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For Bird Lovers Like Me, the Lab of Ornithology’s Merlin App Is Magic

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I’m proud that my alma mater created this inspirational tool, which opens up a world of avian wonders for its users

“Chime In” comprises brief first-person essays by Cornellians. Do you have a topic in mind? Email us at cornellians@cornell.edu!

By Tracy Newman Porosoff ’93

“Hoot, hoot!” The sound rings out clear and strong, breaking the silence of the frigid December night air as my dog Lola and I ascend a steep hill on her evening walk.

To my inexpert and overly optimistic ears, it sounds almost like an owl. Yet I doubt myself; that would be too good to be true.

Maybe it’s the coo of a mourning dove, or just some random noise.

I wish I could reliably discern the source of the creature calling out in the dark of night.

Although I’m a bird nerd—a devout admirer of avian grace, colors, sounds, and acrobatics—I can only aspire to identify many birds confidently. I’m just a backyard birder, reliant on technology to tell me what I am hearing and seeing.

Lucky for me—and for everyone ranging from the merely curious to the expert—the Lab of Ornithology provides free access to a range of multifaceted bird identification, information, and tracking tools.

Although I’m a bird nerd, I can only aspire to identify many birds confidently. I’m just a backyard birder, reliant on technology to tell me what I am hearing and seeing.

That night, as Lola and I walk, my lungs burn and my exposed skin stings from the cold—yet when the distinctive “hoot, hoot” pierces the night once again, I freeze in place.

I tug on Lola’s leash, fumble with my mitten, retrieve my phone with my chilly hand, and open Cornell’s perhaps best-known birding app, Merlin.

A goldfinch on the stem of a plant — The author's shots of a goldfinch in her garden, and of a red-bellied woodpecker.

A red-bellied woodpecker on a tree branch — The author's shots of a goldfinch in her garden, and of a red-bellied woodpecker.

My fingers may have gone white from the cold, but Merlin is worth the potential frostbite. My go-to source for trusted bird wisdom, Merlin records calls, graphs the audio, and compares it to its database—identifying the bird, describing its behavior, and displaying a photo.

During walks, outings, and daily life, Merlin is my constant sidekick. The app teaches and explains; it deepens my engagement with nature, prompting me to look further.

During walks, outings, and daily life, Merlin is my constant sidekick. The app teaches and explains; it deepens my engagement with nature, prompting me to look further.

When Merlin hears a black-and-white warbler, I stop to study the trees, searching for it. Because of Merlin, I know that the small birds dipping and darting above the shore are swallows—and I want to grab binoculars to distinguish whether they’re the barn, tree, or rough-winged variety.

Merlin has also taught me to recognize that the hammering outside my window is a red-bellied woodpecker, so I race outside to snap a photo.

Tracy Porosoff with three female friends from college — Porosoff (far right) with Cornellian friends during undergrad.

Beyond its features and utility, Merlin makes me proud.

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Our beloved alma mater created this app, widely used by expert and novice birders around the world.

Beyond its features and utility, Merlin makes me proud. Our beloved alma mater created this app, widely used by expert and novice birders around the world.

I am on a personal mission to promote Merlin to friends, young kids, passersby, and everyone who I think could delight in a bit of discovery about the natural world.

Launching Merlin transports me in spirit to a magical place of deep rock gorges, splashing waterfalls, picturesque bridges at the edges of campus, a hilly arboretum, and calming lake views.

A family of seagulls by the shore — Porosoff encountered gulls and their chicks.

This spectacular setting offers a respite from dense texts of required reading and empty pages (or now screens) that must be filled with insightful analysis, inspiring prose, or complex computations.

How fortunate we are to have attended such a jaw-droppingly beautiful school that offers a reprieve from the thrum of competition and anxiety that permeates an intense college campus.

Launching Merlin transports me in spirit to a magical place of deep rock gorges, splashing waterfalls, picturesque bridges at the edges of campus, a hilly arboretum, and calming lake views.

Other Lab of Ornithology tools provide ways to teach, guide, nurture, and inform the public about birds.

BirdCast forecasts migration; eBird allows people to record and share sightings and keep life lists; and All About Birds provides information based on descriptions that users can enter into the website’s search bar.

Tracy Newman Porosoff takes a selfie in the mountains — A selfie in the mountains.

That night, opening Merlin, I wish for the call to sound again. Then, loud and steady, it rings out: “Hoot, hoot!” Merlin records and … ta-da! A great horned owl.

Wow.

A rush of discovery, delight, and wonder fills me. It’s confirmation that somewhere nearby is an elusive and majestic raptor. I can’t see it, but it’s enough just to know that it’s near.

I summon my family to venture into the cold and join me. We gather outside, huddling in the darkness.

“Hoot, hoot!” Then, from a different direction, another: “Hoot, hoot!”

“Two owls, having a conversation,” my son announces.

We stand, privileged and awed to serve as witnesses to this moment—an exchange between these glorious, mysterious creatures.

I find joy in learning about, discovering, and reveling in nature. Going forward, I hope that my family and future generations will, too.

A former government major in Arts & Sciences, Tracy Newman Porosoff ’93 also holds a JD from NYU. She has published several children's books including Itzhak: A Boy Who Loved The Violin. The current president of the Cornell Club of Fairfield County, CT, and a member of the University Council, she recently served on the board of Cornell’s Grinspoon Hillel.

(All images provided.)

Published July 23, 2026