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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

399 replies

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 12:35

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
21
TabithaTitanium · 27/05/2023 19:05

You may have to leave it recording a bit longer. I notice it doesn’t pick them up straight away but almost waits for a pattern before identifying them.

JaneJeffer · 27/05/2023 19:06

I noticed today that it doesn't work well if it's a bit breezy

Pixiedust1234 · 27/05/2023 19:13

Whilst recording the blue dot shows saying "hearing a bird" for most of a 30 second clip but says Merlin has no matches. I'll delete and try again.

Pixiedust1234 · 27/05/2023 19:20

I reinstalled the app and got two birds within 3 seconds. Must have been a corrupted download first time. Thanks though Smile

WarningToTheCurious · 27/05/2023 19:28

Yay! You’ll be hooked in no time.

1ittlegreen · 27/05/2023 21:18

In Bavaria in the heart of the Alps. Have just downloaded and will update with more news tomorrow!

tallsmallmum · 28/05/2023 19:17

I really liked it but and had issues after the grave period too, I've emailed them, awaiting reply.
max I've heard is 9 birds at once in local woods plus 2 more I could clearly hear woodpecker and red kite

Thecheatswife · 31/05/2023 12:42

Thank you so much for this HoofWankingSpangleCunt. Love love love this app. This morning we’ve had:

Ring necked pheasant
Common redstart
Common house Martin
Eurasian Linnet
Great Tit
Eurasian tree sparrow
Carrion crow
Willow Warbler
Eurasian blackbird
Eurasian wren
House sparrow

Curseofthenation · 31/05/2023 13:05

My DH told me about this app and I downloaded it this morning! It looks great.

HurryShadow · 31/05/2023 14:47

My list is very suburban Home Counties so far:

  • Eurasian Blackbird
  • Eurasian Wren
  • European Robin
  • Common Wood-Pigeon
  • European Goldfinch
  • Eurasian Collared-Dove
  • Common Swift

On a walk at our local nature reserve it also decided something was a Eurasian Blackcap, but to me it sounds like a Blackbird!

We have a pair of ducks that fly over our garden most days as well as a lot of Red Kites, so hopefully we'll pick up some more over time.

@HoofWankingSpangleCunt if you're looking for Dunnocks, look on the floor at the bottom of bushes - that's where ours used to hang out before we got our cats. The cats have frightened them off now unfortunately.

We have had a pheasant and a sparrow hawk in our garden once, but not seen or heard either for years.

I imagine you'd need to download the North American pack for the Canadian Goose to be picked up as it's a non-native species to the UK or Europe.

YellowAndGreenToBeSeen · 31/05/2023 15:52

Saw and heard a Goldcrest today (suburban town but a wooded area). So cute!

evtheria · 31/05/2023 17:33

DS and I went on a really long walk through nearby woods/meadow. We're still surrounded by suburbs and motorways but the app identified SO MANY birds we were very excited!
Our personal favourites were treecreepers, a chaffinch, wrens and a snipe.

Also, I usually love blackbirds - used to shower with window open as a male loved sitting in the tree every dusk and singing his heart out, but now I find myself wishing they'd shut up, they're so loud compared to the others hahah!

DramaAlpaca · 31/05/2023 18:36

Thought you lovely lot might like this snippet of a WhatsApp chat from yesterday. I'd mentioned Merlin to my boys a while back but they'd forgotten the name:

DS1(29): what's that app you use to look for birds?

DS2(28): Tinder

Me: Shock

evtheria · 31/05/2023 19:38

DramaAlpaca · 31/05/2023 18:36

Thought you lovely lot might like this snippet of a WhatsApp chat from yesterday. I'd mentioned Merlin to my boys a while back but they'd forgotten the name:

DS1(29): what's that app you use to look for birds?

DS2(28): Tinder

Me: Shock

🤣

RitaCrudgington · 31/05/2023 20:00

HurryShadow · 31/05/2023 14:47

My list is very suburban Home Counties so far:

  • Eurasian Blackbird
  • Eurasian Wren
  • European Robin
  • Common Wood-Pigeon
  • European Goldfinch
  • Eurasian Collared-Dove
  • Common Swift

On a walk at our local nature reserve it also decided something was a Eurasian Blackcap, but to me it sounds like a Blackbird!

We have a pair of ducks that fly over our garden most days as well as a lot of Red Kites, so hopefully we'll pick up some more over time.

@HoofWankingSpangleCunt if you're looking for Dunnocks, look on the floor at the bottom of bushes - that's where ours used to hang out before we got our cats. The cats have frightened them off now unfortunately.

We have had a pheasant and a sparrow hawk in our garden once, but not seen or heard either for years.

I imagine you'd need to download the North American pack for the Canadian Goose to be picked up as it's a non-native species to the UK or Europe.

I see the logic behind it not picking up a Canadian Goose even when it's sitting right in front of me honking its evil little heart out on the grounds that it's not native. But that doesn't stop it identifying twenty ring necked parakeets (country of origin: Nepal) on a ten minute walk through Battersea Park.

chelseabunny · 31/05/2023 20:04

Thank you

WarningToTheCurious · 31/05/2023 20:05

My European bird packs picked up fish crow in my south England garden which is (a) a North American bird and (b) now the new name for our squawky Siamese cat.

TabithaTitanium · 31/05/2023 20:54

DramaAlpaca · 31/05/2023 18:36

Thought you lovely lot might like this snippet of a WhatsApp chat from yesterday. I'd mentioned Merlin to my boys a while back but they'd forgotten the name:

DS1(29): what's that app you use to look for birds?

DS2(28): Tinder

Me: Shock

Ha ha that made me chuckle 😆

JaneJeffer · 31/05/2023 21:29

DramaAlpaca · 31/05/2023 18:36

Thought you lovely lot might like this snippet of a WhatsApp chat from yesterday. I'd mentioned Merlin to my boys a while back but they'd forgotten the name:

DS1(29): what's that app you use to look for birds?

DS2(28): Tinder

Me: Shock

Brilliant Grin

HurryShadow · 01/06/2023 15:20

RitaCrudgington · 31/05/2023 20:00

I see the logic behind it not picking up a Canadian Goose even when it's sitting right in front of me honking its evil little heart out on the grounds that it's not native. But that doesn't stop it identifying twenty ring necked parakeets (country of origin: Nepal) on a ten minute walk through Battersea Park.

Show quote history

Ha ha! Good point! Perhaps your Canadian Geese have a British accent now and it can't tell!?

funnelfan · 02/06/2023 15:15

It can’t identify chickens or roosters as birds at all. Stood next to a rooster doing his thing and Merlin was doing the app equivalent of “lalala can’t hear you”.

RitaCrudgington · 02/06/2023 17:35

It drew a complete blank on some crows 8 saw as well. AFAICS it's spookily good on tweety twittery birdsong but honky croaky noises aren't it's thing.

funnelfan · 02/06/2023 20:13

RitaCrudgington · 02/06/2023 17:35

It drew a complete blank on some crows 8 saw as well. AFAICS it's spookily good on tweety twittery birdsong but honky croaky noises aren't it's thing.

That’s a very good summary of the apps strengths and weaknesses! It also failed to identify a honky peacock last weekend, so that fits.

Damnspot · 02/06/2023 20:35

It identifies jackdaws and rooks and wood pigeons in my garden.

LadyEloise1 · 03/06/2023 08:39

DramaAlpaca · 31/05/2023 18:36

Thought you lovely lot might like this snippet of a WhatsApp chat from yesterday. I'd mentioned Merlin to my boys a while back but they'd forgotten the name:

DS1(29): what's that app you use to look for birds?

DS2(28): Tinder

Me: Shock

SmileSmileSmile
Though it's probably politically incorrect of me.