Your smartphone can record bird sounds and tell you instantly which bird sounds you just heard. It is a kind of Shazam for bird sounds. BirdNet is an app that is freely available on Android and iOS.
Hi Alexander, this morning I missed the bird songs, it was the garbage truck with the 'warning beep' backing-up that woke me. Still better than an alarm clock! But I hope in future days that these trucks are needed less and less. . . (-:
I would love to follow the birds and capture their sounds and pictures.
It's time for a smartphone purchase, (I'm a 'pay-as-you-go' phone user now) so that I can help add bits of real time events to Databases. Already feel more useful with that in mind (-:
I like the thought of tree reading as a skill to be enjoyed also. This is what I'm aware of, for example mosses have a tendency to grow on the 'north side' of their trunks. In the Southern Hemisphere it's a different story. Thank you
Hello Alexander - great article! My name is Justine Ammendolia and I am a scientist based out of Toronto. I am recording interactions with wildlife and PPE debris and came across a photo you took in this article. I was wondering if I can ask some questions about your sighting? Please feel free to contact me through Facebook or my email: jammendolai@mun.ca
Thank you so much for this. Reading your blog is a favourite part of my day. Always filled with interesting information. How have I gone my entire lifetime without noticing that darker trees produce more heat and affect the snow melt around them? We have no snow here in Windsor ON but I will revel in that tidbit of info next year. Had fun too with BirdNET yesterday and looking forward to trying it out on the trails. Thanks again!!
A birds nest with a mask in it 🤦. Something I hadn't thought about, unfortunately there are probably many across the world. I take walks in the city park I live close to. It has many orange trees and the smell of orange blossoms is in the air.
Thanks for the information on the bird song app. I have used Cornell’s app for identifying birds and find it useful so I know this one will be also. Today I know for certain spring has arrived since I heard and then saw a red-winged blackbird on my feeder. During the pandemic bird watching has become a source of comfort.
A lovely essay full of great information & inspirational nature. Your morning walk spawned much more than simple exercise & enjoyment. The BirdNet app is brilliant & such good information about Beech Tree Disease.
Watching Spring emerge is a true highlight of the year for me. Seeing the rebirth of nature, trees reclaiming their glory bit by bit, blossoms celebrating the season with a riot of color! What is more uplifting?
But seeing birds build their nests with the detritus of human carelessness is sad. We’re inundated with discarded single use masks adding to trash, pollution & waste. I do hope the birds can’t be infected by the germs on the masks.
Thank you for another fascinating edition of The Planet!
I really enjoyed reading this post. I can still see some snow up in the hills, but it's going to be a nice and warm 15 degrees Celsius today with temperatures rising to above 20 degrees next week.
I have BirdNet on my phone and will probably use it more when I get to travel again. I have not heard a bird around here that I didn't recognize in a while. Maybe I should test the app again and see if it gets the birds right. It's pretty fun and in my experience works quite well.
Enjoy getting to know the new birds and keep those interesting facts coming. How have I never realized that "The darker the tree, the bigger the circle they make in the snow."? Thanks for making me look at things a bit more closely.
Hi Alexander, this morning I missed the bird songs, it was the garbage truck with the 'warning beep' backing-up that woke me. Still better than an alarm clock! But I hope in future days that these trucks are needed less and less. . . (-:
I would love to follow the birds and capture their sounds and pictures.
It's time for a smartphone purchase, (I'm a 'pay-as-you-go' phone user now) so that I can help add bits of real time events to Databases. Already feel more useful with that in mind (-:
I like the thought of tree reading as a skill to be enjoyed also. This is what I'm aware of, for example mosses have a tendency to grow on the 'north side' of their trunks. In the Southern Hemisphere it's a different story. Thank you
Hello Alexander - great article! My name is Justine Ammendolia and I am a scientist based out of Toronto. I am recording interactions with wildlife and PPE debris and came across a photo you took in this article. I was wondering if I can ask some questions about your sighting? Please feel free to contact me through Facebook or my email: jammendolai@mun.ca
jammendolia@mun.ca is the correct email
Thank you so much for this. Reading your blog is a favourite part of my day. Always filled with interesting information. How have I gone my entire lifetime without noticing that darker trees produce more heat and affect the snow melt around them? We have no snow here in Windsor ON but I will revel in that tidbit of info next year. Had fun too with BirdNET yesterday and looking forward to trying it out on the trails. Thanks again!!
Thank you, Lori. Happy to read that you enjoy the blog (and the app) so much.
A birds nest with a mask in it 🤦. Something I hadn't thought about, unfortunately there are probably many across the world. I take walks in the city park I live close to. It has many orange trees and the smell of orange blossoms is in the air.
Thanks for the information on the bird song app. I have used Cornell’s app for identifying birds and find it useful so I know this one will be also. Today I know for certain spring has arrived since I heard and then saw a red-winged blackbird on my feeder. During the pandemic bird watching has become a source of comfort.
A lovely essay full of great information & inspirational nature. Your morning walk spawned much more than simple exercise & enjoyment. The BirdNet app is brilliant & such good information about Beech Tree Disease.
Watching Spring emerge is a true highlight of the year for me. Seeing the rebirth of nature, trees reclaiming their glory bit by bit, blossoms celebrating the season with a riot of color! What is more uplifting?
But seeing birds build their nests with the detritus of human carelessness is sad. We’re inundated with discarded single use masks adding to trash, pollution & waste. I do hope the birds can’t be infected by the germs on the masks.
Thank you for another fascinating edition of The Planet!
I really enjoyed reading this post. I can still see some snow up in the hills, but it's going to be a nice and warm 15 degrees Celsius today with temperatures rising to above 20 degrees next week.
I have BirdNet on my phone and will probably use it more when I get to travel again. I have not heard a bird around here that I didn't recognize in a while. Maybe I should test the app again and see if it gets the birds right. It's pretty fun and in my experience works quite well.
Enjoy getting to know the new birds and keep those interesting facts coming. How have I never realized that "The darker the tree, the bigger the circle they make in the snow."? Thanks for making me look at things a bit more closely.