Jun. 30—Is that the tweet of a titmouse? Or the chirp of a chickadee? After you download the app Merlin Bird ID, you can use your smartphone to identify sounds and match them to the birds in ...

Knowing garden birds by sight are beginner-level basics though, and the woodlands around me are another world, pierced by the calls and songs of feathered dwellers I can’t see and know little about.

Birding is a popular pastime for people of all ages. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, more than 45 million people enjoy watching birds. It’s a hobby you can pick up at any time, it ...

If Merlin tells me that among the loud morning chorus, it detects a blue-gray gnatcatcher that I don’t hear at first, I am eventually able to track down and observe the bird. When I hear a bird song I ...