One of the most extraordinary things about modern birdwatching is ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE! New apps like Merlin (and iNaturalist) have popped up recently that are able to make some awesome identifications from audio recordings and pictures. It is interesting to see how birding communities have changed and developed from these new technologies.
For one, these apps have made birdwatching more accessible to people that are new to the hobby. Listening to audio recordings and looking through guides is helpful, but sometimes having an app to tell you if you’re on the right track is useful. Normally, going with a group would help, but if you don’t know any other birders yet or don’t have any local birding groups, Merlin can help! I like to use it, especially when seasons change because sometimes I forget the calls of some birds over the year, and it jogs my memory.
Also, this app can help a lot when birding in a new area. When I went to Germany, this app was beyond helpful. It helped me to narrow down what I was listening to, and often a few minutes later I would see the bird that Merlin had “heard”. I was not familiar with Old World species (Eurasia), so using Merlin allowed me to make better identifications. I also did not really know any bird watchers in Germany, but I was still able to birdwatch and feel confident in my identifications with the help of apps like Merlin.
One thing to note about this app is that it is far from perfect. It should never be the “end all be all” when trying to identify a bird. The AI is amazing, especially in places with large datasets like the US, but there are also incredible nuances in bird identification that this app cannot perfectly replicate. That is why I always recommend trying to use Merlin to narrow it down, and then using your own identification skills or getting help from other birders to make a precise decision. There are a ton of great Reddit groups (like r/whatsthisbird) that are very friendly and can help you with identification.
I also really like Merlin to save and record audio from my birding trips. Sometimes if I am having trouble with identification, I can record the sound and get some ideas of what it could be from Merlin. Then, once I narrow it down, I can go back later and practice by re-listening to the recording. Or, if I am still unsure, I can send that audio to other birdwatchers to see if they could help. It keeps my audio way more organized than just recordings in my voice memos (which, trust me, I also have plenty of).
Merlin shows how birdwatching is adapting to the modern day. Merlin cannot replace the skill and talent of an experienced birder, but it does help to make birdwatching a more accessible and approachable hobby and can be useful to experienced birders as well.
I never knew there was an AI bird identification app! There’s an app called Seek that I use to identify plants in a similar way, so it follows that birdwatching could be assisted like this. My grandma is a seasoned birdwatcher, having lived in Colorado for a good portion of her life, and it’s always fun sitting on the porch of her house, overlooking the mountains and seeing the pine siskins and finches poking around at the pine cones. I’m definitely going to download Merlin, since I see so many different birds back home.