Smart Bird ID

I like just about all animals and birds. We had a few parakeets when we were growing up in lieu of a dog. One of them was named Ringo and he was very talented. He said his name, flew to my finger when I called, sat on our glasses, and rode on the Barbie car steering wheel. We had bird feeders and birdbaths in the Midwest and on Capitol Hill. So when I learned of an app that helped to identify birds and bird sounds, I thought it might be interesting to use. So I downloaded it. When we walk in the morning sometimes we go though the neighborhood park. There are many birds in the area including red headed woodpeckers. But there are several sounds and types of birds that I don’t recognize. So I thought I would try the app out. When you open the tab to record, you push the button to start the recording. I did. Nothing happened. The red line didn’t move up or down after holding the phone steady for quite some time. I tried it in a few different places in the park where we could clearly hear the singing. Still nothing happened. I tried it another day and it was no different. I was a bit disappointed. I made sure the microphone was “on.” Still nothing. There are other tabs on the app that show birds that are typical to this area. I could easily look that up on line. I suppose you shouldn’t expect much for something that is free. Has anyone out there had the same experience?