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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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

Taperjeanwoman · 19/05/2023 14:14

Eileen is officially a......BLACKBIRD.

Who knew. Come on eileen.

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 14:14

Well I’ve just learnt that there are two types of sparrows creating a racket overhead. House sparrows and tree sparrows! For something so small they don’t half have powerful lungs.

OP posts:

Taperjeanwoman · 19/05/2023 14:14

I mean, whoo oooo kneeeew? (Wood Pigeon)

Mangotime · 19/05/2023 14:15

We also live in a suburban zone 6 kind of area and last year I saw a crow (?) up on a chimney imitating a jackhammer drill. Very weird.
I love love birds so am downloading this right now!

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 14:17

Eileen is a blackbird! I’ve no idea why this makes me so happy 😀

OP posts:

JulieHoney · 19/05/2023 14:17

Madcats · 19/05/2023 13:35

It's brilliant isn't it.

I had no idea that we had an army of goldfinches who pass through the garden each day.

I'm a bit of a Merlin app bore whenever we go out somewhere with a few trees!

What;s even better is that the collective noun for goldfinches is a charm.

You have a charm of goldfinches through your garden.

Heroicallyfound · 19/05/2023 14:17

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 😂

Haha!

There’s one I hear sometimes that sounds like a piano riff from ‘Reuben’ by Cathy Davey (probably a little known song) but I don’t know what the bird is.

A dunnock is the most interesting bird in my garden today.

Collared doves too (I have a married couple who regularly thunk down on my fence and either kiss and coo or have a flappy argument).

And robins - have seen a couple lately which is unusual - normally only see one on its own.

JulieHoney · 19/05/2023 14:19

I thought this was going to be some horrible spam thing, but it's everything lovely! OP, could you ask HQ to tweak the title, maybe, to include birdsong?

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 14:19

JulieHoney · 19/05/2023 14:17

What;s even better is that the collective noun for goldfinches is a charm.

You have a charm of goldfinches through your garden.

Show quote history

and this is why Mumsnet is so brilliant. Mnetters’ knowledge is wonderful.

OP posts:

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 14:20

JulieHoney · 19/05/2023 14:19

I thought this was going to be some horrible spam thing, but it's everything lovely! OP, could you ask HQ to tweak the title, maybe, to include birdsong?

Ok , sure. It didn’t occur to me that it might seem dodgy. I’ll ask now.

OP posts:

MaybeWednesday · 19/05/2023 14:31

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 14:11

Can I just inform you that I’ve had a swift overhead ? . It’s so exciting seeing the names appear. Or you can leave the recording running and get notifications.

Nooooo don't tell me that! I'm NEVER going to get my Evaluation Report done!!

Jonei · 19/05/2023 14:36

That's a fabulous idea. I'll download the app.

Heroicallyfound · 19/05/2023 14:37

JulieHoney · 19/05/2023 14:17

What;s even better is that the collective noun for goldfinches is a charm.

You have a charm of goldfinches through your garden.

Show quote history

Beautiful!

Heroicallyfound · 19/05/2023 14:38

I just saw a swallow dart by silently but the app hasn’t picked up it’s song - do they sing much?

HurryShadow · 19/05/2023 14:40

I hadn't heard of Merlin, but I have an app called Picture Bird. They also do Picture This (plants) and Picture Insects.

The bird one is good because it also recognises feathers from birds (I found an impressive feather in our local woods and the app recognised it as a pheasant feather), but I use the others regularly too. I'm going to give Merlin a go though, so thanks OP! When I saw a Merlin app I thought it was going to be some sort of discounts on theme parks!

I downloaded it when we could hear a really strange bird nearby that we hadn't heard before. My mum is the guru of bird song, but even she didn't recognise it. I used the app and it identified it as an Australian bird (I'm in the UK!). It appears that one of our neighbours was pet sitting for a friend and was opening the door for the bird to get some fresh air in its cage!

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 14:42

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 19/05/2023 13:58

Omg Shazam for birds! THANK YOU for sharing!

Credits to new title all go to you 😀

OP posts:

StitchyMcStitchFace · 19/05/2023 14:45

10 out of 10 @HoofWankingSpangleCunt

Both for posting this app & for your name

Thank you! Happy Friday

JulieHoney · 19/05/2023 14:51

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 14:19

and this is why Mumsnet is so brilliant. Mnetters’ knowledge is wonderful.

Show quote history

I'll give you another nice one - a group of long tailed tits is a zephyr.

Zephyr is, obviously, a warm gentle breeze so it seems such a lyrical word for a floxck of the adorable winged lollipops that are long tailed tits.

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 14:53

MaybeWednesday · 19/05/2023 14:31

Nooooo don't tell me that! I'm NEVER going to get my Evaluation Report done!!

Show quote history

Do you need me to write a note to your supervisor/boss etc? I’ll explain it was all my fault 😀

OP posts:

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 14:54

HurryShadow · 19/05/2023 14:40

I hadn't heard of Merlin, but I have an app called Picture Bird. They also do Picture This (plants) and Picture Insects.

what an unexpected bonus.

OP posts:

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 14:55

StitchyMcStitchFace · 19/05/2023 14:45

10 out of 10 @HoofWankingSpangleCunt

Both for posting this app & for your name

Thank you! Happy Friday

Why thank you!

Happy Friday to you!

and Shabbat shalom also of course.

OP posts:

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 19/05/2023 14:56

JulieHoney · 19/05/2023 14:51

I'll give you another nice one - a group of long tailed tits is a zephyr.

Zephyr is, obviously, a warm gentle breeze so it seems such a lyrical word for a floxck of the adorable winged lollipops that are long tailed tits.

Show quote history

Zephyr is an amazing word . Thank you for telling us that. I’m sure im not the only person who didn’t know that.

OP posts:

Soundsthesame · 19/05/2023 14:58

Exciting! Many times have I wished for something like this.

JulieHoney · 19/05/2023 14:59

Shabbat shalom, OP ✡️

JayAlfredPrufrock · 19/05/2023 15:01

I have the Bird net app. It reliably informed me homo sapien the other day.

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