Date: 4/17/24 7:36 am From: Katherine Clemo via groups.io <kclemo54...> Subject: Re: [ALbirds] Merlin and Identification
Amen!
On Wed, Apr 17, 2024, 7:23 AM Damien J. Simbeck via groups.io <tnbarredowl=
<aol.com...> wrote:
> If you get rare bird alerts from eBird, you probably saw the reports of
> Dusky-capped Flycatcher and Hawfinch. Neither burd seen by the observer,
> both identified by Merlin.
>
> I ran Merlin at my house for about 30 minutes yesterday. Most of the birds
> detected were correct. It did peg the Purple Martin and Summer Tanager
> calls made by my Mockingbird (I heard them too, straight from the
> Mockingbird's mouth). It picked up a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (and it does
> that every time I use the app) that I never saw or heard. I usually only
> get Gnatcatchers in my yard during fall migration. It also detected a
> White-breasted Nuthatch that did not detected, and they are RARE in my
> yard (only a handful of records on 30+ years of residency). Another likely
> error was Song Sparrow. They are regular around my feeder each winter, but
> di not nest here. I haven't seen one on over a month. About a week ago,
> Merlin pegged a Downy Woodpecker when I coughed. I do have Downy in my
> yard, but it was not calling at the time Merlin picked it up.
>
> Merlin is a good tool to help learn bird songs/calls, but eBird should
> really push folks to record only those birds seen/heard and identified by
> the observer. I know these reports of common birds doesn't really destroy
> the database, but it can definitely make some birds look more common than
> they are. And it's building a birding community that can't identify birds
> on their own...probably the true downside of the app.
>
> Damien Simbeck
> Killen AL
>
> Sent from my (non-Apple) phone. You can teach an old dog new tricks!
>
> On Tue, Apr 16, 2024 at 8:04 PM, Bob Reed
> <bobreed1987...> wrote:
> I too have recently been getting Junco IDs on Merlin in
> inappropriate places. In every instance Pine Warblers were present. I had
> not picked up on the similarity. Thanks for sharing.
>
> Bob Reed
> Tallassee, Alabama
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 16, 2024, 17:28 Douglas Hamm via groups.io <dhamm72=
> <yahoo.com...> wrote:
>
> Even if you do have the correct location, you still have to be careful. I
> think there is a Pine Warbler/Dark-eyed Junco problem. Below is a ticket I
> submitted to Merlin on my recent observations:
>
> I think I have discovered a flaw in the Merlin sound ID app that gives
> false hits for Dark-eyed Juncos. On March 27 on the Gator Lake Trail Merlin
> picked up a Junco. I couldn't find the bird, so I didn’t record it. This
> was in season and would be prime Junco habitat, but I thought I should be
> able to see it and I couldn’t. On April 7 on the Jeff Friend Trail, I
> got another Junco call. I couldn't find this bird either and did not record
> the sighting as a result. It was also beginning to get late in the season
> for a Junco. Last Saturday this happened again, this time at the Middle
> Grounds at Fort Morgan. But this time I noticed something. When Pine
> Warblers were calling, both the Pine Warbler AND Junco readings would light
> up yellow, indicating a match. I could only hear one bird. My wife was
> along, and she could only hear one bird also, and it was definitely a Pine
> Warbler. In all three cases, there were Pine Warblers in the area. Not only
> did I get visuals on the Pine Warblers, but the calls were coming from
> overhead. You would expect Junco calls to be coming from the ground or at
> least lower down.
>
> So, then I got on the computer and played all the Junco calls I could
> find. One of them is very similar to Pine Warbler calls. In fact, All About
> Birds makes this exact point:
>
> Male Dark-eyed Juncos sing an even, musical trill of 7-23 notes that lasts
> up to 2 seconds. It’s similar to the songs of both the Chipping Sparrow and
> the Pine Warbler and is loud enough to be heard from several hundred feet
> away.
>
> I think I can tell the two apart now, having spent quite some time
> listening to recordings. The Pine Warbler seems to be a little higher
> pitched to me. I think Merlin sound ID is sometimes giving false Junco
> readings on Pine Warbler calls.
> Anybody else have similar experiences?
>
> Douglas Hamm
>
> On Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 02:12:45 PM CDT, Jim Holmes via groups.io
> <jfholmes...> wrote:
>
>
> This has been discussed multiple times on all the listservs that I
> subscribed to but as a reminder, Merlin identification (especially the
> Sound ID) has problems and should not be relied upon as the sole method of
> identification. One way to make the Merlin Sound ID more reliable is to
> ensure you have the location setting accurate.
>
> See:
> https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48001214056-merlin-sound-id-best-practices#2-Set-your-location >
>
>
> If you are certain that the Merlin sound ID is correct and it is being
> flagged as rare, please upload the recording into the eBird list.
>
>
> https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48001214056-merlin-sound-id-best-practices#3-Upload-your-sound-recording-to-your-checklist >
>
>
> This recent list highlights this point (several species would certainly
> not be suggested if the location setting was correct):
> https://ebird.org/checklist/S168927564 >
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Jim
>
>
>
> James F. Holmes, MD, MPH
>
> Professor and Executive Vice Chair
>
> Department of Emergency Medicine
>
> UC Davis School of Medicine
>
> Office (916) 734-1533
>
>
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