Dear Tweets,
I believe I discovered an inexpensive way to add another dimension to birding. It started with Merlin Sound ID. As we all know, Merlin Sound ID offers suggestions as to what birds may be
present. It can have problems for a variety of reasons including background noise, low recording volume, other birds with similar calls, database limitations and others. But it is still used by many birders as an aid.
Recently, our Trilogy Birders Club has had an interest in owls that have been calling in our neighborhoods. My fellow birder asked the question, is there a way to record at night so that
we could hear the owls? The answer was yes, use a wireless microphone. So, I purchased an inexpensive ($25) wireless microphone kit from Amazon to fit my cellphone. After charging one of the mics, I attached the small receiver to my cellphone, left the
cellphone in my living room, and then placed the microphone on our deck. After turning on Merlin, the bird list began to show up as it does when using Merlin in the field. But there were more birds. The house acted as a hide.
The first thing I noticed is that the morning chorus is intense and includes a multitude of species. It starts at first light and continues for one or two hours. Next, the owls rule the
night. Geese are common before sunrise and after sunset, but Merlin reports only owls in the middle of the night. Owls included Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Barn Owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl. We have heard and photographed the Great Horned Owl, heard
and photographed the Barred Owl, and heard the Barn Owl. We have yet to hear the Northern Saw-whet Owl but have recorded this owl at two separate locations one-half mile apart.
Your thoughts?
Phil Magallanes
Trilogy Birders
Redmond Ridge