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’s ...

Connecting with nature is beneficial, even when you use technology to do it. And the barrier to entry is almost non-existent with the fun and free Merlin Bird ID app. I've been contributing to PCMag ...

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 trees ...

I've done everything I can think of to improve my mindfulness. I've tried countless meditation apps and breathing exercises to stay in the present, and I'm always working on improving my mental health ...

I heard a tune playing over a grocery store’s sound system but could not recall the name of song or singer. I opened the Shazam app on my phone and nodded to myself — “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck ...

From casual bird buddies to ornithology obsessives, you can now trek to far flung corners of the globe and identify any feathered friend you find – as long as you have a smartphone. The hugely popular ...

It’s spring, and nature is pulling me away from my computer as I write this. The sun is shining, the world is warming up, and the birds are chirping away. And that got me thinking: What if a ...

Merlin was on the job at Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis Park one recent day, helping birders identify bird songs. Not Merlin the storied magician, although what was happening could be ...

Anna Gragert (she/her/hers) was previously the lifestyle editor at HelloGiggles, deputy editor at So Yummy and senior lifestyle editor at Hunker. Over the past 10+ years, Anna has also written for the ...