By Katie Finch, Senior Nature Educator
Last year, I remember enjoying the late spring evening from my backyard. Most trees had leafed out, creating a cozy, room-like feel to the backyard. I admired the few flowers blooming and listened to the sounds of a rural village: kids playing next door, a lawn mower in the distance, and the chattering of Black-capped Chickadees, House Sparrows, and the neighbor’s chickens. Suddenly there was a sharp, shrill bird call from somewhere above. Louder than most of the other bird sounds, it dominated the space. It was impossible to ignore.
I was curious. It was not a familiar sound to me. The bird kept calling long enough for me to locate it perched at the very tip of the Norway Spruce tree. It was still there and still calling after I went inside I grabbed my binoculars and phone. Through binoculars, I could come up with ideas of what it wasn’t. It wasn’t a crow. Too small. It wasn’t a kestrel. Too plain looking. But I didn’t know what it was.
It kept calling, so I pulled out my phone and opened the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s bird identification application, Merlin. I hit “Sound ID”, then the record button. In only a few seconds, the name of the bird calling popped up. I got a chuckle that the first bird identified by the Merlin app was a bird of prey: a Merlin.
At first, letting an app identify a bird felt like cheating. I resisted downloading the app for that reason. Shouldn’t I be able to do this on my own rather than letting a phone app do the work? What kind of birder was I?
But I kept hearing stories of people using this program, which can identify the calls and songs of over 800 birds so far. The program is based on identified recordings – around 500 per species. It also compares known sightings of birds in the same time and place. The people who’ve shared their experience with this app talk about it with the same fascination as one might talk about a really good magic trick. They were amazed at calls and songs around them. Sounds that would have otherwise been relegated to the background, now had a name and an image.
And with a name, more can be learned about that bird, if you choose. It certainly happened with me. With a name to the call, I looked up more about Merlins (the bird). I learned these small falcons are showing up more and more in towns and other human built areas. I knew what field marks to look for through my binoculars. I could identify the call every time I heard it and could mentally map its location in my neighborhood. I knew it liked the very tip top of the evergreens but would also perch on the neighbor’s barn. Without identifying the bird, I probably would have eventually ignored it. And Merlin (the app) helped me with the ID.
I have since used the app on other outside experiences. I’ve used it to confirm sounds I’ve heard before but was not confident in my identification. I’ve also used it in new environments to learn new species. It has been like having an expert birder by my side. It has made me a better birder.
The idea that technology can help us get closer to nature seems counterintuitive at first. We often see those two things – technology and nature – as opposites. Technology takes our attention away from experiencing the world around us.
I admit to feeling that way when I first read about some of the Smart Phone applications, such as Merlin, coming on the market recently. I am not a digital native. I did not grow up with access to technology like cell phones or computers. My family got our first computer – a Tandy 1000 – when I was in upper elementary school. I wrote my high school papers on a typewriter. I was in my early 20’s before I got a cell phone. I tend to favor paper over digital things.
But we use tools to help us all the time. I wouldn’t think twice about using binoculars, a spotting scope or a field guide to help me see and understand the world around me. The computer I’m typing on is as much a part of my day to day as the contacts I wear. We invent technology as a way of improving our lives.
And there is lot of digital technology that is helps us build a stronger connection to nature. There are other apps that help identify plants, fungus, animal tracks and more. Our mission at ACNC is to build and nurture connections between people and nature by providing positive outdoor experiences, opportunities to learn about and understand the natural world, and knowledge to act in environmentally responsible ways.
What nature apps do is make that learning accessible to more and more people. Yes, they do require you to have a smart cell phone. And they may not be perfect 100% of the time. But who is? Even the creators of Merlin (the app) acknowledge there are certain bird species that are more challenging for the system to identify. But the more it is used, the more information the creators have to make it better. If you find yourself with a phone I encourage you to try a nature app. It is just another tool to help you learn and understand the world around you.
Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature. ACNC is located just east of Route 62 between Warren and Jamestown. The trails are open from dawn to dusk and birds of prey can be viewed anytime the trails are open. The Nature Center is open from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. daily except Sunday when it opens at 1 p.m. More information can be found online at auduboncnc.org or by calling (716) 569-2345.
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