I didn’t notice the scarlet tanager until the alert appeared on my phone: “Merlin heard a new bird!”
Until the alert popped up on my phone: “Merlin detected a new bird species!” I only then noticed the scarlet tanager.
Despite its brilliant plumage — jet-black wings on a crimson body — the songbird can be a hard one to spot in a forest because it prefers to stay high in the canopy. It sounds a little like a robin to an untrained ear.
Despite its scarlet body and jet-black wings, this songbird is difficult to spot because it prefers to stay in the canopy. To an untrained ear, its song resembles that of a robin.
But the free Merlin Bird ID app detected a scarlet tanager was likely nearby by using artificial intelligence to analyze my phone’s live sound recording. I paused my hike, quietly scanned the treetops, saw the bird as it kept singing and clicked a button to add the species to my growing “life list” of bird sightings. Digital confetti dropped on my screen.
But the free Merlin Bird ID app used artificial intelligence to analyze my phone’s live sound recording and detected that a scarlet tanager was likely nearby. I paused my hike, quietly scanned the treetops, spotted the bird as it continued to sing, and clicked a button to add this species to my growing “life list” of bird observations. Digital confetti appeared on my screen.
Like a real-world version of Pokémon Go, a gotta-catch-em-all drive to add to my Merlin list has helped me find a great kiskadee in Mexico and a rusty-cheeked scimitar-babbler in the Himalayas. But sometimes the greatest revelations are close to home, as more AI nature app users are starting to discover.
Like a real-world version of Pokémon Go, this “gotta-catch-em-all” drive to add to my Merlin list has led me to find a great kiskadee in Mexico and a rusty-cheeked scimitar-babbler in the Himalayas. However, as more users of AI nature apps are discovering, sometimes the most astonishing discoveries are right at home.
“Our stereotypical demographic five years ago would have been retired people and already-avid birders,” said the Merlin app’s manager, Drew Weber, of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Now we’re seeing a lot of 20-and-30-year-olds posting stuff on their TikTok or Instagram.”
“Five years ago, our typical users were retirees and seasoned birdwatchers,” said Drew Weber, the manager of the Merlin app at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Now we see a lot of 20- and 30-year-olds sharing their observations on TikTok and Instagram.”
“Am I a bird person now? Am I a bird person now?” exclaims one incredulous TikTok user whose Merlin app detected a tufted titmouse, a cardinal, and a Carolina wren within five seconds of her switching on the app.
“Am I a bird person now? Am I really a bird person now?” exclaims one amazed TikTok user whose Merlin app detected a tufted titmouse, a cardinal, and a Carolina wren within five seconds of her turning on the app.
Another video shows Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold gushing about the technology.
Another video features Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold enthusiastically showcasing the technology.
“That was a northern mockingbird,” says a smirking Darnold, then 27 and now 28, holding his phone up high while sitting in an outdoor lounge chair.
“That was a northern mockingbird,” says a smiling Darnold, then 27 and now 28, as he holds his phone up high while sitting in an outdoor lounge chair.
The app isn’t always perfect, and mockingbirds — because they mimic other bird sounds — can sometimes confuse the AI. Was that really a great horned owl that flew over your home and hooted while you left the app on record by the window screen? Maybe, maybe not.
The app isn’t always perfect, and mockingbirds — which mimic other bird sounds — can sometimes confuse the AI. Was that really a great horned owl that flew over your house and hooted while you left the app recording by the window? Maybe, maybe not.
“Low-frequency sounds can be challenging because there’s other low frequencies, like cars driving past, that can trick it,” Weber said.
“Low-frequency sounds can be challenging because there are other low frequencies, such as cars passing by, that can confuse it,” Weber explained.
Built-in computer vision technology on newer iPhones and Android devices makes it easier to identify plants and other creatures without having to download an app. Simply look at the flower you just photographed and — on iPhones — a leaf icon appears that, when clicked, can suggest the species.
Newer iPhones and Android devices come with built-in computer vision technology that allows users to identify plants and other creatures without needing to download an app. Just look at the flower you just photographed, and on iPhones, a leaf icon will appear that, when clicked, can suggest the species.
But their AI accuracy isn’t always the best for more obscure fauna and insects — and they are missing the immersive community and citizen science experience that free apps like Merlin and the image-based iNaturalist offer.
However, their AI accuracy isn’t always reliable for more obscure fauna and insects — and they lack the immersive community and citizen science experience that free apps like Merlin and the image-based iNaturalist provide.
Every observation submitted to iNaturalist, run by a nonprofit, and Cornell’s Merlin is potentially helping with conservation research as animal extinctions and biodiversity loss accelerate around the world.
Every observation submitted to the nonprofit iNaturalist and Cornell’s Merlin app can potentially aid conservation research as animal extinctions and biodiversity loss accelerate globally.
iNaturalist‘s executive director, Scott Loarie, sees someone’s urge to identify a backyard plant as just the start of their engagement with the app.
The executive director of iNaturalist, Scott Loarie, views a person’s desire to identify a backyard plant as merely the beginning of their interaction with the app.
“Our strategy is really building this community of really passionate, engaged nature stewards who are not only learning and sharing knowledge about nature, but they’re actually huge engines for creating biodiversity data and conservation action,” Loarie said.
“Our strategy is to build a community of passionate, engaged nature stewards who are not only learning and sharing knowledge about nature but are also significant contributors to biodiversity data and conservation efforts,” Loarie stated.
Submit an incorrect ID suggested by iNaturalist‘s AI and someone with real expertise will often politely correct you. Once there’s enough consensus, you’ll be notified that your observation has made it to “research grade.”
If you submit an incorrect ID suggested by iNaturalist‘s AI, someone with real expertise will often politely correct you. Once there is enough consensus, you will be notified that your observation has been upgraded to “research grade.”
On the search for huckleberry, a favorite of jam makers and grizzly bears, I kept iNaturalist handy on an August hike through the Wyoming wilderness.
While searching for huckleberries, a favorite of jam makers and grizzly bears, I kept iNaturalist handy during an August hike through the Wyoming wilderness.
And while I had a hard time finding a huckleberry bush, iNaturalist helped me discover other fruits: a type of serviceberry known as the saskatoon; the big-leafed, raspberry-like thimbleberry and the vibrant orange berries of the Greene’s mountain-ash, a type of rowan. After cross-checking many other resources, I tasted all three. The first two were sweet, the last bitter and disgusting.
Although I struggled to find a huckleberry bush, iNaturalist helped me discover other fruits: a type of serviceberry known as the saskatoon; the large-leaved, raspberry-like thimbleberry; and the bright orange berries of the Greene’s mountain-ash, a type of rowan. After cross-referencing many other resources, I tasted all three. The first two were sweet, while the last was bitter and unpleasant.
“You should never trust any sort of automatic ID or a stranger on the internet for something as important as edible plants,” Loarie said. “So, I definitely don’t want to endorse that. But I’d certainly endorse getting to know plants and animals.”
“You should never trust any sort of automatic identification or a stranger on the internet for something as important as edible plants,” Loarie emphasized. “So, I definitely don’t want to endorse that. But I certainly encourage getting to know plants and animals.”
iNaturalist‘s executive director, Scott Loarie, sees someone’s urge to identify a backyard plant as just the start of their engagement with the app. The nonprofit also owns a sibling app, Seek, that is kid-friendly and less complicated.
The executive director of iNaturalist, Scott Loarie, views a person’s desire to identify a backyard plant as merely the beginning of their interaction with the app. The nonprofit also has a sister app, Seek, which is more child-friendly and simpler to use.
Elsewhere, I’ve found it particularly helpful in identifying things to avoid – poison ivy, poison oak, disease-carrying ticks – and things to destroy, like a nymph of the invasive spotted lanternfly that’s now infesting at least 19 U.S. states.
In other contexts, I have found these tools particularly useful for identifying things to avoid — such as poison ivy, poison oak, and disease-carrying ticks — as well as things to eliminate, like a nymph of the invasive spotted lanternfly that is now infesting at least 19 U.S. states.
Source: iYuba
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