Merlin definitely has a weird sense of humor. This spring it told me,
multiple times, that there was a Common Loon on the top of a ridge at Hobbs
SP. I think the most interesting story is that my friend had her own
personal turkey in her Fayetteville yard, and it followed her around, even
to other states. But, could it identify the actual turkey sounds that we
have actually heard? No, it could not, not even when it was given several
chances.
It is a great tool, though, most of the time. Like Joe, I have lost my
ability to hear the high-pitched calls of gnatcatchers and many warblers.
But, I can play back my own recordings on Merlin, and can verify that those
birds are, indeed, present. That's a great gift.
On Tue, Jul 8, 2025 at 5:50 PM Debra Balicki <debandronb...>
wrote:
> I got hearing aids a couple of years ago. I am amazed at the bird songs I
> now hear. Unfortunately, there is some kind of conflict between the
> microphone on my IPhone and my hearing aids and Bluetooth, so I don’t use
> Merlin when I wear my hearing aids. When I do use it, because I am familiar
> with the birds in my area, I know that when it says it hears a red- tailed
> hawk, I know that it is hearing a blue jay. It is a great resource but has
> to be used with a grain of salt and knowledge. I really like to use it. For
> example, when it hears a red eyed vireo, which I know that I have here,
> then I can use my binoculars to find it. I was thrilled when it heard a
> yellow billed cuckoo. I have them here every year but had not heard one
> without my hearing aids. Now I feel sure they are back.
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jul 8, 2025, at 3:53 PM, Sandy Berger <sndbrgr...> wrote:
>
>
> The problem I am seeing with the use of Merlin by those who have lost
> their hearing, and by novice birders, is that they are using it with a
> surety that the birds Merlin says it’s hearing are actually there.
> I’m an old-school birder having learned bird calls by actually hearing
> them and chasing down the birds, or going home and trying to find the calls
> on cds. Y’all remember those? There was no stick a device up in the air and
> it’ll tell you what it hears.
> Back in the day we also had to use a field guide that had words in them
> that kind of read like what a bird sounded like. And there was info on
> where to find birds, and how they migrated, and all the different plumages
> were shown. There was so much to learn. Does Merlin do all that? And do we
> really want to learn, to actually retain the bird song? Or do we just want
> an instant answer, which is the way the world is trending in every aspect.
> Just some of my thoughts.
> And a thought on formal birding field trips. How difficult it has become
> to lead a trip only to have five phones at the same time record calls and
> five people at the same time are calling out different bird names. And none
> of the birds are being seen. I would suggest that leaders ask groups to
> either not use Merlin, or to have one person use it. Again…just some of my
> thoughts.
>
> Sandy
> Fort Smith
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 8, 2025 at 3:13 PM Gmail <butchchq8...> wrote:
>
>> Joe,
>>
>> I've organized a monthly backyard bird count for the residents of Bella
>> Vista for the past six years. About two years ago, I added a Merlin count
>> for those that were interested in participating. Over time, we'll compare
>> the personal ID's with the Merlin ID's, but for now, I think it is really
>> opening up the eyes of folks by opening up their ears, causing them to
>> realize there are soooo many more birds out there than only come to
>> feeders. This is especially so for novices and those whose hearing isn't
>> quite what it used to be. Merlin has been a nice addition to the birders'
>> arsenal.
>>
>> Butch
>> Bella Vista
>>
>> On Jul 8, 2025, at 12:24, betty_evans <betty_evans...> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/listening-with-merlin-bird-id-patterns/ >>
>> Here is the article.
>>
>> On Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at 10:30:59 AM CDT, Joseph Neal <
>> <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>
>>
>> I’m always interested to hear how people use Cornell’s Merlin app. I
>> compare these comments with my own experience. The current issue of
>> Cornell’s Living Bird (summer 2025) has a really interesting essay by
>> Andrew J. Lewis, “Listening, Belonging, and the Patterns we live by.” It is
>> a very good read about his experience in using Merlin. I don’t have a link
>> to the article, but if anyone knows how to get a link, please post it for
>> others who don’t subscribe to the magazine.
>>
>>
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