Birds of Shawnigan and the Magic of Merlin

If you spot me wandering around campus pausing every few steps to look at my phone, it’s not because I’m addicted to my phone. It could be argued that I am, in fact, addicted to my phone, but there is a specific reason here.

 

Birds are having a moment in our culture, and not just for folks in their middle age and beyond, and I am not immune to this phenomenon. Honestly, I have been fascinated by birds and keeping a mental life list for most of my life – even when toting a field guide may not have been the most popular choice among my age group.

 

Anyway, back to my phone (figuratively, not literally). Like many people who have developed an interest in birds, in middle age or otherwise, I have downloaded the Merlin app, a creation of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that helps users identify birds by sight or sound. When Merlin – which is free, and which actually helps bird researchers – is activated and it hears a bird, it offers a suggestion of what that bird might be. From what I can tell, it is generally extremely reliable, but it can be wrong, as when it got me all excited by misidentifying a common yellowthroat as a northern mockingbird, or, more hilariously when my daughter giggled while she was running beside me and it suggested that she was a greater white-fronted goose.

 

I’ve taken to strolling the campus at Shawnigan once or twice a day, checking my phone every time I hear a bird, and it turns out that this place is teeming with birds! In July alone, Merlin identified 50 unique species (not including obvious errors like the greater white-fronted goose). I was able to confirm most of those by sight, but knowing – or at least suspecting – that they were there, thanks to Merlin, helped the process. Unlike staff members with House commitments, I am only here during the workday, so I’m missing the dawn chorus, and any time in the evening or overnight. I know for certain there are owls on campus, but I have yet to see one myself. I don’t carry binoculars or any equipment other than my phone, so who knows what else I might be missing.

 

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Shawnigan is home to a plethora of birds. Not only is the campus located in a mostly rural area, but it contains a range of terrains and habitats, including plenty of forested area, open fields, marshes, a lake and a pond. There are places where birds can nest safely, and find whatever it is they want to eat: insects, berries, seeds, aquatic plants (there is a LOT of duckweed in Lake Omar), fish – or other birds, if that’s what’s on the menu.

 

Minimal though it may be, the time I spend outside (with the Merlin app open, yes), gives me a new awareness of the world around me as I’m constantly watching and listening, and it has encouraged me to get outside and get some fresh air, which helps reset the day. We talk a lot about having a sense of place at Shawnigan, and my daily walks have helped provide that connection as well. I have a pretty standard route that I follow, with some favourite stops to listen and watch along the way. I’ve also spotted several other animals during my wanderings – mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates – which may merit their own blog post another time.

 

Now that we’re entering a new season at Shawnigan, it will be interesting to see how bird life on campus changes with the weather – and the return of students. I’ve already spotted – or heard – a couple of species that weren’t around much during the summer, and noticed that some summer regulars are fewer in number. With phone in hand, I plan to keep watching and listening to see how it plays out.