Getting Started Quickly
1. Set Your Location
Tap the location button in the action bar (shows "Set Start" or your address) to use your current location or select a custom location on the map.
2. Learn About Local Birds
Visit the Learn tab to study birds common to your area. The app shows 5 birds at a time from recent eBird observations near your location. Mark each bird as learned after studying their features, habitats, and identification tips. Complete all 5 birds to take an interactive quiz - you need 80% to advance to the next set of birds. This builds your knowledge before planning trips.
3. Choose Birds
Select birds you want to see from the list by tapping on them. You can use the search bar to filter by name or the Hotspot Browser to select birds by location. In advanced mode, you can adjust the time period to see more historical data.
4. Plan Your Trip
Set your trip duration and click "Plan My Birding Trip" to generate an optimized itinerary. The app will create the most efficient route to maximize your chances of seeing all selected birds. If you have a custom start location set, you can choose to "Start route from current location" to begin your trip from where you are now instead of the search location. New birders can use the Learn tab for step-by-step guidance.
5. Go Birding!
Use the directions to navigate to each location and check off birds as you spot them. Mark birds as seen in your trip log and add notes about your observations. Take photos using the camera icon to document your sightings.
6. AI Bird Identification & AR Features
Use the ID tab for AI-powered bird identification. Bird Sounds Detection provides real-time audio identification using Cornell BirdNET AI with configurable sensitivity and regional filtering - toggle it on to automatically detect and log birds by their calls. Bird Photo Detection analyzes your photos to identify bird species with confidence scores. **ENHANCED: AR Bird Identification** now features advanced dual-mode detection, combining both visual camera detection AND real-time audio detection for comprehensive bird identification. Grant camera and microphone permissions to begin identifying birds through your camera viewfinder. The app works with both front and back cameras and automatically switches between Expo Camera and Vision Camera for optimal compatibility. The system automatically listens for bird sounds while using the camera, creating intelligent multi-modal detections. When a bird is detected through both sight and sound simultaneously, the system creates a single fused entry rather than duplicate detections. In your trip logs, birds detected through multiple methods show both "Seen" (eye icon) and "Heard" (sound icon) labels, clearly indicating how each bird was identified. Point your camera at birds to see instant identification overlays with common names, scientific names, and confidence scores. Each bird gets a floating card that can be moved around the screen by dragging. **Interactive Features:** Tap any bird thumbnail in the overlay to open a detailed species card with full-size images, habitat information, and identification features. Use the "Dismiss" button to remove incorrect detections from the screen. The "Save to Trip" button adds the bird to your current trip log and automatically dismisses the overlay. **Enhanced Photo Capture:** Use the camera button to capture AR photos with overlays. Photos can be saved with detected species to your trip log, or saved without species to your photo library. **Manual Species Addition:** If no birds are detected, tap "Add Species" to manually select multiple species from the searchable eBird taxonomy. **Settings:** Adjust confidence thresholds from very low (0.1%) to very high (80%) to control detection sensitivity. Enable or disable bounding boxes, confidence scores, and other visual elements. Toggle battery optimization for longer sessions. All AI tools create trip logs automatically. Throughout the app, bird thumbnails from iNaturalist.org appear next to species names to help with visual identification - tap any thumbnail to see a larger image with photographer credits. Remember: AI identification is experimental and should always be validated with field guides or expert birders.
7. Bird Challenges & Gamification
Access gamified Bird Challenges through Learn > Bird Challenges to encourage real-world birding activities. Daily challenges reset at midnight and include identification tasks, sound detection goals, and photo capture objectives. Weekly challenges reset every Monday and focus on species diversity, habitat exploration, and rare bird discovery. Monthly challenges reset on the 1st of each month and include migration tracking, behavior studies, and mastery goals. Challenges automatically track your progress as you use the app - when you log birds in trip logs, use AI sound/photo detection, or mark birds as seen, your challenge progress updates in real-time. Each challenge has a point value and specific target, and you'll receive completion alerts when finished. All challenges are designed to get you outside and actively birding in different habitats.
8. Research Features: Behavior Logging & Migration Tracking
Use specialized research tools found in the ID tab for detailed scientific observations. **Behavior Logging:** Record detailed bird behaviors by selecting from 14 behavior categories including Feeding, Nesting, Social Interaction, and more. Use the built-in timer to track observation duration, add location names, note weather conditions, and include detailed descriptions. **Migration Tracking:** Document migratory bird movements by recording migration status (Actively Migrating, Staging/Resting, etc.), flock size, direction of movement, flight altitude, and environmental conditions. These research observations are stored separately from regular trip logs and contribute to monthly research challenges. Access your logs through Logs > Behavior Logs and Logs > Migration Logs to review statistics and manage your research data.
9. Log Sightings
The "Add Sighting" button in Trip Logs lets you quickly log birds encountered outside planned trips - select the birds, choose their location on an interactive map, and give the location a custom name. All sightings are automatically added to your Life List and Big Month count.
10. Tell Your Story
Create comprehensive birding journals with the Tell Your Story feature. Navigate to Trips > Trip Logs and tap "Tell Your Story" to combine trip logs, photos, and personal narratives into shareable stories. Set date ranges to filter your data, select trips and research logs to include, write personal narratives, and add extra photos. The app automatically generates species lists and behavior summaries. Export complete stories as detailed text files or share simplified versions through standard sharing interfaces.
11. Save & Share
Save your trips to access them later from Trip Logs. You can import trips created by others, or export and share your own trips via email, messaging apps, or as calendar events. Your birding statistics are tallied in your Profile screen to track your progress over time. View your photos in the Photo Gallery and track progress in the Big Month feature.