEWHATIf it takes technology to peel kids away from the screen and interested in the outdoors, so be it. “So Merlin is our way of making learning about birds available and accessible to everybody.” “We know that people protect what they care about, and you really only care about what you know,” said Smith. Some bird-watchers upload their sightings into eBird, a scientific database that tracks avian populations, which have declined sharply overall in past decades. “You’re looking at birds but you can’t help but see everything else too,” he said. “You can see the seasons,” said John Smallwood, a biology professor with an expertise in ornithology at Montclair State University. Healthy environments too, of course, attract more birds. Listening and watching birds has made me more aware of the times of day, and times of year, when certain birds become more active. LEARNING ABOUT THE LARGER OUTDOORSBefore Merlin, I’d always assumed the distinct “coo” I heard was from a mourning dove. “There are so many little wonders around and it’s fun to share that with people.” “Birding is a surprisingly social hobby and people are so excited about what they are seeing,” she said. She seems to have more hawks and raptors, but she will also share a picture of a colorful hummingbird.Ĭonnection is a frequent theme when people give Merlin feedback, said Smith. My sister-in-law in Montana has an entirely different crop of birds than I see in the Northeast. We joke that Merlin is the equivalent of the Pokémon Go app but for older folks. (Merlin doesn’t have a social media-type feature within the app.) ![]() Through Merlin and backyard birdwatching, I’ve reconnected with two childhood friends halfway across the country. alone.Īnd in the weeks I’ve used it, I’ve noticed more than just birds.ĬONNECTING WITH PEOPLE, TOOWhen I posted a screenshot of my bird list on social media, friends who also used the app messaged me about it. There are over 700 species that Merlin’s Sound ID can identify in the U.S. Even if you can’t see the skulky hermit thrush hiding in the brush or the Baltimore oriole high in the trees, you can hear their beautiful songs and know they’re there sharing your neighborhood,” Smith said. “Birding by sound opens up a whole new world. Other bird-identifying apps include the Audubon Bird Guide, ChirpOMatic, Picture Bird and Smart Bird. More than 7 million people now use the app worldwide, and “we’ve more than doubled the number of users in the last year,” said Alli Smith, a project coordinator for Merlin. But then Sound ID was released in June 2021, and the number of users skyrocketed. The number of users grew 67 percent by the first spring of the pandemic compared to a year earlier, Cornell said. Photo credits: Wood Thrush by John Petruzzi/Macaulay Library with graphic by Sarah Serrousi Tree Swallow by Marie Reed Yellow Warbler courtesy of Bird Academy birds on feeder by Bird Cams Northern Cardinal by Bob Dunlap/Macaulay Library Golden-fronted Woodpecker by Marcy Barbosa/BirdSpotter three young birders courtesy of eBird boy with ducks courtesy of CUBs Calliope Hummingbird by Marya Moosman/Macaulay Library children with binoculars by Susan Spear students at Cornell Botanical Gardens by Justin Muir young birders in woods courtesy of eBird elephant by Scott Anger/Lost Bird Films coffee beans in hand by Gustave Axelson Great Philippine Eagle by Neil Rettig Cornell Lab in fall by Dimitri Ponirakis boardwalk in autumn by Tim Gallagher girl with notebook courtesy of the Cornell Lab composite of a hovering Green-breasted Mango by Jesús Antonio Moo Yam aerial photos of burned landscape by Michael Sweeney Purple Martins by Alex Eberts/Macaulay Library Golden-cheeked Warbler by Bryan Calk/Macaulay Library.It has turned a neophyte like me into an obsessive about birds and the world they’ve opened in my life.īIRDING BY EARBirding’s popularity soared during the pandemic, when people were eager to get outside and the outdoors became, briefly, a quieter place in which to hear birdsong and other sounds of nature.įirst released in 2014, Merlin rode that wave of interest.
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