To tell you about the Merlin app - Shazam for birds?

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 2023-05-19T11:35:01+00:00

I have just discovered an app which identifies birds by sound and appearance. In two days I’ve become addicted to listening to various bird song at different times of day. From my garden I’ve heard over a dozen different birds from robins to coots and collared doves, jackdaws and great tits. It’s just so lovely to take a few minutes out of the day and just listen to the sounds around us. My DD is currently travelling through Bulgaria on her way to Turkey and I’m hoping she will install the app too. Sadly this app is nothing to do with me , I wish I could have invented it. I’ve no skin in the birdsong game. I just wanted to share it as it’s difficult to find little minutes of peace throughout the day and this app does that for me. Im in suburban/edge of green belt Hertfordshire and I’d love to hear what other mnetters hear too. Particularly ones outside the Uk. *thread title edited by MNHQ at OP's request.*

RitaCrudgington · 19/05/2023 12:38

YABU to tell me because I'm already a huge fan.

YANBU to tell everyone else because it's brilliant.

So many apps these days don't do what they say, or are overloaded with adverts, but Merlin is a donor-funded app which comes from Caltech and Cornell and simply does what it says on the label.

Boredof2020 · 19/05/2023 12:40

Me and a work colleague was discussing this last night. I just said wondered if there was an app that could identify birds. A quick Google said yes

scaredofpate · 19/05/2023 12:40

YABU for not telling me last week when I was enjoying the tranquility of the Yorkshire Dales and wondering what birds I was listening to!

Tummytroubles22 · 19/05/2023 12:43

Thank you for this, I’ve just installed it and away into the garden!

BoreOfWhabylon · 19/05/2023 12:43

Thank you. I was just wondering earier this morning about a particularly noisy bird. I've tried birdsong identifier apps in the past but not been impressed.

Off to track down Merlin now

UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 19/05/2023 12:46

It's bloody brilliant! I installed it last week and have identified 19 different birds in my garden. It's fascinating! So far I have:

Common woodpigeon
Collared dove
Barn swallow (two of these flew into the house last week to do circuits of the office!)
Common house martin
European robin
Song thrush
Eurasian blackbird
Dunnock
Eurasian bluetit
Great tit
Eurasian wren
Eurasian blackcap
Willow warbler
Goldcrest
House sparrow
Common chaffinch
European greenfinch
European goldfinch
Common starling (they have a nest in the attic)

We know we have bullfinches and linnets as well but it hasn't identified those yet, plus in winter when we're feeding them, we get corvids, but they're not around much at the moment.

It's deafening here at times the blackbirds and robins are the most reliable; they sing pretty much all day every day, even well after dark.

MothershipG · 19/05/2023 12:48

OP are you psychic?? Just this morning out with the dogs & I said to DH so many bird songs & the only ones I can identify are the parakeets & magpies! 😂

Can't wait to try it out, thanks!

UnctuousUnicorns · 19/05/2023 12:50

My eyes tell me which birds are in or flying about my garden - robins, bluetits, great tits, coal tits, goldfinches, an occasional greenfinch, town pigeons, wood pigeons, collared doves, blackbirds, starlings, sparrows, occasionally the sparrowhawk (clears the garden lightning quick!), magpies, gulls flying high overhead... just an average suburban garden, then. We have bluetits nesting in one of nestboxes just now. 🙂

viques · 19/05/2023 12:50

Someone told me about this app just this week! Word is getting around.

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 13:05

UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 19/05/2023 12:46

It's bloody brilliant! I installed it last week and have identified 19 different birds in my garden. It's fascinating! So far I have:

Common woodpigeon
Collared dove
Barn swallow (two of these flew into the house last week to do circuits of the office!)
Common house martin
European robin
Song thrush
Eurasian blackbird
Dunnock
Eurasian bluetit
Great tit
Eurasian wren
Eurasian blackcap
Willow warbler
Goldcrest
House sparrow
Common chaffinch
European greenfinch
European goldfinch
Common starling (they have a nest in the attic)

We know we have bullfinches and linnets as well but it hasn't identified those yet, plus in winter when we're feeding them, we get corvids, but they're not around much at the moment.

It's deafening here at times the blackbirds and robins are the most reliable; they sing pretty much all day every day, even well after dark.

There’s always one show off isn’t there? 😂

Im kidding, that’s just green eyed jealousy over your barn swallows and blackcaps.

I was initially thinking I’d be told to take me twitcher tendencies to Reddit ( or Twitter for the literally minded) .

I had never heard of this app before reading about it on Reddit and I wants to spread the tweeting and screeching and warbling love.

im so glad others are interested too .

OP posts:

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 13:06

scaredofpate · 19/05/2023 12:40

YABU for not telling me last week when I was enjoying the tranquility of the Yorkshire Dales and wondering what birds I was listening to!

Apologies, that was very remiss of me.😀

OP posts:

TheFlis12345 · 19/05/2023 13:08

Oh wow this might just save me from DHs never ending questions about what bird is making each sound! (My dad was very into bird watching so he seems to think I will have all the answers).

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 13:09

MothershipG · 19/05/2023 12:48

OP are you psychic?? Just this morning out with the dogs & I said to DH so many bird songs & the only ones I can identify are the parakeets & magpies! 😂

Can't wait to try it out, thanks!

Funnily enough I do have some psychic abilities , sadly they were a bit late for @scaredofpate

But that’s a whole other thread. 😀

OP posts:

Heroicallyfound · 19/05/2023 13:10

Oooh brilliant, thank you for the tip… I’m currently sitting in the garden with a book and MN and a host of extremely happy birds!

TheOtherHotstepper · 19/05/2023 13:11

Another addict here. 24 species identified within a mile of home this morning.

It's surprising what's out there.

SisterWivesrus · 19/05/2023 13:12

OMG a friend told me about it this week and it is awesome!

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 13:12

UnctuousUnicorns · 19/05/2023 12:50

My eyes tell me which birds are in or flying about my garden - robins, bluetits, great tits, coal tits, goldfinches, an occasional greenfinch, town pigeons, wood pigeons, collared doves, blackbirds, starlings, sparrows, occasionally the sparrowhawk (clears the garden lightning quick!), magpies, gulls flying high overhead... just an average suburban garden, then. We have bluetits nesting in one of nestboxes just now. 🙂

My garden isn’t terribly big but we have three ginormous cherry trees in a field which our garden backs onto and a lot of the time I can’t actually see the birds themselves.
In a few weeks I’ll be taking on those invisible cherry eaters and getting my ladder out. They will strip a tree in a weekend of all the luscious fruit. Feathery bastards 😀

OP posts:

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 13:14

I am jealous of your nesting tits though. I put a box up but the presence of my two cats is probably acting as a deterrent. I keep them in at night mind as im aware they are killing machines .

OP posts:

rockywilderness · 19/05/2023 13:14

Also an addict - my only issue is when I pull my phone out to record the birds and I'm anywhere near my family, they all start doing bird impressions to annoy me. I have to sneak my phone out now and must look very suspicious😂

Taperjeanwoman · 19/05/2023 13:14

I'm going to try this!

We have a bird who tweets in tune to "come on eileen"

It's so similar it's hilarious. I'd love to know which bird is tweeting! We call it Eileen 😂

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 13:15

rockywilderness · 19/05/2023 13:14

Also an addict - my only issue is when I pull my phone out to record the birds and I'm anywhere near my family, they all start doing bird impressions to annoy me. I have to sneak my phone out now and must look very suspicious😂

What terrible people . Can I suggest you LTBs?

OP posts:

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 13:18

Taperjeanwoman · 19/05/2023 13:14

I'm going to try this!

We have a bird who tweets in tune to "come on eileen"

It's so similar it's hilarious. I'd love to know which bird is tweeting! We call it Eileen 😂

I love it when birds do this.

I had a thread last year when I was complaining about some fucker thought it was amusing to mimic the sound of my whistling kettle. There were many occasions where I’d have to run to the kitchen before realising.

A knowledgeable mumsnetter at the time told me it was probably a magpie. This year I haven’t seen so many. I have changed my kettle however so they’ve probably gone off to take the piss out of other whistling kettle owners.

OP posts:

SisterWivesrus · 19/05/2023 13:19

UnctuousUnicorns · 19/05/2023 12:50

My eyes tell me which birds are in or flying about my garden - robins, bluetits, great tits, coal tits, goldfinches, an occasional greenfinch, town pigeons, wood pigeons, collared doves, blackbirds, starlings, sparrows, occasionally the sparrowhawk (clears the garden lightning quick!), magpies, gulls flying high overhead... just an average suburban garden, then. We have bluetits nesting in one of nestboxes just now. 🙂

Were you born with an in-built ability to know which birds were which?

Or did you learn about it?

RebulahConundrum · 19/05/2023 13:22

A lot of people are dubious about the accuracy of this app, but as someone who is a birder and is actually good at identifying birds (not to brag) it's actually really good. It fumbles a bit on species with more 'simple' calls so it might say you have a serin in your garden when in reality that would be unlikely. But on the whole, it's really good.

RebulahConundrum · 19/05/2023 13:23

The kettle whistler was probably a song thrush, blackbird, or starling. Magpies don't really imitate that much