(Screenshot by Art Smith) The free Merlin app identifies birds by sound.

As we age, we all slow down to some degree, and if you are moving slower, you are likely taking more time to notice what is going on around you. For many of us, that means you take a larger interest in birds.

Go ahead and admit it. You now wonder more about what is chirping outside your window than you once did. You have become a bird watcher.

It’s OK. So have I.

Readers of the newspaper can see evidence of this on a semi-regular basis. Birds are one of the many things we feature in the daily photo on the weather page that showcases the beauty of the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Some birds, like a great blue heron walking along a shoreline, are easy to identify; some others are not that easy. Knowing that there will be thousands of readers viewing the photos is a strong motivator to get it right. Trust me, if I get it wrong and call for instance a turkey vulture a buzzard, I will hear from a reader.

There are a variety of Facebook groups where I will ask large groups of people for help identifying insects, wildflowers, small animals and birds. They have been very helpful in correctly naming things I have photographed.

There is also a very useful app that anyone can use to identify not only birds you see, but also those that you hear.

Merlin, a free app by Cornell Lab, uses data from thousands of bird watchers to identify what you are looking at by what you are hearing.

The app listens by opening the microphone on your phone and waiting for the songs of birds. It also knows your geographic location to make accurate predictions — the series of chirps that you just heard are actually from a bird found in this region instead of one only found in some far away land.

Take a walk in the woods, or simply sit in your backyard and the app will start listing what you are hearing and will place highlights on the list as the different sounds repeat. The screenshot on this page was recorded along Marietta’s Dark Hollow Trail. The large canopy of trees there is home to a wide variety of birds.

Sound is just one way the app will help you identify birds. You can also enter your observations to get a list of possible birds you may be viewing. Or you can upload a photo, and it will ask you if your bird matches those in the database. Testing it, I found it to be very accurate with each of the identification methods. Once you identify the bird you can learn more about it and add it to your “bird list.”

The app works by using the data from more than 800 million sightings submitted to ebird worldwide from more than 5,000 birders.

The app is a remarkable example of collaboration of like-minded people using technology to add to the enjoyment of everyone.

Art Smith is the online manager of The Marietta Times and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. He can be reached at asmith@mariettatimes.com