Setting up bird feeders in my backyard
Attracting a diversity of birds to my backyard has been a long-term goal of mine. So far, the only thing I’ve done is nail a … Read more
Written by: Jeff Mann
Published on:
Finding a Yellow-billed Cuckoo while birding at Pearsall Park
It’s funny how your view of a place changes as you explore it more in a different way. The first few times I went to … Read more
Written by: Jeff Mann
Published on:
Learning to photograph birds on Manual with Canon R6
Up until recently, I’ve always shot in Aperture Priority (Av) mode. That’s what I was taught when I first started using a DSLR and what I’ve always stuck with. It wasn’t until recently when a friend was convincing me of the non-scariness of Manual (M) mode that I decided to do some research and give it a try.
Written by: Jeff Mann
Published on:
Birding with the Canon R6
In what I can only describe as “computer vision” the way Canon’s new mirrorless cameras can focus on subjects is truly impressive. The new Animal Eye Autofocus feature detects the eye on an animal subject and locks its focus onto it as it moves through the frame. Rather than being restricted to limited focal points it can detect and focus on subjects all throughout the frame. It’s not perfect, and certainly works better under some conditions rather than others
Written by: Jeff Mann
Published on:
App Reviews, Featured, Guides, Main Feed
Identify bird songs using your phone with Merlin
If you could take three things with you when you go birdwatching, what would they be? Binoculars, a camera, and a smartphone would be my answer. Over the past few years, new phone apps have enabled birders, both rookie and seasoned, to better identify and record what they see in the field. The Merlin App has led the way in offering a robust tool to identify unknown birds.
Written by: Jeff Mann
Published on:
Visualize bird songs with spectrograms
Recording bird songs is a great way to begin learning how to identify birds by ear. But listening to your clips isn’t the only way to enjoy and study them. Spectrograms add a whole new layer to your bird recordings, enabling you study them visually and see how species vocalize in different ways.
Written by: Jeff Mann
Published on:
Identify birds with your phone camera
Birders these days have many tools at their disposal to help identify birds they see. Field guides, apps, other birders, and more. Today we will be focusing on an app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology called Merlin. The Merlin app has an amazing new feature called Photo ID, which enables you to select a photo from your phone’s camera roll and it will attempt to identify it.
Written by: Jeff Mann
Published on: