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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
Original poster
HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 20/05/2023 12:40

JulieHoney · 20/05/2023 11:51

I love my decking. It’s near the house, raised 8 inches of the patch of ground that was always waterlogged. We have many, many frogs under there. But it means I can eat outdoors almost every day 4-5 months of the year.

But I’m lucky enough to have a lot of garden, with wild areas, mature trees, fruit trees and a large pond, so we do well for wildlife.

I was thinking more of gardens that are just decking . Not casting aspersions on anyone here. 😀

OP posts:
Bugalogaloo · 20/05/2023 13:00

APP is amazing. Thank you for for this thread. I’m loving learning what birds we have here. A few new ones to me. Dunnock and Linnet. Couldn’t see them though.

Jadetreesbringluck · 20/05/2023 13:24

Omg this is amazing!!! Thank you!!

larkstar · 20/05/2023 13:48

@JulieHoney I had a pair of goldcrests nesting in my garden - in April 2021 - they were damn hard to photograph as they never stay still for long and the camera is so slow to focus but...this was as good as I got.

To tell you about the Merlin app - Shazam for birds?
To tell you about the Merlin app - Shazam for birds?
larkstar · 20/05/2023 13:49

I also caught sight of a rare Jaycorn...

To tell you about the Merlin app - Shazam for birds?
TabithaTitanium · 20/05/2023 15:06

Lucanus · 20/05/2023 11:15

@TabithaTitanium When your garden was new and bare, the lack of birds was an honest reflection of the fact that the habitat was providing nothing for them. And nothing much for other species either.

Improving it as you have done should have naturally brought in birds as the habitat provided more insects etc for them to eat. Same if all your neighbours had done the same - bird numbers would now be a good reflection of the habitat quality in each garden and overall.

Feeding unfortunately breaks that link - bird numbers become related more to food provided than habitat quality.

I think feeding can give people a free pass to thinking their gardens are much better for nature than they actually are because they see a lot of birds, when the reality is that only a handful of common species are thriving and everything else continues to decline. There are also the negative effects in terms of disease transmission and competitive effects on rare species that I mentioned in my previous post.

Ok thanks, I’ll try and wean them off slowly then. Maybe I’ll just feed them in the winter when the ground is iced up? Forgot to say we also have bats flying in the garden at dusk so there must be plenty of insects around. We’re taking part in #NoMowMay too so that should help too.

Original poster
HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 20/05/2023 15:06

larkstar · 20/05/2023 13:49

I also caught sight of a rare Jaycorn...

haha. That took me a minute.

OP posts:
TabithaTitanium · 20/05/2023 15:07

Love Jays, they’re so shy but we do get them here too.

TabithaTitanium · 20/05/2023 15:57

I'm addicted to this app now!! It's just picked up the starlings who are nesting in next door's roof 🤫

EpicChaos · 20/05/2023 16:30

Lucanus · 20/05/2023 09:03

@EpicChaos Please don't encourage people to feed the birds, it's a damaging activity which is contributing to declines in our rarer species (because they get outcompeted by increased numbers of the conmon species people are feeding).

Feeders also encourage non-native invasive species such as Grey Squirrels and Ring-necked Parakeets, and increase transmission of serious diseases including trichomonosis which has been devastating populations of Greeenfinches and Chaffinches.

Improving the habitat quality is a much better way to support garden birds and will benefit a wide range of other wildlife too.

" it's a damaging activity which is contributing to declines in our rarer species (because they get outcompeted by increased numbers of the conmon species people are feeding). "

Not where i live.
As for habitats, whilst i agree with you to a large extent, I refer you to earlier posts decrying councils for allowing habitats to be destroyed, then as others have mentioned, people adding decking, or paving their gardens, again act to reduce decent habitats for any wildlife.

Lucanus · 20/05/2023 16:46

@EpicChaos I don't know where you live but this is a UK-wide issue. £175 million is spent on bird food annually in the UK - the only real 'benefit' to this is to increase populations of already common species, while at the same time accelerating the decline of rarer ones which are already suffering from loss of habitat. Even common species like Greenfinch and Chaffinch are now also suffering from disease spread by feeders.

Councils and others could indeed do much better in terms of habitat protection and management, but bird feeding doesn't compensate for this in any way.

Habitat in gardens could be similarly improved, but attracting birds by feeding just covers up the underlying problems without solving them.

WarningToTheCurious · 20/05/2023 17:00

Heard my first cuckoo this afternoon out on my walk. We’ve got blackbirds nesting in the bay hedge, green woodpeckers, greater spotted woodpeckers, owls (now I can work out which ones), greenfinches, goldfinches, lots of tit varieties, chiffchaffs, robins and wrens. A sparrow hawk appears every now and then.

I plan to try it out at work because I think we’ve got some peregrines hanging around. Last year we were rescuing young kestrels.

longtompot · 20/05/2023 17:07

NeverDropYourMooncup · 20/05/2023 10:58

Blackbird:

Who's the blackbird on this fence that's a sex machine to all the chicks?
(Shaft)
You're damn right
Who is the man that would risk his neck for his brother man?
(Shaft)
Can you dig it?
Where's the cat that won't cop out, causin' danger all about?
(Shaft)
Right on
You know this cat Ollie is a bad mother
(Shut your mouth)
But I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft
(Then we can dig it)
I'm a complicated man
But no one understands me but my woman
(John Shaft)

Sparrow:

Well, sometimes we go out by ourselves
And we look across the water
And we chat about the things we're doing
And chirp just like we ought to
Since we've made our home
Well, this garden's been a mess
And we hate your ginger cat
And the washing line of dresses
Oh, won't you come on over?
Start putting more Trill down for me
Why don't you come on over, Valerie?

Robin:

Fuck you, you're a fucking wanker
I'm gonna punch you right in the balls
Fuck you with a fucking anchor
You're all cunts, so fuck you all

Show quote history

That was fantastic, thank you!

Last nights dog walk yielded amongst the usual carrion crow, rook and sparrows, a yellow hammer and a dunnock. I couldn't hear them, we have the fair in town and it was in full swing, but hope to next time.
Im looking forward to identifying the birds of prey we get around here as it's sometimes difficult to tell which is which, especially when they are high up.

EpicChaos · 20/05/2023 17:11

@Lucanus Can i just point out that i'm not a 5 year old, so don't talk down to me as if i was, tyvm.
I have a lifetime of conservation behind me and that's a small part as to why, as i already said in my first post on this thread, i think it was, i don't need the app, i can identify every bird visiting my garden just by listening and that's not because i'm being a clever sod, the major reason i recognise them is because there just aren't many of them, not at all, even those species you regard as common, are far, far fewer in number where i live, than when i was a child, so i shall continue to help them and encourage others to do the same.
You might live in area where there is more of an abundance of natural food and habitats, unfortunately i don't.

Lucanus · 20/05/2023 17:13

@TabithaTitanium This sounds harsh, but winter feeding increases survival rates of resident Blue Tits, Great Tits etc. Sounds like a good thing, but these then put increased pressure on returning summer migrants like warblers and flycatchers through competition for food and nest sites.

Lucanus · 20/05/2023 17:35

@EpicChaos I'm not talking down to anyone but please actually read what I have written before replying. I have never said there is an abundance of natural food and habitats - quite the reverse in fact, poor habitat quality is a massive problem for many species.

What I did say is that feeding overwhelmingly benefits common species (mainly resident generalists) and comes at least in part at the expense of rarer ones (including migrants and habitat specialists). Habitat improvement benefits a far greater range of species.

Maybe species like Blue Tit, Great Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Woodpigeon are rare where you live, but these are species that are generally thriving in the UK and are not in need of additional feeding. Boosting populations of these does nothing to address more general declines in UK wildlife.

Windingshrubberies · 20/05/2023 17:40

Thank you - just downloaded.
It will definitely help me to answer my children questions!

Aposterhasnoname · 20/05/2023 21:29

Ooooo. I’ve got an owl. Suited! I’m loving this app, thank you OP

To tell you about the Merlin app - Shazam for birds?
Original poster
HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 21/05/2023 08:06

Oooooh, a Little Owl. How exciting.

OP posts:
askan · 21/05/2023 08:16

One day of use and I'm addicted! What I love about the app so much is it actually teaches you to recognise the songs yourself, by highlighting the birds singing at that moment. I was alreasy ok at the more obvious species, but I can now pick out the more similar ones from a chorus. Genius! And it found a whitethroat yesterday, which I would never have noticed without the app.

NooNakedJacuzziness · 21/05/2023 09:04

Thanks OP - this is so good! I had a Black Redstart this morning, hadn't heard of it before (just getting into birds)

AuxArmesCitoyens · 21/05/2023 09:56

Downloaded it, took it out for a walk in the forest, got all sorts - a marsh tit, blackcap, golden oriole, song thrush. Heard a cuckoo and a woodpecker too. Love it, thanks OP!

Original poster
HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 21/05/2023 10:04

I am extremely annoyed with myself. Have been up since 4.30 ( I wake early) and I’ve spent the last couple of hours lying on the swinging sofa in the garden. The inevitable happened and I dozed off. I’d put Merlin on before I fell asleep and on awakening I checked the list to find all sorts is amazing birds that I bloody missed , especially the bleeding cuckoo. 😀

OP posts:
PurpleFresias · 21/05/2023 10:32

thanks OP, this app is amazing! I've tried Birdnet but it's really faffy, and doesn't show the birds you're hearing in real time.

I'll be boring everyone with it now

funnelfan · 21/05/2023 11:40

askan · 21/05/2023 08:16

One day of use and I'm addicted! What I love about the app so much is it actually teaches you to recognise the songs yourself, by highlighting the birds singing at that moment. I was alreasy ok at the more obvious species, but I can now pick out the more similar ones from a chorus. Genius! And it found a whitethroat yesterday, which I would never have noticed without the app.

Yes, I appreciate learning more about individual birds too. Now I can identify the goldfinch as the bird which was annoying me with it monotonous calling.

It not perfect - the app doesn’t deal too well with distant muffled dog barking which it tells me is a grey junglefowl. But I guess it’s only as good as your phones microphone.

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