May 9, 2020 · 22:34
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Erratum – They’re Not Wrens

Remember the birds from the back yard? I called them “house wrens.” They’re not.

They’re “house finches.”

(The Cornell Lab Merlin App)

I don’t share this with you simply because I know that some of you, out of an overabundance of politeness no doubt, have been biting your tongues for days, knowing that they were finches and not wrens but not wanting to rain on my parade. (I know no such thing.) No, I share this because I found this really cool free app!

I don’t know about Android phones, but if you’re on an Apple iOS device, look for the “Merlin bird ID” app. It’s from Cornell Lab at Cornell University and it will ID birds with a picture, by answering five questions, and possibly (I just got it this afternoon, so maybe?) with a live photo as you’re watching the bird? It doesn’t appear to be able to ID birdsong, but if you ID your bird from a picture you can hear a sample of the birdsong for that species and confirm the ID that you just completed.

Check it out, it’s cool!!

2 Comments

Filed under Computers, Critters

2 responses to “Erratum – They’re Not Wrens”

  1. Dave Flood
    May 10, 2020 at 10:49

    Hi Paul,

    You might also check out the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology in Camarillo. It is a world-renowned museum of birds located just off Pleasant Valley Road in Camarillo – 439 Calle San Pablo (right turn off Pleasant Valley Road just before the railroad tracks). You would exit off 101 at Pleasant Valley/Santa Rosa. Their website is: http://www.wfvz.org When we lived at Camarillo Springs, there was a bird I had never seen. So I took a photo of it and brought it to the museum – where they identified it as a black-crested night heron. You might be able to e-mail them a photo for identification – but I’m not sure about that.

    Dave

    On Sat, May 9, 2020 at 10:34 PM We Love The Stars Too Fondly wrote:

    > momdude posted: “Remember the birds from the back yard? I called them > “house wrens.” They’re not. They’re “house finches.” (The Cornell Lab > Merlin App) I don’t share this with you simply because I know that some of > you, out of an overabundance of politeness no do” >

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  2. Jemima Pett
    May 11, 2020 at 04:10

    Sorry. I missed the first time you called them house wrens… if I’d seen them, I’d have known they were finches.. or possibly towhees, sparrow family, but we don’t have them in the UK. Beak, size, generally shape… all says finch to me. Look at Darwin’s Finches and you’ll see what I mean (except they have all developed beaks to suit their niches).

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