Merlin Bird ID Saves The Day!

Have you ever met a bird person before? Someone who truly loves birds? I have, and let me say that I thought I was a bird person before I knew how deep some people's knowledge goes. My first interaction with a real bird person was in my freshman year of college. It was also my first time bird watching. My professor assigned nature walks for a series of homework assignments (which was very amusing to my roommate for some reason) and he was offering a guided session for our first submission. I arrive with my notepad, hand-me-down binoculars, and phone, ready to to take pictures of whatever we may find. The first assignment was simple: identify three birds and upload them to iNaturalist. Once our group was ready to begin our walk around the pond, I instantly knew how out of my depth I was. Identifications were flying from my professor for birds that I could not even see (he was very good at identifying calls). A few of my classmates, more experienced that I was, joined in, pointing to birds that were just in sight but ducked in the water before I could spot them. That experience taught me two things. First, I am not a bird person. Second, I really want to be.

Mallards from my first nature walk, one of the only species I knew then - Photo credit: Samantha Wilson

Since then, Merlin Bird ID has helped me in my journey to become a bird person, although I still have a long way to go. Merlin Bird ID is a bird identification app and database. It allows a variety of search mechanics to help you identify your bird; a very helpful infrastructure, especially if you aren't able to get close enough to take a picture like many other ID applications require. Additionally, it maps identifications and collects information. like observation time and habitat, to provide phenological information on species. I find Merlin Bird ID the most helpful when it comes to the "Step by Step" tool. I rarely have my phone out while on a nature walk, instead opting for a notepad and pencil. Rather than reaching for my phone when seeing a species I want to learn more about, I often write notes about its physical description, make a quick sketch, and study it as much as possible before it, or I, decide to move on. With Merlin Bird ID, I can input the information I collected from my notes into the "Step by step feature and identify the species after the fact.

Currently, I am a proud member of Black Avian Enthusiast (BAE), a birding group based in Richmond Virginia. I volunteer to create our social media posts, and Merlin Bird ID helps get correct information on birds we had seen during our walk, as well as collect information to create trivia questions. Previously, I used the app to help me in my job as an environmental educator. It is intuitive enough for school age summer campers to use and serves as a great introduction to the concept of citizen science. I highly recommend Merlin Bird ID and will continue to use it on my bird person journey.