App called Seek

DizzyBlue

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Met up with Bob a few times in the last two weeks to go bird watching / spotting and he's downloaded an app that may come in handy for some members.
The App is called Seek and apparently is a free download.

Basically what it does is download onto your phone and enable you to use the camera on your phone to focus on things like plants and wildlife like insects to identify them.
Bob tested the app out whilst I was there on a few plants that I know for definite what they are and then used the app and focused on the plant to see if it came up with the same answer. For the few plants and trees that we did and also a couple of obliging insects (errr insect animal wise the subject has to stop flipping hurtling around to get a good id of it the app) the app was correct on what it said the items were. We also tested it out on some grasses and it did them correct too.
Bob discovered that you can take a picture of something and then use the app to scan the photo for it to say what it is so perhaps that is better way to do say insects etc.

I am going to download it and really put it through a few paces asking it to scan as much as I possibly can from plants, trees, insects, seeds and perhaps some fruit and veggie items including perhaps things like beans to see if it can identify them or not. I have before now tried a couple out and not been impressed with the amount of items the software have no flipping idea about or mis-identified so this one is scoring points for me with its accuracy so far.

This could be a really good app for those who are unsure of things like tree identification for perches or food they come across in the wild for forage feeding such as wild rosehips and Rowan Berries etc.

Will let you know what I find out as to it's accuracy wondering if any of the rest of you who know your plants etc would follow suit and try it out if you can so we can judge what accuracy rate it has and if its going to be a good app for new parrot owners who don't have plant knowledge yet. Would be lovely to be able to recommend something like this to help people and their birdies :)
 
I had downloaded a plant recognition programme that was on trail just over a year ago, it worked very well on my mobile phone but unfortunately the phone died and I lost the programme. I also had one that just worked with tomatoes it could give advice on problems and care plus information on the species of tomato and any insect or fungi problems the plant was suffering. these photo recognition programs are very good and improving all the time. Sounds very interesting that it can recognise insects as many a time I have been wondering what an insect I had noticed is called
 
So I have been running around scanning plants and trees it's a tad windy to do any insects today. So far it's passable .......
Two items I scanned over and over again!knew it was wrong....
A conference pear it told me was a horned snail! A fresh pineapple it told me was a monkey puzzle tree!!!! :bird_brain: but not sure it was designed for food items..... Wild plant and tree wise it's been spot on though
More testing required me thinks
 
So I have been running around scanning plants and trees it's a had windy to do any insects today. So far it's passable .......
Two items I scanned over and over again!knew it was wrong....
A conference pear it told me was a horned snail! A fresh pineapple it told me was a monkey puzzle tree!!!! :bird_brain: but not sure it was designed for food items..... Wild plant and tree wise it's been spot on though
More testing required me thinks
Maybe it was a horned snail, disguised as a conference pear, that fooled you but not technogy
 
I hope it works, I downloaded an app called “picture this”

I tried it loads of times but the downside is I don’t actually know if it’s right or not.

I was taking pics of trees on a dog walk, then taking the same pics on the way back and it seemed to work well.

Again it does plants and flowers but I’ve only tried a few at shops with the tag on :rolleyes:

willow I know and it gets that spot on.

But it is a paid app
 
Well I seriously used it to id heaps yesterday and I mean heaps!
So seems to be an American app as some of my pictures came up with weird names ...... a house wren was one of them?!
 
ok now having an argument with the app :BangHead:
Picture is a common buzzard but the app keeps telling me its not .... I am right its wrong!!! ARRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!

I say the photo below is a common buzzard latin name Buteo Buteo
The app is saying its a short tailed hawk latin name Buteo Brachyurus

IMG_3298a.jpg

I may end up breaking my phone ...... :roulette: or can I just say its american fake news???? :lol:
 
Thanks @dianaT

Well it's worked brilliant on the birds in photos on forum giving correct id every time
It did brilliant on little Henni the nudist African Grey it asked for multiple angles before identifying her exact species and did Alfie, MrP and the other two grey girls instantly.
Plant wise well blew me away with one identification I had previously put on-site but we couldn't come up with exact identification even Tomsmum who was a total wizard at plants was unsure. We all guessed it as one of the Dogwood family but turns out it's ornamental weeping cotton easter which I have never heard of. Double checked it and the app is correct!
 
@dianaT I have cotton easter but the weeping variety looks totally different
My normal one has tiny round dark leaf structures on a branch structure that kind of sweeps outward. The bees love it and the wild birds go mad for the berries in winter lovely tiny pink flowers.
Weeping one has long whip like branches with leaf structures akin to willow and a shocking red bark never seen flowers or berries on it.
 
I must say i think this is the best identification app I've seen, and I'll keep using it. It has identified quite a few plants in the garden from photos taken today and also from older pictures already on the phones files. I also like that you are contributing to an international database.
 
I've been putting this app through its paces recently on things I can positively identify without its assistance and so far its been really quite good apart from a few weird glitches .... eg a woodpigeon egg it was determined was a common gilled fungus and the common buzzard mentioned earlier
However on the whole its been in the right direction with a heck of a lot more than most apps I have come across and being free and being able to take part in a bit of nature information gathering has been quite good fun, plus the app is free :)
 
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