Date: 7/15/25 11:40 am From: Chuck & Lillian via groups.io <misclists...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Northern Pygmy Owls in eBird
Hi Lance, et. al.
I don't have much experience with the Merlin app, but my sessions with it on my Samsung pad lead me to believe that while it may be reasonably accurate in SoCal on songs and clear, sufficiently loud call notes, but on marginally volumed "chip" notes, it stinks. I'm quite sure that no Northern Cardinal lives among the House Sparrows in my backyard bougainvillea bush, and there is no Osprey in my bottlebrush tree. I have not, however, figured out a way to tell Merlin that on these two ID's, at least, they are in error.
This may be part, or all, of your spurious Pygmy Owl report problems. On a side, historical note, when pocket calculators first appeared 60 years ago, they didn't work perfectly, yet people turned off their questioning brains and accepted obviously wrong answers, such 105 - 10 = 10. Brains evolve far more slowly than electronics.
Chuck Almdale North San Fernando Valley
At 09:49 PM 7/14/2025, Lance Benner wrote: >Hi Everyone, > >There have been numerous reports of northern pygmy owls submitted to >eBird from the San Gabriel Mountains recently. Many of these are >supported by documentation and are correct, but some do not have >sufficient (or any) documentation and probably won't be accepted. > >Pygmy owls in Los Angeles County are treated as "rare" in eBird due >to confusion beween their toots with similar sounds made by several >other species: Merriam's chipmunk, lodgepole chipmunk, various >squirrels, northern saw-whet owl, mountain quail, and Townsend's solitaire. > >There have been many instances where observers reported the owls >based on sounds alone without realizing that there are several >possible and common sources of confusion. In some cases observers >have uploaded recordings into eBird that turned out to be squirrels >and chipmunks. > >Consequently, if you think you've found a northern pygmy owl in >southern California, PLEASE document it! If you think you hear one, >try to obtain recordings--your cell phone is probably sufficiently >sensitive to do this, and in most cases, fancy equipment isn't >necessary. If you see a bird, please photograph it and/or provide a >detailed written description of what the bird looks like. > >To address this issue, a few years back I gave a presentation for >Los Angeles Birders on confusing owl sounds in southern >California. The talk includes examples of sounds made by pygmy owls >and the other species mentioned above, shows sonograms, and >discusses techniques to distinguish them. The talk was recorded and >is available online at: > ><https://www.labirders.org/webinars/confusing_bird_sounds.html>https://www.labirders.org/webinars/confusing_bird_sounds.html > >Briefly, the west coast northern pygmy owl male toots are typically >at a frequency (or pitch) of about 1100 Hz, occur at intervals of >roughly 2 seconds, and last 2-3x longer than chipmunk calls, which >are also usually at a higher pitch. There are variations, of >course, such as female pygmy owl toots at about 1300-1500 Hz >(although uncommon), rapid toots, and so on. Pygmy owl toots are >usually at a distinctly slower cadence than those made by northern >saw-whet owls, which are often (but not always) at a slightly higher pitch. > >The Merlin recording app can correctly identify northern pygmy >owls...but it isn't always right! It regularly gets confused by >squirrels and chipmunks, and last I checked, it doesn't do very well >with mountain quail. Thus, if Merlin indicates that you recorded a >pygmy owl, that is NOT sufficient documentation to establish the >identity of the bird. > >Using the Merlin app on a phone will also show a real-time sonogram, >which is really helpful, but unfortunately the sensitivity of Merlin >is not as good as other apps. I recommend using Song Meter Touch >(which also shows sonograms) or Voice Record Pro; both are more >sensitive than Merlin and are free. > >Regards, > >Lance > >Lance Benner >Pasadena >On behalf of Los Angeles Birders
