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Project Kestrel
What it is
Project Kestrel is a bird photography app for organizing, culling, reviewing, and searching images. It groups burst shots into scenes for comparison, detects and segments birds, and scores frames for noise, motion blur, and focus so sharper shots can be surfaced first. Detected birds can be tagged by species and family for searches across folders and outings. Automatic classification currently covers North American species; users can tag birds from anywhere manually. Ratings can be exported to Lightroom, Darktable, Capture One, and other editors. The desktop app runs locally on Windows, macOS, and Linux without an account or internet connection. Photos stay on the user's machine unless an optional cloud or sharing feature is used. Perch allows users to upload an outing, add timeline notes, and share it. The desktop app is free and open source. Cloud Compute includes 2,500 images at no charge for each new account; the Apple App Store version is a $10 one-time purchase.
For and against
For
- Groups burst frames into scenes for comparison
- Scores images for noise, blur, and focus
- Searches detected birds by species and family
- Desktop app runs locally without an account
- Exports ratings to several photo editors
Against
- Automatic classification currently covers North American species
- Cloud and sharing features are optional exceptions to local storage
- Apple App Store version costs $10 once
The verdict
Project Kestrel focuses its organizing and review tools on bird photography, with local desktop use and optional cloud or sharing features. Its automatic species coverage is limited to North American birds, though worldwide manual tagging is available.
Who it suits
It suits bird photographers who want to sort and search image collections, compare burst frames, or export ratings to an editor. Manual tagging supports birds worldwide, while automatic classification currently covers North American species.
Plans and prices
Cloud Compute — free allowance
2,500 images
Read 7 Oct 2026 · projectkestrel.org
Project Kestrel desktop app
Windows and macOS downloads; Linux run from source
Read 7 Oct 2026 · projectkestrel.org
Apple App Store version
macOS; same app as the free direct download
Read 7 Oct 2026 · projectkestrel.org
Blue Jay
15,000 images / month
Read 7 Oct 2026 · projectkestrel.org
Sandpiper
50,000 images / month
Read 7 Oct 2026 · projectkestrel.org
On the record
- Bird detection
- Its object-detection model locates and segments birds so background pixels do not affect quality scores.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Cloud image handling
- Cloud Compute says source images are deleted after analysis, with automatic cleanup and storage expiry safeguards if deletion fails.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Cloud result retention
- Cloud results are deleted when downloaded or after 30 days if they are not downloaded; job records retain counts and timestamps for billing.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Editor integrations
- Kestrel can export ratings for Lightroom, Darktable, Capture One, and other editors.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The maker describes Project Kestrel as a one-person project built for the developer's own bird photography.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Local privacy
- The desktop app runs locally without requiring an account or internet connection, and photos stay on the user's machine unless an optional cloud or sharing feature is used.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Perch sharing
- Perch lets users upload an outing, add notes to its timeline, and share it with others.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Project Kestrel organizes, culls, reviews, and helps search bird photography.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Scene grouping
- It groups high-speed bursts into scenes so similar frames can be compared together.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Sharpness scoring
- A machine-learning model scores each frame for noise, motion blur, and focus, sorting the sharpest shots first.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Species coverage
- Automatic classification currently covers North American species; manual tagging can cover birds worldwide.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Species search
- Kestrel tags detected birds by species and family so users can search across folders and outings.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Support and feedback
- The download page asks users to send feedback through the button inside the app.projectkestrel.org · read 7 Oct 2026
