When we moved to our farm in Southwestern Michigan it became apparent that we were seeing and hearing a huge variety of birds; a much more abundant avian diversity than we were used to when living in the suburbs (California or Michigan).

I was only able to identify a few more common birds on sight and even fewer by their calls and songs.   But as in all things, there is an App for that.  It is called “Merlin Bird ID” and is published by Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Installed on my ever-present iPhone, I can record birdsong whenever I am outside walking the dog, or working around the property.  From those recordings, Merlin will tell you what birds you are hearing and give you pictures and details that let you confirm its accuracy.

This is Merlin’s list of birds we have heard and/or seen on our farm over the last nine months.   There are a few on this list that I had never heard of (i.e. Yellow-breasted Chat?!) and I cannot, in that case, vouch for Merlin’s accuracy.  However, Southern Michigan is included in the range of every bird on the list, so I consider the probability is high that the list is correct.

American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Robin
Black-capped Chickadee
Blue Jay
Brown Thrasher
Canada Goose
Carolina Wren
Cedar Waxwing
Dark-eyed Junko
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Gray Catbird
Great Blue Heron
Hairy Woodpecker
House Sparrow
Killdeer
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Mockingbird
Purple Finch
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-eyed Vireo
Red -shouldered Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Sandhill Crane
Song Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Wood Thrush
Yellow-breasted Chat
Yellow-rumped Warbler