October 23, 2026
Announcing v(Arctic Tern)
Accurate bird species recognition worldwide, a new Smart Search that finds photos from a plain-language description, and the first major improvement to quality scoring since Kestrel's first release.
Field Notes
Field Notes.
Read the latest changelogs, essays, news, and milestones. All articles are written by the developer of Project Kestrel.
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September 5, 2026
Announcing v(Ruddy Turnstone)
Kestrel now notices when a folder's photos and its analysis data have drifted apart — moved, renamed or deleted outside the app — and offers to repair the link instead of losing your ratings. Plus a scene grid that reflects your decisions, and the largest data-integrity round Kestrel has shipped.
August 2, 2026
Announcing v(Dusky Grouse)
Project Kestrel is now on the Mac App Store as a way to support development, plus friendlier Analysis Settings, custom star-rating thresholds, JPEG metadata embedding, following on Perch, and far more accurate Cloud Compute time estimates.
August 2, 2026
Project Kestrel on the Apple App Store
Project Kestrel is now available on the Apple App Store starting with v(Dusky Grouse) — what that means, and why it's a paid listing.
August 2, 2026
Retiring the Traditional Windows Installer
v(Dusky Grouse) is the last release to ship a traditional Windows .exe installer. Here's why, and how to still get it if you need it.
August 1, 2026
Nikon High Efficiency RAW Files
Why Nikon .NEF files shot in High Efficiency (HE / HE*) lead to poor analysis results in Kestrel, and how to switch to a supported compression type.
June 30, 2026
Announcing v(Rock Wren)
Smarter exposure-triage tools for the desktop app, far more reliable sign-in on Windows, and a wave of updates across Perch and Cloud Compute — expressive new timeline storytelling and flexible, non-expiring Cloud Compute credits.
June 30, 2026
Flexible Options to Use Cloud Compute
Introducing Backlog Packs — one-time, non-expiring Cloud Compute credits with no subscription — plus more generous monthly allowances on both the Blue Jay and Sandpiper plans.
June 30, 2026
New Tools to Tell Your Birding Story
Perch's latest update adds expressive new timeline notes — emphasize a favorite shot, upload your own edited or environment photos, and embed YouTube videos — plus a new dark theme and stronger privacy controls.
June 15, 2026
Announcing v(Rufous Hummingbird)
The launch of Perch and Cloud Compute — and a celebration of 1.5 million photos analyzed by Kestrel. Perch lets you share an entire birding outing on the web as a personalized timeline, not just a…
June 15, 2026
Introducing Perch & Cloud Compute
Announcing Perch (share entire birding outings) and Cloud Compute (offload analysis to cloud GPUs), and celebrating 1.5 million photos analyzed — from the solo developer of Project Kestrel.
May 24, 2026
Announcing v(Great-Horned Owl)
A user-interface overhaul, an order-of-magnitude expansion to species tagging, and the first release published under Project Kestrel LLC. Kestrel's main GUI and Analyze Folders dialog have been…
May 17, 2026
Announcing v(Nelson's Sparrow)
A stability, resilience, and developer-experience release built on top of the Gambel's Quail pipeline. Nelson's Sparrow adds a new fast wildlife detector (MegaDetector v1000-cedar), resilient ONNX…
May 15, 2026
Data & Storage
What Project Kestrel stores in its hidden .kestrel folder, how much disk space it uses, and how to delete analysis data safely.
May 15, 2026
Getting Started with Kestrel
Download, install, and launch Project Kestrel on macOS or Windows with step-by-step instructions to get up and running.
May 15, 2026
Understanding XMP Metadata
How Project Kestrel handles XMP metadata, and how to sync it with Lightroom, Darktable, and other photo software.
May 15, 2026
Settings
A walkthrough of every Kestrel setting, from photo editor and rating profiles to analysis thresholds, previews, privacy, and culling controls.
May 15, 2026
Troubleshooting
Solutions for common Kestrel issues, covering slow analysis, missing files, folder scanning, star ratings, bird detection, and JPEG accuracy.
April 19, 2026
Announcing v(Gambel's Quail (Plume Fix))
The most significant update to Project Kestrel to date. Kestrel is up to 500% faster while achieving better analysis quality, and now supports more than 1,200 wildlife species in addition to birds.
April 2, 2026
Announcing v(Kentucky Warbler)
Major update featuring significant corrections to exposure compensation algorithm, improved quality scoring model, many UI improvements, bug fixes, compatibility improvements, security…
March 19, 2026
Announcing v(Willow Ptarmigan Hotfix 1)
NOTE: This is a hotfix release to Project Kestrel v(Willow Ptarmigan) that fixes a critical bug preventing Kestrel from analyzing folders on MacOS. This update is not applicable for Windows users.
March 17, 2026
Announcing v(Willow Ptarmigan)
Major user interface/user experience update coupled with improvements and customizability to the analysis pipeline. This is a massive update to expand Kestrel's functionality and intuitiveness.
March 15, 2026
Announcing v(Lincoln's Sparrow)
Welcome to Project Kestrel v(Lincoln's Sparrow)! Kestrel receives an significantly improved quality scoring model and significant analysis customizability. Kestrel will now more accurately rank…
March 13, 2026
Announcing v(Swamp Sparrow)
Welcome to Project Kestrel v(Swamp Sparrow)! Kestrel gets significant improvements to the analysis options and user interface!
March 11, 2026
Announcing v(Yellow Warbler)
Welcome to Project Kestrel v(Yellow Warbler)!
March 9, 2026
Announcing v(Tufted Titmouse)
Welcome to Project Kestrel v(Tufted Titmouse)! Project Kestrel gets bug fixes, UI improvements, and a new logo.
March 4, 2026
Announcing v(Chickadee)
Welcome to Project Kestrel v(Chickadee)! Kestrel finally has the ability to create XMP sidecar files that let you import Kestrel's Ratings and Culling Assistant categorizations into Lightroom,…
March 2, 2026
Announcing v(Goldfinch-2026.03.01)
Project Kestrel receives a major workflow update with the new Culling Assistant and guided in-app tutorials.
February 24, 2026
Announcing v(Junco-2026.02.24)
Welcome to Project Kestrel v(Junco-2026.02.24)! This update introduces better folder management and integrated feedback tools.
February 20, 2026
Announcing v(Finch 2026.02.20)
Version Finch brings a massive interface overhaul and merges the Analyzer and Visualizer into a single, intuitive application.
February 12, 2026
Announcing v(Sparrow-2026.02.12)
The initial cross-platform release, bringing Kestrel to both Windows and macOS (Silicon).
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