If you are looking for a new hobby this fall or hoping to contribute to conservation, get out a pair of binoculars and try out birding with the help of the eBird and Merlin Bird ID apps. Fall is a great time to start birding as its fiery fall canopies are filled with millions of birds migrating from their northern breeding grounds down to their southern wintering sites.

The two apps, eBird and Merlin Bird ID (downloadable on mobile devices and viewable online), work in tandem to enable users to identify birds and log observations.

The Merlin app is especially helpful for amateur birders. The app enables users to view a list of the bird species present in the surrounding area and to explore and learn about these species by providing pictures, sound recordings, range maps, and descriptions of the different species’ appearances and behaviors. It also has a sound recording tool that enables users to record the bird sounds around them while the app listens and then tells the user what birds it hears. You can also utilize a step-by-step identification tool that enables users to input information about the bird they saw, such as size, color, and behavior, and creates a list of potential species that match the given information. Finally, it has a photo identification tool which enables the user to upload an image which the app analyzes and creates a list of potential bird species based on the image.

Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in coordination with the National Audubon Society, eBird enables members of the public, whether amateur or experienced, to easily log their bird observations.

On the eBird app, users enter when, where, and how they went birding, and then fill out a checklist of all the birds seen and heard during their outing (species and number of individuals of each species). The app, and website, also allow users to explore nearby birding hotspots as well as track what bird species they have seen and where they have seen them.

These observations submitted by community members contribute to a database which compiles species specific data of bird population abundance, distribution, habitat use, and trends. Participation by people like you through eBird enables this large-scale data collection that would be otherwise impossible to attain. For this reason, the compiled data is invaluable to scientists’ understanding of global bird populations and the data collected by eBird users has been used in nearly 1,000 peer reviewed scientific articles! The ever-growing depth and breadth of ecological knowledge gained through everyday eBird observation checklists can inform conservation efforts and policy decisions.

Community science projects like eBird are important to conservation not only because of their scientific contributions, but also for public education and engagement. Becoming a birder means simply paying attention to the birds that are constantly around you. The more you pay attention, the more you’ll fall in love with the wonderful, and surprising, world of birds.

So, whether you’re on a hike with a friend, a walk in the park with your dog, strolling along the Treetop Trail at the Minnesota Zoo, or sitting on your porch watching the bird feeder, turn on Merlin sound ID, you’ll be amazed at all the birds around you. Then, when you’re comfortable, give logging a checklist on eBird a try. It’s a great excuse to get outside, learn something new, and make meaningful contributions to conservation.

This blog was written by John Erlandson, a Minnesota Zoo volunteer who is an incoming senior at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine who is studying Biology, Chinese, and English.