Nature Apps

Have you ever been out-and-about and wondered what that bird call was? Or what type of tree you are looking at?

You can now get the answers to all these questions and more in the palm of your hand via a series of free apps. We've listed some of our favourites below:

Seek by iNaturalist: this free app uses the power of image recognition to identify plants and animals. It's also fun for the family as you get to earn badges for seeing different types of plants, birds, fungi, and more! The app is simple to use and just requires the use of your phone camera. Google Play Store/Apple App Store

Tree ID by Woodland Trust: ever wondered what kind of tree you're looking at, or what leaf this is? The Woodland Trust have put together this simple-to-use, free app to help with tree identification. By answering a few simple questions, the app will help you identify any British tree, no matter what the season is. Google Play Store/Apple App Store

BirdNET: through the use of your phone's microphone, BirdNET is able to identify birds based on their calls. Using Artificial Intelligence, this app has been trained to identify over 3,000 of the most common species worldwide and is constantly developing with more users. This free app is only available on Android phones. Google Play Store

iRecord: iRecord App enables you to get involved with biological recording. Contribute your species sightings with GPS acquired coordinates, descriptions and other information, thus providing scientists with important new biodiversity information that contributes to nature conservation, planning, research and education. Google Play Store/Apple App Store

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab: Merlin Bird ID helps you identify birds you see and hear. Merlin is unlike any other bird app—it's powered by eBird, the world’s largest database of bird sightings, sounds, and photos. Merlin offers four fun ways to identify birds. Answer a few simple questions, upload a photo, record a singing bird, or explore birds in a region. Whether you’re curious about a bird you’ve seen once or you’re hoping to identify every bird you can find, the answers are waiting for you with this free app from the renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Google Play Store/Apple App Store

The Big Butterfly Count: Join the Butterfly Conservation in the annual Big Butterfly Count to help scientists work out the impact climate change has on the butterfly population in the UK. Google Play Store/Apple App Store