The dG, the first optical device with digital bird identification, is a true must-have for all bird enthusiasts. Learn more about the birds surrounding you in a fun and simple way. By unleashing the full potential of the apps powering the dG, you can broaden your knowledge like never before. The following tips will make you a pro in using the Merlin Bird ID app by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Hone your listening skills
You can listen to songs and calls of all birds listed in Merlin Bird ID. This may help you find out what bird you are hearing, but fail to recognize right away. Just go to the Explore Birds feature and browse through the species in your app. Select a bird and tap the Sounds tab. A list of recordings of the species’ most common sounds will open up.
Or let smart technology help you and simply use Merlin’s Sound ID feature. Get as close to the bird as you can, hold still, and press record. Watch how the app turns the sound into a spectrogram. Once you have finished your recording, you can highlight the section of birdsong you are interested in – et voilà – the matching bird will appear with further sounds and calls to listen to. Now that you know which bird you are hearing, try to find it with your dG or binoculars. It might be helpful to inform yourself about habitat and behavior or to look at some great images of your species by clicking on “Details…”.
Identify birds even without internet
No matter how deep into the forest or field you have wandered, Merlin Bird ID will help you identify the birds you encounter. Just remember to set your location before losing the internet connection. Go to Explore Birds, tap on the filter icon on the top right and enter your location or destination in the next panel. Once you are outdoors without connectivity, you can select the defined location from your history of locations, allowing you to use it completely offline.
Find out what birds are likely to be present at any location at any point in time
It might be convenient to have a list of birds, which are most likely present in an area, rather than identifying the individual birds one after the other. To get the list, open Explore Birds, tap on the filter icon in the upper right, tap filter by Likely Birds, and then choose the desired location and date. Et voilà: a custom list of birds for your location appears. Thus, you may focus on learning just the birds you’re likely to see.
Stay curious
Together with Merlin Bird ID, the dG unlocks the secret of birdlife surrounding you. So head out and get your dG today, download the free app, and discover nature in a completely new way.
For a basic walkthrough about all the Apps complementing the dG, check out the following article: "Smart innovations – apps unlock the dG’s full potential". Or take a look at the Cornell Lab’s pro tips for Merlin Bird ID here.
