Is that a chaffinch or a wren? We test birdsong apps Warblr and Chirpomatic

Two recently launched 'Shazam for birds' apps promise to recognise hundreds of birdsongs with a point and click of your mobile phone. But are they really a substitute for learning the calls yourself?

Once upon a time, O younger readers, if you wanted to know the title and artist of a new song you heard on the radio, you had to hope and pray that, when the music came to an end, the DJ would remember to tell you. They usually didn't, which meant your only option was to visit the nearest record shop and hum the tune to a bemused assistant.

Now, of course, you simply take out your smartphone, open the Shazam app, and within seconds you can find out if you're listening to the Shires or Cher, Bach or the Beatles, Taylor Swift or Meatloaf.