Comprehensive User Guide
Plan Tab
Shows birds observed near your current or selected location, sourced from real eBird data.
- Tap the location button in the action bar to change your starting location.
- Use the search bar to find specific birds by name.
- Tap the filter icon to adjust the observation lookback window (7, 14, or 30 days).
- Tap any bird in the list to select it for a trip.
- Use the action bar's Species Map and Hotspots buttons to explore the area further.
ID Tab — Bird Identification
AI-powered identification tools for birds you encounter in the field. All results are experimental and should be verified with field guides or expert birders.
- Bird Sounds Detection: real-time audio listening using the Cornell BirdNET model. Choose a sensitivity level, grant microphone/notification permissions, and detected species appear live with confidence scores. Detections build a trip log you can save or merge into an existing trip. If you've paired the optional directional mic array accessory, tap the location icon next to a detected species to see which direction it's coming from (see "Directional Mic Array" below).
- Bird Image Detection: select up to 20 photos (or take new ones) for batch AI analysis; results are grouped by species with confidence scores.
- AR Bird Identification: point your camera at a bird for live species identification with a confidence score overlay, in continuous, tap-to-detect, or manual capture modes.
- AI Bird ID Assistant: a conversational assistant for identification questions, comparisons, habitat, and behavior — ask things like "What does a Cardinal look like?" or "How do I tell Cooper's Hawk from Sharp-shinned Hawk?"
- Behavior Logging and Migration Tracking: dedicated forms for recording detailed field observations, separate from trip logging (see below).
Directional Mic Array (Optional Hardware Accessory)
Pair a separately-built ESP32-S3 4-microphone accessory to see which direction a detected bird call is coming from during Bird Sounds Detection. This is a DIY hobbyist build, not a commercial product.
- Requires the standalone hardware accessory — download the firmware and wiring instructions below. Not needed for any other app feature.
- Enable it from More > Settings > Mic Array, then join the accessory's "PeregrineMicArray" Wi-Fi network when prompted.
- Once connected, start a Bird Sounds Detection session as normal, then tap the location icon next to any detected species to track its direction — an arrow shows the azimuth (relative to the mic array's own forward-facing mark, not true north) along with a getting closer/farther/steady trend.
- Direction only updates when the app confirms a fresh detection of the species you're tracking, not on every sound the array picks up — so it can lag slightly behind, by design, rather than jumping around on unrelated noise.
- The "Direction Sensitivity" slider in the Mic Array settings screen controls how confident a reading needs to be before it's shown at all — lower it for more frequent (noisier) updates, raise it for fewer but more reliable ones.
- Radar Mode: instead of tracking one species at a time, shows a live bearing for up to 4 currently-calling species at once, each isolated by that species' typical call frequency so a busy multi-bird soundscape doesn't collapse into a single loudest-sound reading. Toggle it on from the Bird Sounds Detection screen while the array is connected; it runs alongside single-species tracking, not instead of it.
- Left/right direction only — the main array can't determine front/back or true compass heading, and there's no distance or elevation measurement.
- Rear Sensor (optional, requires building a second single-mic unit): mounted facing the opposite direction from the main array, it flags when a reading might actually be behind the array instead of where it's pointing — the main array genuinely can't tell front from back on its own. Enable it separately in More > Settings > Mic Array; a "may be behind you" marker appears on tracked/radar readings when triggered.
- Learned Frequency Bands: the app remembers the actual call frequency range measured for each species you've tracked, and — once "Seed Tracking from Learned Data" is turned on in the Mic Array settings screen — uses that real history instead of a general per-species estimate once enough confirmed detections have accumulated. Recording happens automatically in the background regardless of the toggle, so learned data is ready the moment you turn it on.
Firmware & Wiring Download
Both the main array and the optional rear sensor are Arduino IDE sketches for an ESP32-S3 board. The download includes full wiring diagrams, parts lists, and setup/calibration steps for each.
Learn Tab
Structured learning activities for birders of all levels, with progress tracking and points.
- Learn About Birds: a flashcard + quiz loop covering common species near you, sourced from real eBird observations in your area.
- Practice Observing: a guided listen → observe → describe → compare exercise using real-time sound detection.
- Plan Your Trips: a simplified, guided trip-planning wizard for new users (no route optimization — see "Trip Planning" below for the full-featured version).
- Bird Challenges: daily, weekly, and monthly challenges that automatically track your progress as you use the app.
- Your combined points (learning activities + challenge points) advance a birder badge from New Birder up through Birding Expert.
Trip Planning
Select birds, set a duration, and generate an optimized multi-stop itinerary.
- Select birds from the Plan tab or Hotspot Browser.
- Set trip duration and locations per day.
- Optionally exclude already-seen birds or already-visited hotspots, or start the route from your current location instead of your search location.
- Tap "Plan My Birding Trip" for manual selection, or "Auto-Plan" to let the app pick locations automatically.
- Review the generated itinerary — day-by-day stops, estimated travel time, and likely birds at each location — then save it.
App Navigation
Five bottom tabs: Learn, Plan, ID, Log, and More.
- Learn — guided activities and challenges (see above).
- Plan — select birds and plan trips.
- ID — AI-powered bird identification tools.
- Log — Trip Logs, Trip Map, Life List, State Birds, Big Month, Behavior Logs, Migration Logs, Tell Your Story, and Photos.
- More — Settings and Help & Info.
Trip Map
A visual overview of your birding trips on an interactive map, showing only locations where you've actually logged sightings.
- Navigate to Log > Trip Map and load the map to see your logged locations as markers.
- Each marker shows the location name and how many birds were logged there.
- Tap a trip in the list below the map to highlight just that trip's locations.
Trip Logs
View and manage all your saved birding trips, mark birds as seen, and add notes/photos.
- Tap any saved trip to view its details and check off birds as you see them.
- Add notes, counts, and photos to any sighting.
- Use the "Add Sighting" flow to log birds outside of planned trips — pick a location on the map, name it, and save.
- Mark a trip complete when you've finished it; completed sightings roll up into your Life List automatically.
- Use the search bar at the top of Trip Logs to quickly find a trip by name, location, or species seen.
- If you've logged the same outing twice (e.g. once manually and once via eBird import), use More > Settings > Advanced > Find & Combine Similar Trips to review same-day, same-location matches and merge them — every sighting and photo from each trip is kept, nothing is discarded.
Import & Export
Trips can be exported as JSON files (for sharing with other app users), shared as plain text via the standard iOS share sheet, or added to your calendar as day-by-day events. PDF export is not currently available.
- Export: open a trip, use the share action, and choose JSON file, plain-text summary, or Add to Calendar.
- Add to Calendar creates one all-day event per day of the trip, listing that day's stops and target birds, in a "Birding Trips" calendar.
- Import: from Trip Logs, use the import button and select a .json trip file — trip and bird metadata are preserved, but not photos or personal notes/seen status (see Data Backup & Migration below for a format that keeps everything, meant for moving your own data between your own devices rather than sharing).
Data Backup & Migration
A full export of everything on this device — every trip (with photos and personal notes/seen status intact, unlike the sanitized trip JSON export above), behavior and migration logs, stories, hotspot notes, challenge progress, and app settings — as one file, for moving to a new phone.
- Access it from More > Settings > Advanced > Data Backup & Migration.
- Export All Data generates the file and opens the share sheet — AirDrop it to your new phone, save it to Files/iCloud Drive, or email it to yourself.
- On your new phone (with the app installed), use Import All Data and select the file.
- Importing REPLACES all data currently on that device — it's meant for setting up a new phone, not merging two devices' data together. If the device you're importing into already has data you care about, export a backup of that first.
- This is separate from per-trip JSON export/import above, which is meant for sharing individual trips with other app users, not full-device migration.
Species Map
Shows recent eBird observations on an interactive map, similar to a coverage map, to help you explore sightings across your area.
- Access it from the Species Map button in the Plan tab's action bar.
- Explore observation markers to help plan where to go birding next.
Behavior Logging
Record detailed observations of bird behaviors — feeding, nesting, social interaction, and 11 other categories — for research and monthly challenges.
- Go to ID > Behavior Logging, select a species, choose a behavior type, and describe what you observed.
- Use the built-in timer to record observation duration accurately.
- Behavior logs are independent of trips and automatically contribute to monthly "Behavior Observer"-style challenges.
- Review past logs in Log > Behavior Logs.
Migration Tracking
Record migratory bird movements — status, direction, flock size, altitude, and season — for research and monthly challenges.
- Go to ID > Migration Tracking, select a species, and record its migration status (actively migrating, staging, arriving, departing, overwintering, at breeding grounds, or vagrant).
- The app automatically detects the current season for context.
- Migration logs are independent of trips and contribute to monthly migration-tracking challenges.
- Review past logs in Log > Migration Logs.
Bird Challenges
Daily, weekly, and monthly birding challenges that automatically track your progress across the whole app.
- Daily challenges (identification, sound detection, photo capture) reset every day.
- Weekly challenges (species diversity, habitat exploration, rare-bird discovery) reset every Monday.
- Monthly challenges (behavior study, migration tracking) reset on the 1st of each month.
- Progress updates automatically as you log sightings, use AI detection, or record behavior/migration observations — no manual tracking needed.
- Access challenges from Learn > Bird Challenges to see live progress bars and point totals.
Log Tab: Trip-Based vs. Standalone Observations
The Log tab separates regular birding-trip activity from focused research logs.
- Trip-based: Trip Logs, Trip Map, Life List, State Birds, Big Month, Photos — general birding activity that builds your Life List and can be shared/exported.
- Standalone research logs: Behavior Logs and Migration Logs — detailed scientific observations, independent of any trip, that feed the monthly research challenges.
Life List
A record of every bird species you've marked as seen, across all your trips.
- Access from Log > Life List.
- Tap any bird's thumbnail to see a detailed species card with identification info and photo sourcing.
- Tap a bird entry to see the locations and dates you've spotted it, with a link back to the original trip log.
Big Month
Automatically tracks unique species you've seen each calendar month, based on when you marked birds as seen in your trip logs.
- Access from Log > Big Month.
- Each species counts once per month regardless of how many times you see it.
Photo Gallery
Organizes all photos attached to your bird sightings, browsable by species.
- Access from Log > Photos.
- Tap any photo to view it full-screen along with species, location, and trip details.
Hotspot Browser
Explore nearby birding hotspots and the species recently observed there.
- Access from the Plan tab's action bar.
- Browse hotspots sorted by distance or species count, then add birds from a hotspot directly to your trip plan.
State Birds Goals
Track your progress toward seeing every official state bird species from the eBird taxonomy.
- Set your home state first in More > Settings.
- Access from Log > State Birds — seen birds are marked with a checkmark, unseen birds are grayed out.
- Filter to see only seen or only unseen birds.
Settings & More
The More tab is your hub for app preferences and support.
- Settings: home state, metric/imperial units, image thumbnails, notification preferences, and the optional tip jar.
- Settings > Advanced (collapsed by default): trip cleanup tools (Find & Combine Similar Trips, Remove Duplicate Trips), Image Cache Management, Data Backup & Migration, and Clear All Data.
- Help & Info: this screen — Quick Start, User Guide, FAQ, and Contact Support.
Data Attribution & Image Sources
Bird observation data comes from eBird.org (a Cornell Lab of Ornithology citizen-science project); bird thumbnail images come from iNaturalist.org, used under Creative Commons licensing with photographer credit shown in the app.
- Contribute your own sightings at eBird.org.
- Contribute bird photos at iNaturalist.org to help improve coverage for everyone.