What Bird Is That?
As someone who is interested in birds but doesn’t know a whole lot about them, this new animated video series from Will Rose is right up my alley. What Bird Is That? is a beginners guide to birding. The second episode, embedded above, is all about how to identify birds from their calls.
What’s that bird that sounds like Star Wars singing on my roof? What bird sings it’s own name? What’s that laughing sound you heard in the woods?
Right now, I “cheat” by using Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird app, which allows you to record a bit of birdsong and it’ll ID the bird for you. (via the kid should see this)
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girlinwhiteglasses on Instagram is a real treat; very fun and often hilarious. To learn bird calls..... "if it sounds like....it's a..... "
I use an app called Merlin, which is similar to eBird -- it uses the data from the Cornell Lab, and you can also submit calls through the app so the lab can use them. Ironically, the first bird I identified with the app was a Merlin :-)
I also love Merlin. Being able to Shazam birdsong is the best thing ever.
+1 for Merlin!
100%!
Using apps to help ID birds is not "cheating" any more than using binoculars is.
A reader noted via my inbox that this video series is UK-centric and so some of the birds and their calls might be unhelpful for those of us in the US and other areas of the world.
I used Merlin to discover the bird that was making a call that seemed almost supernatural -- like an electronic xylophone, it sounded very digital. It turned out to be a veery, which is also one of the best names ever. I envisioned them being iridescent and black, but they're sort of fluffy and brown -- totally "ordinary" looking -- which somehow makes it better.
Turns out...the app I use on my phone to ID birds by sound is Merlin. 🤷♂️
It's such a great app!
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