BIRD BY BIRD

Part 2: Birdsong identifying and learning apps

IN the past few years, the study of birdsong has witnessed an incredible explosion of interest by both scientists and birders. For scientists, being able to identify species automatically by call with the aid of remote microphones and computers has become a holy grail for expanding human understanding of bird populations, behavior, and conservation (see BirdWatching, May/June 2020). For non-scientists, well, learning and identifying bird sounds marks nothing less than the Great Divide between proficiency and expertise.

For me and many others, the ability to identify birdsong carries an added significance. Shortly after I began birding about six years ago, my hearing took a swift, dramatic plunge, and I lost many of the higher frequencies utilized by songbirds. (Read about the benefits of hearing aids for birders on page 42.) For a while, as I focused on identifying birds by sight, this loss proved mostly an annoyance. As my visual skills increased, however, I realized with dismay that my hearing handicap threatened to limit my ability to pursue my favorite activity permanently.

In the November/December 2020 issue of BirdWatching, I reviewed field guide and listing apps (page 32), while here I look at apps that help birders learn and identify birdsongs. When I began evaluating field identification apps for this review, I was not only curious about what they could do. I asked myself, “Could any of them remove a key barrier to my own growth as a birder?”

For now, at least, the answer