Birdwatching Goes Digital: Apps Turn Nature Fans into Feathered Detectives

Birdwatching is becoming more popular, especially among young people, thanks to new technology. Megan Szostak, who has loved birds since she was a child, now uses an app called Merlin Bird ID to help her identify birds. She started birdwatching with her grandfather's binoculars and a field guide in San Francisco. But now, she uses her phone to figure out what birds she sees or hears. Merlin Bird ID is an app that can tell you the name of almost any bird by looking at a photo or listening to its song. Megan says her friends, who are just curious about nature, recommended the app to her. She thinks it is a great tool and uses it every time she goes birdwatching.

The Merlin Bird ID app was created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. When it first launched in 2014, it could identify 285 common birds in the United States. Now, it can recognize about 11,000 bird species from all over the world. The app uses artificial intelligence and information from birdwatchers who send in their photos and recordings. This helps the app learn and get better at identifying birds. The app has been downloaded 42 million times, and 12 million people have downloaded it just this year. Its Sound ID feature, which listens to bird calls, has been used 4. 4 billion times. Other bird identification apps, like Birda, are also becoming more popular, with more people downloading them this year.

Birdwatching is attracting a younger audience. Jessie Barry, the director at Cornell, says more young people are sharing their birdwatching experiences and starting the hobby for the first time. Megan believes birdwatching is for everyone, whether you use your eyes or ears. She shares her bird sightings on TikTok and enjoys making videos about her experiences. While some experts say the app is not always correct, Megan thinks it helps make birdwatching more accessible. Sam Lewis, a software engineer, was inspired by Merlin to create his own app called Lifer. In Lifer, users collect virtual cards for the birds they find, similar to collecting cards in a game. Sam hopes this will encourage more people to care about birds and help with conservation. The creators of Merlin want to keep the app simple and fun, so everyone can enjoy discovering birds in their area.