Some recently developed resources look\u00a0really appealing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Map\u00a0of Life\u00a0<\/strong> The name, Merlin, is clever in that it is both the name of a bird and a legendary magician. Oddly, the app’s logo shows a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (the lab’s logo), rather than a merlin.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Merlin<\/strong> For months now, I have made effective\u00a0use of the Merlin app to narrow the possible identification of unknown birds. However, the image analysis performed by the website is even\u00a0more interesting. In my limited testing, it does superbly with a standard bird-profile shot, but stuggles with an\u00a0unconventional view, such a bird flying directly towards the camera.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As I\u00a0attempt to use images from my camera to help me make sense of my surroundings, I have relied upon many books (ranging over topics such as birds, meteorological optics and dragonflies) and upon many websites (examples being\u00a0Wikipedia\u00a0and\u00a0All about … Continue reading
\n This draws upon\u00a0about 200 data sets covering nearly a million\u00a0species all presented though a searchable map. You can either plot the geographic range of a species, or you can pick a location and explore the various species found there. It appears to remain under development as the types\u00a0of species available in the two sections differ. The datasets can be explored using either:
\n \u2022 An app for use on a mobile device \u00a0https:\/\/auth.mol.org\/mobile<\/a><\/span>
\n \u2022 A website for use on a computer \u00a0 http:\/\/map.mol.org\/lists<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/cornelllablogo.jpg\")
\n This interesting routine actually helps you identify birds you have photographed, but two different technique are used. The app uses a bit of textual information you supply (bird size, colours, location, date) to give a list of plausible candidates.\u00a0On the website, a picture is uploaded and is then\u00a0marked with the location of the bird, and its bill, eye and tail. The website then uses image analysis to suggest the species.
\n \u2022 An app for use on a mobile device \u00a0http:\/\/merlin.allaboutbirds.org<\/a><\/span>
\n \u2022 A website for use on a computer \u00a0http:\/\/merlin.allaboutbirds.org\/photo-id\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n