Research - Field Guides versus phone apps, by Elizabeth Kay

Lilac-breasted roller, Namibia

I research everything, in a nerdy sort of way. But I’m particularly conscientious about natural history facts, aware that disseminating false information is really bad news. Over the years I’ve collected field guides for birds and mammals for the different countries I’ve visited, and I’ve got quite a lot of them. But they do add to the weight in a suitcase, especially when you’re talking about bird books. Venezuela: paperback, 878 pages, and weighing in at 1.87 kg. Madagascar: hardback, 719 g, Botswana pb, 800 g, India, hb, 770 g. Mammals aren’t quite as heavy – India, hb, 677 g, Madagascar, pb, 673 g, Borneo, pb, 464 g, Britain and Europe, pb, 380 g, Southern, Central and East African, pb, 187 g. It’s clear that the more specific you get to a region, the lighter the luggage. And field guides aren’t really necessary for somewhere like Svalbard, where the only mammals you’re likely to encounter are polar bears, arctic foxes, walruses, seals and whales. When this post goes live I shall be in the Seychelles – but this time, I shan’t buy a bird book. I shall use an app!

There are two reasons for this. Firstly, since my less-than satisfactory cataract operations I can’t read books any more. But I can read a Kindle (enlarge the text and brighten the background, although no good for maps or photos) and I can use a computer, for the same reason. A few weeks ago I was having a walk on the common, and I encountered a couple who appeared to be more interested in their mobile phones than the scenery. I probably glared at them.

Carmine-breasted bee-eater,
Botswana

“It’s a birdsong app,” said the man.

“It’s called Merlin,” said the woman, “and it’s brilliant.”

Now I’ve always had trouble identifying bird calls, (I’m a visual rather than an auditory person) and my husband even more so as he can’t hear the high frequencies any more. I’ll give it a whirl, I thought. It’s run by Cornell University in the US (don’t be duped by other apps) and it’s free. You only need an internet connection to log on in the first instance, update your life list or find out other information about what’s twittering in your back garden. And it may be far more than you think. In the four weeks I’ve been using it I’ve clocked up 53 birds in my area of Surrey, 32 of them in my own garden. There haven’t been many surprises, most of those identified I’ve seen at some point. I still have some on the list I’ve been compiling since 2009 that haven’t turned up. Waxwings (only seen once in 2010), brambling, buzzard, red kite, pheasant, swift, redpoll, heron, and green woodpecker. But there are some that I’ve never seen before:

Brambling, my garden

Spotted flycatcher, treecreeper, whitethroat, goldcrest, firecrest, and today, a bullfinch. I’ve suspected I’ve heard that one in the past, but never been able to spot it. And for those who are questioning the accuracy I would like to cite the goldcrest. It’s been registering it in my garden nearly every day, to my astonishment. The name of the bird turns yellow when it’s actually calling, so I turned my phone in the direction of the call (which I couldn’t hear, too faint and high-pitched) and suddenly two of them flew out of the bush and I had the best view ever of that bright yellow streak on the top of their heads. Wow. I had to ask local birders whether the firecrest was feasible for the area, and they all said they’d seen one. So the only doubtful one I have left is an osprey; I could see what was undoubtedly a bird of prey above me, and I could hear it calling – but was it really an osprey? I await an answer from Leatherhead birders. A friend of mine did have a sparrow identified as a barn owl, so it’s not totally foolproof. We’ve definitely had a sea eagle locally, although I didn’t see it, probably on an Awayday from the Isle of Wight as they can travel considerable distances with a wingspan that big. But someone photographed it, clearly enough to identify its leg ring, so we even know who it was, not just what. (No, I don’t know if it was called Fluffy.) The Merlin app allows you to download packs for different areas. At the moment I have Europe, Britain and Ireland, but I’ll be able to download the Seychelles pack and use the app on the other side of the world!

That’s enough about birds, and this excellent research tool. But there’s one for wildflowers, too. It’s called Flora Incognita, and you take photos of plants on your phone and find out what they are. Both these apps use AI and are parts of research projects, so you’re contributing to a worldwide knowledge base as well as getting your facts right. Flora incognita has interesting oddities, such as German

Primroses, Banstead Woods

poisonous plant of the year, and German medicinal plant of the year. (Yes, it’s a German creation from the Technical University of Ilmenau and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry.) So if your villain is a German poisoner, and your hero is herbalist who saves the day, this is the app for you. As an enthusiastic mycologist during the autumn, for parasol mushrooms and other edible varieties, I’m currently investigating apps for that too. So the next time you see someone out there fiddling with their phone, don’t assume they’re checking their social media accounts. They might be identifying something really interesting.

Fly agaric, Ashtead Common