Species Identification and Journals
During my park visits, I keep a journal where I document the names of every observed and identified species, both animals and flowers. This journal allows me to compile a comprehensive database of information on the seasons and locations where different species can be found, serving as a valuable reference for planning future photo sessions or video recordings.
Last changed on 2025-10-27
Species Identification
To successfully identify species, I utilize a combination of my expertise and convenient mobile applications like Merlin ID or PlantNet. When encountering species that are challenging to identify on the spot, I capture photos for further analysis back at home. In certain instances, I leverage online communities such as iNaturalist or BugGuide, where I share photos and seek confirmation or correction of my identifications from fellow naturalists.
My primary method of species identification relies on visual cues. However, I do make exceptions for a few species that have distinct and well-defined calls, such as the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans), or Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer). In these cases, I consider auditory cues reliable enough for species identification.
During my park visits, I adhere to a policy of not registering a species multiple times in my journal. This is due to the inherent impossibility of accurately preventing the registration of the same individual multiple times. Consequently, my collected data does not provide the necessary information for assessing population sizes. My focus is primarily on documenting species diversity and notable observations rather than attempting quantitative analysis of population numbers.
Park Visit Journal
With MEL - Muuuh Event Logger now available as a public beta, I use my own iOS app MEL to maintain my park visit journal. Each time I visit a park, I start a new collection of notes. The first note records the park’s name, the timestamp of arrival, and the following details:
- Temperature: Recorded in Celsius
- Weather conditions: Indicating whether it was sunny, overcast, raining, or snowing
- Wind conditions: No wind, light, moderate, or strong — relevant for audio recording
For each species I successfully identify in the field, I add a new note to the collection, including the species name and, optionally, a short comment if I observe something particularly interesting. MEL automatically saves each note along with the precise timestamp and GPS location (latitude and longitude).
Back at home, I export the full collection as a JSON file and store it within my CMS, which powers my website muuuh.com.
Data Processing and Publishing
The park visit journal data is extended with EXIF data extracted from published photos and videos. To streamline the analysis process, a Python script is employed. This script combines the different data sources, removes duplications based on date, location, and species, and subsequently calculates aggregated data points by species, location, and season.
I only publish data pertaining to parks that we visit frequently and only of those species that I have observed and identified on at least five different park visits. This approach allows me to focus on more reliable and robust data, providing a higher level of confidence in the species sightings and contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of different park's biodiversity.
For examples see:
All content on this page — including photos, videos, and field audio recordings — was created by Karl-Heinz Müller, a Montréal-based wildlife filmmaker, sound recordist, and photographer. Founder of MUUUH and Québec Sauvage, he has spent over a decade documenting Canada’s natural habitats through immersive soundscapes and wildlife films. Learn more about Karl-Heinz
Last updated: 2025-10-27