Did you hear a bird?

Northern Flicker

One of the greatest free apps of our time must be ‘Merlin Bird ID’. It’s a smartphone app for Apple or Android designed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in New York and it correctly identifies bird calls wherever you are in the world! It’s basically Shazam for bird calls. It can identify over 1,300 unique species of birds and thousands upon thousands of unique bird sounds.

There’s also something amazing about hearing a bird singing in a tree, holding up your phone, and then knowing exactly what kind of bird it is. Remarkable stuff!

In White Rock BC, we have a fair number of interesting birds, here’s what I’ve heard in the last year or so since I’ve been using this app:

• Steller Jay - April 7, 2026

• Bald Eagle - March 15, 2026

• White-Crowned Sparrow - June 15, 2025

• American Crow - June 7, 2025

• Northern Flicker - May 18, 2025

• Killdeer - May 18, 2025

• House Sparrow - May 18, 2025

• European Starling - May 11, 2025

• House Finch - May 9, 2025

• Song Sparrow - May 8, 2025
  

*In Nova Scotia I also picked out the following:

• American Redstart - August 1, 2025

• Belted Kingfisher - July 31, 2025