There is no official Barn Owl camera app currently available. However, there are a few options that allow you to use your smartphone or tablet’s camera to detect and identify Barn Owls. Barn Owls are medium-sized owls with heart-shaped faces, small bills, and long legs. They get their name from their tendency to nest in barns and other structures. Identifying Barn Owls by sight or sound can be tricky for amateur birders, so a camera app that helps detect and recognize them would be useful.
Using general birding apps
While there is no Barn Owl-specific app, there are some general birding camera apps that can help you identify Barn Owls. Apps like Merlin Bird ID, BirdNet, and Seek by iNaturalist utilize machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze photos and provide bird species identification. They have large databases of bird photos and recordings to compare against. Here’s how you could use them to identify Barn Owls:
- Take clear photos or video of the owl in question. Get shots of the face and body if possible.
- Open the app and upload the media you captured.
- The app will analyze the visual and auditory components and provide a likely species match.
- For Barn Owls, look for a match that says “Barn Owl” along with the scientific name Tyto alba.
These generalized apps may not always provide perfect accuracy, but they utilize similar technology to what a dedicated Barn Owl identifier would use. Uploading your best owl photos and recordings can get you a good probable identification.
Using bird sound identification apps
Another option is to use an audio-based bird sound ID app like ChirpOMatic, Warblr, or Larkwire. Barn Owls have very distinct screeching, raspy calls that these apps could analyze and match to their sounds database. Here is how you could leverage these apps:
- Record video or audio clips that include the owl vocalizations.
- Isolate just the owl sounds if there is a lot of background noise.
- Upload the sounds to the identification app.
- Review the likely species matches – Barn Owl vocalizations should be easy for the app to recognize.
Focusing on the unique sounds Barn Owls make can be an easier way to confirm their identity versus just visuals. But capturing both sight and sound provides the most data for an accurate ID.
Using nocturnal bird apps
Barn Owls are primarily nocturnal birds, so using a camera app designed for night time recording and identification could also work well. Apps like Night Owl and Night Vision Camera have modes optimized for low light conditions. Here are some tips for using them:
- Use a tripod or stabilizing mount to reduce blur from camera movement.
- Position the camera facing potential owl perches like tree branches, poles or ledges.
- Use the app’s night or low light mode and noise reduction features.
- Passive infrared can help pick up hard to see movement.
- Analyze recordings the next day and identify species based on night vision footage.
The key is being able to record clear, properly exposed footage in dark conditions where owls are active. That allows collecting media that identification apps can process.
Downloading owl sounds to identify
Certain apps like Echo Meter Touch and Bird Genie let you download and store bird sounds right in the app. Then you can listen to recordings of known species while out in the field and try to match them against what you hear. Following are steps for using downloaded Barn Owl sounds to identify them:
- Acquire Barn Owl sounds files or recordings from online sources.
- Import the sounds into the app so they are available offline.
- Listen closely when owls are vocalizing during night surveys.
- Play the stored Barn Owl recordings and compare them side-by-side to what you are hearing.
- See if they match or are similar enough to positively ID by ear.
Having those high-quality Barn Owl vocalization examples right in the app allows making quick matching comparisons and reduces misidentification.
Using owl nest box cameras
If attempting to identify Barn Owls coming and going from a specific nesting spot like a nest box, there are camera options designed for that purpose. Companies like Barn Owl Box and Apature sell owl nest cameras that integrate with smartphone apps. Key points about using them:
- Properly install the nest camera according to included directions.
- Position the camera with a clear view of the nest box entrance.
- Use the companion app to monitor the live feed remotely.
- Viewing at night will capture Barn Owl activity best.
- Can also record video clips for later analysis.
The fixed vantage point, HD quality, and night vision abilities of these cameras make positively identifying Barn Owls straightforward when owls are sighted entering or exiting the box.
DIY owl identification with AI
There are also some do-it-yourself solutions for identifying owls with artificial intelligence and readily available hardware. For example:
- Use a Raspberry Pi microcomputer and camera module to create a motion-activated wildlife camera.
- Capture photos and sound clips when motion triggers the camera.
- Send the media files to a cloud service like Google Cloud Storage.
- Use Google’s Vision AI and Speech to Text services to analyze the files.
- Identify species from the image labels and transcripts.
With some machine learning and programming knowledge, you can create your own custom solution tailored to detecting Barn Owls. The right AI algorithms can analyze photo and audio data in customized ways.
Choosing the right app
When deciding which approach to use to identify Barn Owls, here are some factors to consider:
- Detection range – Some apps work better for distant/blurry owls, others require closer high quality media.
- Ease of use – Look for apps with intuitive interfaces vs. complex settings.
- Accuracy – Research which have the highest owl ID accuracy based on user reviews.
- Cost – There are free and paid app options at various price points.
- Advanced features – Consider apps with useful tools like night mode, DB search, sound downloads, etc.
- OS support – Make sure the app is available on your mobile device OS.
Prioritizing features that allow collecting ID-friendly data based on the owls’ nesting and hunting habits will increase success. Consult owl expert resources to learn more about the species’ behaviors.
Conclusion
While no Barn Owl-exclusive camera app exists yet, there are several effective options using generalized birding, night vision, nest monitoring, and AI apps. Each has different strengths, so choose the approach that best fits your use case and environment. With the right app and methodology for capturing identifying audio, visuals, and behavior, accurately detecting Barn Owls with your mobile device camera is achievable. As machine learning and image recognition technology continue improving, a dedicated Barn Owl identification app leveraging these advances could become available in the future.
