Did Merlin Bird ID really hear these in my garden? (1 Viewer)

[Camperdown9]

Hello

I am totally new to birding and have zero experience. So please go easy on me. 😬

For the past couple of weeks I have been using the Merlin Bird ID just to see what bird life is around. I was actually really surprised that there was so much variety.

This morning at about 5:30am the window was open and I was awake so I pressed the record button and set my phone on the window still. The app recorded the following.

Eurasian Blackbird
Eurasian Blue Tit
Common Wood Pigeon
Great Tit
Carrion Crow
Eurasian Wren
European Robin
Common Chaffinch
Yellow Legged Gull
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
European Greenfinch
Eurasian Collard-Dove
Song Thrush
European Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Most of the above its recorded before so I guess they are present in the local area.

However it also claims that it heard the following....

European Serin
American Robin (We get lots of American visitors in Canterbury but they usually want to visit the cathedral and don't turn up in my garden at 5:30am 😂)
Common Grackle
Northern Cardinal
Hooded Crow

I have been told that the app is not always that accurate. Is it possible that any of the birds in the second group would have been in or near my garden (Please stop laughing). I live about a mile from the sea on the North Kent coast. Sort of 2 miles from Whitstable and 5 from Canterbury.


Thanks for your help.

Alex

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

The Merlin sound identification is good but should be used with caution, as you've seen. In your main list, the only one that seems unlikely is Yellow-legged Gull, which is possible but scarce in southern England. It's much more likely to have been Herring or Lesser Black-backed Gull. The other species are all likely to be fairly common in your area. The ones in the second list are a lot less likely!

 

[fdokykcu]

Check if your cell phone settings are allowing the app to know your position. Then you probably won't get any of the species of the second list, surely not all five in a row. Merlin also uses the species distribution information stored into eBird database when suggesting IDs. I agree with all the appreciations made by Andrew

 

[Camperdown9]

Since 2017 you started 4 topics but never reacted on all the answers you got. I just wonder.

Birding is something that I have kind of been interested over the past few years. However I have never really bothered until maybe now to go deeper into. It's not as yet the same sort of passion for me as for others. I do read all the replies I get but I don't always understand and I don't think it's helpful to thank each and every response.

 

[Butty]

I don't think it's helpful to thank each and every response.

I agree. In fact it's annoying when people do that. But the handy little 'like' button is a neat and non-intrusive alternative 👍🏻

 

[RichieTwitchy]

I agree. In fact it's annoying when people do that. But the handy little 'like' button is a neat and non-intrusive alternative 👍🏻

Thanks for that

 

[pianoman]

I'm guessing that "Hooded Crow" is in fact another Carrion Crow call, and It's possible that Blackbird is making a call that sounds a bit like an American Robin. I have a blackbird like that in the garden at the moment that makes an atypical and very loud Am. Robin-like call.

 

[Earnest lad]

I have just started with Merlin ID (UK version) a week or so ago to playback sound recordings into it. I am not good with birdsong myself. With the Merlin sound ID I have been getting several additional species per trip that I did not see or hear myself.

 

[Camperdown9]

In 2017 you asked advice buying essentials for birdwatching. People did come up with all kinds of advice but you did not let these people know what you have done with their suggestions. As if you did not care.

Also in 2017 you asked advice about buying a camera. Same story here.

Not long ago you asked advice about using a spreadsheet for your bird administration. Same story here.

You say it is not helpful to thank each and every response. That is true. But to al the contributers to your topics it is simply bad behaviour if you give no response whatsoever after asking for help.

Sorry If I upset anyone by not replying.

With regards to the advice using a spreadsheet, I was advised to try "ebird" I am still experimenting with it as I need to learn how to use it first.

 

[CalifornianFrost]

I'm new like you and I've noticed that the Merlin ID is solid but not perfect. I've noticed that my proximity to the sound also helps--the closer I am to the bird, the better reading I get and I stop getting huge outliers.

So far, the majority of my bad reads come from mockingbirds at a distance. Merlin seems to be able to identify them as mockingbirds as far as at least 30-50 feet out from my phone. Usually I exercise skepticism when I have a sound ID but no visual unless its something extremely common and/or with a really distinct sound (a crow).

 

[Steve Lister]

Also check which Merlin 'Bird pack' you are using - for Kent the obvious one is Europe - Britain and Ireland.

 

[Earnest lad]

I'm new like you and I've noticed that the Merlin ID is solid but not perfect. I've noticed that my proximity to the sound also helps--the closer I am to the bird, the better reading I get and I stop getting huge outliers.

So far, the majority of my bad reads come from mockingbirds at a distance. Merlin seems to be able to identify them as mockingbirds as far as at least 30-50 feet out from my phone. Usually I exercise skepticism when I have a sound ID but no visual unless its something extremely common and/or with a really distinct sound (a crow).

The gentleman seemed to be getting recordings of North American birds even though he is birding in Europe. My Merlin only has European birds database loaded.

 

[Butty]

With the Merlin sound ID I have been getting several additional species per trip that I did not see or hear myself

...and that perhaps, in reality, weren't present.

 

[rkj]

I have just started with Merlin ID (UK version) a week or so ago to playback sound recordings into it. I am not good with birdsong myself. With the Merlin sound ID I have been getting several additional species per trip that I did not see or hear myself.

Merlin's sound identification is good, but does give some quite dubious results too. I would not count any species it claims to have identified without seeing or hearing them myself. Yesterday birding in California, along with the expected local species, it gave me five species typical of the eastern US, but very rare in California. I did not see or hear (to recognize) any of the eastern species. One or two of those may actually have been present - they do occur here as vagrants - but all five would be unbelievably extraordinary.

 

[LittleBitOfBreadNoCheese]

Also check which Merlin 'Bird pack' you are using - for Kent the obvious one is Europe - Britain and Ireland.

Not sure that Sound ID uses the bird packs - the sounds on those are just used within the explorer function. There is a separate Sound ID bird list under Settings - mine has 1054 many of which aren't in GB which is the only pack I have. eg Greater Roadrunner.

 

[Paul Chapman]

The Merlin sound identification is good but should be used with caution, as you've seen. In your main list, the only one that seems unlikely is Yellow-legged Gull, which is possible but scarce in southern England. It's much more likely to have been Herring or Lesser Black-backed Gull. The other species are all likely to be fairly common in your area. The ones in the second list are a lot less likely!

It does like to give Yellow-legged Gull for some Lesser Black-backed Gull calls. Setting it up properly helps but some species are unsupported and some species are recurring mistakes. It loves to hear a Skylark too.

It likes American Bittern in the States but ironically, it did not recognise American Bittern when one was calling and I pointed my phone towards it several times.

Day before yesterday, it gave Dartford Warbler for Balearic Warbler which was decidedly odd.

Nevertheless, get it set up properly, treat it with caution and persist and you will learn a great deal. It can be astonishingly good. Correctly identified in recent days for me has included Osprey. At the same time, I think ihat it recorded an Eleonora's Falcon call as Ringed Plover. Waterbirds & waders in odd places are a bit of a recurring theme.

All the best

Paul

 

[Camperdown9]

The gentleman seemed to be getting recordings of North American birds even though he is birding in Europe. My Merlin only has European birds database loaded.

I only have UK and Europe downloaded. Today it seems to be just recording birds that I would expect to hear in my garden. At least ones that I think I would expect. So maybe it was an issue with the app. I'm a bit disappointed as so far I have only managed to identify 22 species. I'm going to be in Ireland tomorrow and in France for a month from the middle of next week. So maybe I will find more.

 

[Camperdown9]

Not sure that Sound ID uses the bird packs - the sounds on those are just used within the explorer function. There is a separate Sound ID bird list under Settings - mine has 1054 many of which aren't in GB which is the only pack I have. eg Greater Roadrunner.

interesting. Didn't know that. I have so far only used the app to identity bird life, I'm guessing its does lots of other stuff?

 

[Camperdown9]

It does like to give Yellow-legged Gull for some Lesser Black-backed Gull calls. Setting it up properly helps but some species are unsupported and some species are recurring mistakes. It loves to hear a Skylark too.

It likes American Bittern in the States but ironically, it did not recognise American Bittern when one was calling and I pointed my phone towards it several times.

Day before yesterday, it gave Dartford Warbler for Balearic Warbler which was decidedly odd.

Nevertheless, get it set up properly, treat it with caution and persist and you will learn a great deal. It can be astonishingly good. Correctly identified in recent days for me has included Osprey. At the same time, I think ihat it recorded an Eleonora's Falcon call as Ringed Plover. Waterbirds & waders in odd places are a bit of a recurring theme.

All the best

Paul

Thanks Paul

I'm a total beginner so far I have the RSP Handbook of British Birds, Collins Bird Guide and the two apps, ten days ago I didn't think that we got much more in the garden than a pigeon, robin and maybe the odd woodpecker. Alex

 

[Steve Lister]

Not sure that Sound ID uses the bird packs - the sounds on those are just used within the explorer function. There is a separate Sound ID bird list under Settings - mine has 1054 many of which aren't in GB which is the only pack I have. eg Greater Roadrunner.

Thanks for pointing that out - you are right and I have been under a misapprehension all the time I have been using the Sound ID. I should have realised when it came up with American Robin or American Goldfinch.