Looking for a great way to find out all of the birds that are in your backyard – in mere seconds?
We love to share all kinds of garden, diy and recipes on our website – but today – we want to share something we recently discovered that has made our morning coffee routine better than ever. In fact, way better than ever!
We’ve always loved listening and watching the birds around the farm. Their songs are as much a part of the morning as the sunrise and our first cup of coffee that goes along with it. But until recently, we could only recognize a handful of the birds behind the chirps, tweets, and calls we would here while sipping our coffee. But did that ever change!
Cardinals and robins usually stood out with their familiar tunes – especially since they were in plain sight. But beyond those common backyard visitors, we were left guessing. Then our daughter happened to come home for a visit and introduced us to something that completely transformed the way we experience the outdoors. And best of all – it’s completely free!
How To Easily Know What Birds Are In Your Backyard – Using Your Phone!
She and her husband were sitting on our front porch with their own coffee. And while they listened to the birds, they also had their phones out using an app called Merlin Bird ID. We had never heard of it. But within five minutes of her showing us how it worked, we were hooked!
It didn’t take long before we were using Merlin every morning at coffee time. And when dining outdoors – at lunch and in the evening too. It was amazing learning all of the incredible variety of birds that had been right under our noses. Or in reality – right above our heads the whole time!
In fact, one morning this past week, we sat out on the porch with our coffee, turned on the app, and were amazed to discover that there were over fourteen species of birds singing all around us at once. The list included Baltimore Orioles, Northern Cardinals, chickadees, wrens, woodpeckers, cowbirds, sparrows buntings, vireos and more.
It felt like the trees had suddenly started talking to us. And thanks to the Merlin app, we finally knew exactly who was talking to us!
What Is Merlin?
The Merlin Bird ID app is a creation of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It is a research organization that’s one of the world’s top authorities on birds and bird conservation. Merlin was originally developed to help bird watchers identify birds based on their appearance – things like size, color, and location.
The great thing is that over time, the app has evolved into something even more powerful. Now, it’s a way to identify birds in your backyard or anywhere in real time – just by listening.
The sound ID feature is what makes Merlin truly special. It listens to the birds around you and tells you which species are calling. It picks up bird songs and chirps through your phone’s microphone. Once it does it then instantly matches them with its massive database of recorded bird calls.
When it hears a bird, it analyzes the sound. It then matches it to known bird calls, and shows you which species it is – often within just a few seconds. And it doesn’t just give you one result; it gives you a real-time running list of all the birds it hears.
The moment a chickadee calls out in the morning it comes right up on the screen. A few seconds later, a nuthatch might pop up, then a woodpecker, then a goldfinch. It’s like having a birding expert standing beside you, whispering in your ear as each new bird sings.
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Using Merlin To Know What Birds Are In Your Backyard
What surprised us most was how many of these birds we didn’t even see at first. They were high in the trees or hidden in brush. But somehow, Merlin heard them and let us know they were there. With the app running, we started tuning into sounds we used to ignore.
We have both since learned exactly how a warbler sounds. And the Carolina wren as well. To be honest, listening during morning coffee has become somewhat of a game now.
The app also helps you learn the calls. When Merlin hears a bird and adds it to the list, you can tap on that bird and listen to sample recordings of its different calls and songs. You can even view photos, read descriptions, and see maps of where the bird usually lives. It truly is a great way to connect the name, the sound, and the image of the bird – all at once.
But here is the best part of all. Merlin is completely free. There are no ads, no in-app purchases, no subscriptions. You just get to listen and relate to pure birding magic. It’s available on both iOS and Android, and all it takes is a quick download to start identifying the birds around your home, backyard or wherever you are! Link: Merlin Bird App
Other Features
While the sound ID feature is our favorite part, Merlin also offers other ways to identify birds in your backyard. If you see a bird but don’t hear it, you can use the app’s visual ID feature. It asks a few simple questions – what size is the bird, what colors do you see, and where are you located. It then gives you a list of possible birds that match your description.
You can also upload a photo of a bird you’ve taken, and Merlin will do its best to identify it based on the image. This is great for capturing birds at feeders or in the garden that you might not hear vocalizing. And everything you see, hear, and identify can be saved in your app’s history. So if you want to look back and remember what birds you’ve encountered in the past, it’s all right there to revisit.
Another feature we love is the way it keeps track of your location. If we’re walking on a different trail or out by the pond, Merlin adjusts based on where we are. The app’s bird lists are tailored to your specific region and time of year, making its guesses more accurate.
Enjoying Birds In Your Backyard To The Fullest
Even if you’ve never considered yourself a “bird watcher,” using this app will change the way you look (and listen) to the world around you. It’s so fun and easy to use. We find ourselves using it even when we’re not trying to identify anything – just to see what’s out there.
All it takes is a few minutes, your phone, and a quiet place to listen. And you might just be surprised to learn that the songs you’ve been hearing all along are a lot more diverse and beautiful than you ever imagined.
Here is to knowing what birds are in your backyard – and to endless hours of pure entertainment for free! Happy Gardening, Jim & Mary
Old World Garden Farms
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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