Скачать или смотреть Attention Birders in the Middle East! Merlin Sound ID needs your help!

Here’s a quick demo of how to use Cornell Lab’s Merlin Bird ID app to identify birds by their vocalizations. You can import a prerecorded file, as I do here, or record bird sounds directly through the app while out in the field. Here’s the deal though: Merlin Sound ID hasn’t been developed for the Middle East yet, so, as you see here, the app had no issue identifying the House Sparrows in my recording but couldn’t correctly identify the White-eared Bulbul in the foreground. Developing the app for the OSME region will entail eBird reviewers and expert volunteers annotating thousands of audio files for the region’s birds to help “teach” the machines as it were. The problem is the Macaulay Library’s collection for the region isn’t that large. This means before we can enjoy using this powerful app in the Middle East, birders here need to record more audio and upload it with their eBird checklists. It’s easy to get started—just use your phones!