Date: 12/31/25 12:07 pm From: Dominik Mosur via groups.io <dominikmosur...> Subject: Re: [northbaybirds] MRN Corte Madera/Marta’s Marsh - Merlin App Sound of Little Blue Heron Question
Hi Dawn,
It’s certainly possible but would have to be confirmed with a visual
identification.
Merlin ID app routinely makes ID errors of this type.
Gulls, egrets and other species which sound similar will often pop up.
I’ve ran it near large gull roosts/breeding sites in summer here in the Bay
Area where there Western and California gulls and Merlin pops up with
Herring, Ring-billed and other species that are absent. Great Egret calls
are sometimes confused for Great Blue Herons and vice versa.
Of course there’s other more egregious errors I’ve noted of the years as
well. For example I’ve had Merlin identify the long call of a Western Gull
as wrentit, begging red-tail as Bald Eagle, odd Raven croaks as Night
Heron, Pygmy nuthatch chatter as Tropical Kingbird, Tricolored Blackbird
as Elegant Tern, Brown Creeper as Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red-masked
Parakeet as Red-breasted Nuthatch and other assorted head scratchers.
My approach to Merlin is that it can be useful but its output is a
suggestion - the person using it has to confirm it.
I’m you have a fun Merlin mistake I can add to my steadily growing list
please email in private.
Happy AI-free birding,
Dominik Mosur
San Francisco
On Wed, Dec 31, 2025 at 11:42 Dawn via groups.io <soxdawn=
<yahoo.com...> wrote:
> I’ve been getting repeated hits on the Merlin Bird ID App for Little Blue
> Heron, over the past several weeks, when I’m out on Marta’s Marsh (end of
> Channel Dr. in Corte Madera). However, I’ve yet to see one. I didn’t know
> immatures were white until I looked at Sibley today. If anyone thinks these
> could be legit sounds, let me know and I’ll go looking for a white egret
> with greenish legs as a possible immature.
>
> Thanks,
> Dawn
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