Hear! Hear! ... literally! Chip Clouse Lakewood
On Sat, Jun 24, 2023, 5:45 PM Eric DeFonso <[email protected]> wrote: > To piggyback on Chip's comment, I agree that Merlin cannot be exclusively > relied on for ID "confirmation", and in my opinion, at all. That's not to > say Merlin isn't a fascinating and useful tool to assist with learning bird > sounds. But I would always emphasize that turning Merlin on should not > equate to turning your brain off. Merlin at most can only make suggestions, > good suggestions sometimes, bad suggestions others. It never will tell you > or confirm what you are hearing (or not hearing), because that job is up to > you, the human birder. > > I cringe at the thought of new birders simply eBird listing whatever > Merlin tells them that they are hearing. I suspect that this is happening > in a number of cases, and to me this is not a good thing. I know that > Merlin can be correct a lot of the time, but how can its correctness be > determined? Only by us! Actively, in real time. > > One pertinent recent anecdote I can provide is from a visit I made to East > Teller Farms near Boulder about a month ago. A Baltimore Oriole was singing > when I arrived, that I identified initially by sound and then got visual > confirmation. I then turned on Merlin to record it, and got a minute or two > of its song from not terribly far away. Not once did Merlin have any idea > what I was recording. It didn't even suggest any oriole whatsoever. > Thankfully I didn't have to rely on Merlin to tell me what was present. > > This is why I always encourage people to keep trying at birding by ear. > Your phone does have a sensitive microphone, but that microphone is not > connected to anything as potentially powerful as a human cerebrum. > > ------- > Eric DeFonso > currently in the San Luis Valley, CO > > > On Sat, Jun 24, 2023 at 4:27 PM Chip Clouse <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Ajit, >> Thanks for this. I would also say the opposite is true. As a 30 year >> birder with good aural ID skills, I hear and ID a lot of things Merlin does >> not. I agree that Merlin can be very helpful and I often see common birds, >> like Mourning Dove, show up on the screen that triggers me to listen and >> "hear" them when they were there and calling the entire time. I would >> however, caution those against trusting Merlin every time. I been standing >> beneath a single singing vireo only to have 3 different vireo species pop >> up on screen while also hearing 5 other species that Merlin fails to detect >> at all. It is a tool, not the end all be all, and it will get better and >> better with time but nothing competes with hearing something, Merlin or no >> Merlin, and tracking it down to find out what is making that call with a >> visual confirmation. >> In the case of the "Steller's Jay," the screen lit up yellow on Steller's >> Jay every time the Hawk called. In this case, it was flat out wrong. I >> wonder why the algorithm failed to even suggest Red-tailed Hawk like it has >> done with the aformentioned vireos etc. on numerous occasions this spring >> while birding in TX and OH. As I said, it will get better. I was just >> bringing up a scenario as a cautionary tale for those submitting an eBird >> checklist followed by comments like "confirmed by Merlin." This is an eBird >> reviewer's nightmare. >> >> Cheers and good Birding, >> Chip Clouse >> Lakewood >> >> >> On Sat, Jun 24, 2023, 1:55 PM Ajit Antony <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Hi Chip and everyone else. >>> >>> I would caution you and everyone else not to assume that Merlin is >>> necessarily wrong. In your instance it is theoretically possible that >>> Merlin and your smartphone together "heard" a Steller's Jay that you >>> couldn't hear perhaps because it was a distant bird. >>> >>> I notice this all the time and I'm sure most of you who use the Sound ID >>> feature of Merlin have noticed that Merlin picks up a few more species that >>> we can actually hear, and then when we listen carefully we can actually >>> hear and sometimes see them. >>> >>> Just because Merlin mentions a species, it's not necessarily what you >>> are hearing. All smartphones have better sound gathering capabilities than >>> our ears, like an astrophotograph that can show detailed features and even >>> colors of nebulae for example that we can't ever see looking through even a >>> large-objective astronomical telescope. >>> >>> So one feature Merlin has which I find excellent and useful is that when >>> a bird is calling, the name of the species lights up every time it calls. >>> If for example you heard the RTHA but the yellow light did not light up the >>> name of the species name in Merlin every time it called, then Merlin was >>> likely hearing something that's relatively subliminal to your hearing. >>> >>> Try it next time. >>> >>> >>> Ajit Antony >>> >>> Central Park, Colorado >>> >>> On Fri, Jun 23, 2023, 8:12 PM Chip Clouse <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> And I was recently birding in the foothills where I watched a >>>> Red-tailed hawk flyover calling repeatedly. Merlin ID'd it as a Steller's >>>> Jay! Is that the opposite of mimicry? >>>> >>>> Cheers, >>>> Chip Clouse >>>> Lakewood >>>> >>>> >>>> On Fri, Jun 23, 2023, 7:46 PM Ajit Antony <[email protected]> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Hi Elena and everyone else. >>>>> Last year when I lived in New York and was involved in the 3rd (every >>>>> 20 year) NY State Breeding Bird Atlas, I was in an area where I had >>>>> already >>>>> heard 2 Least Flycatcher calling and had seen each of them. Further along >>>>> the trail I heard a 3rd and in trying to see it realized and saw that it >>>>> was a earby Gray Catbird perfectly imitating 'che-beck' call of a Least >>>>> Flycatcher ! >>>>> >>>>> tinyurl.com/4dn2x5yy >>>>> >>>>> Out of curiosity I put on the Sound ID section of Merlin, and not >>>>> unexpectedly it identified it as the call of a Least Flycatcher. >>>>> >>>>> I did not then think of it as a deficiency of Merlin, but marveled at >>>>> the perfect ability of a mimid. >>>>> >>>>> Ajit Antony >>>>> Central Park, Colorado >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Fri, Jun 23, 2023, 5:41 PM elena <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Merlin is a wonderful tool, but it’s certainly not as good as >>>>>> experienced ears. I watched Merlin (and, I confess, myself at first) be >>>>>> fooled by a blue jay doing a dang good imitation of a Coopers Hawk. I >>>>>> thought the jays were doing a very good job but wanted to test Merlin, >>>>>> and, >>>>>> no surprise, the blue jay won. >>>>>> >>>>>> Sent from my iPhone >>>>>> Elena Holly Klaver >>>>>> Federally Certified Court Interpreter >>>>>> Conference Interpreter >>>>>> English <> Spanish >>>>>> 303 475 5189 >>>>>> >>>>>> Member: American Translators Association >>>>>> Colorado Translators Association >>>>>> Pronouns: she, her, hers >>>>>> >>>>>> I acknowledge that I live in the territory of Hinóno’éí (Arapaho), >>>>>> Cheyenne and Ute Nations, according to the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie, >>>>>> and >>>>>> that Colorado’s Front Range is home to many Native peoples. Reconozco que >>>>>> vivo en el territorio de las naciones Hinóno’éí (Arapaho), Cheyenne y >>>>>> Ute, >>>>>> según el Tratado de Fort Laramie en 1851, y que el estado de Colorado al >>>>>> esté de las Montañas Rocosas es territorio de muchos pueblos indígenas. >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> -- >>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>> Groups "Colorado Birds" group. >>>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>>>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>>>> http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en >>>>>> * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. >>>>>> Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate >>>>>> * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists >>>>>> https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ >>>>>> --- >>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>> Groups "Colorado Birds" group. >>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, >>>>>> send an email to [email protected]. >>>>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/B1460656-FFC1-4539-B4D5-EEC53E10B816%40indra.com >>>>>> . >>>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "Colorado Birds" group. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>>> http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en >>>>> * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. >>>>> Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate >>>>> * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists >>>>> https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ >>>>> --- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "Colorado Birds" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAMr_4-BngCi2vBJtRSMvrySTm3vQ0D90xfwRQFL_hwWGwnf3cA%40mail.gmail.com >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAMr_4-BngCi2vBJtRSMvrySTm3vQ0D90xfwRQFL_hwWGwnf3cA%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>> . >>>>> >>>> -- >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "Colorado Birds" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en >> * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. >> Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate >> * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Colorado Birds" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAPHVJehe17HbRP0un1fkkMLwfs9TQT7sKED7TfXHr5MqCnnseg%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAPHVJehe17HbRP0un1fkkMLwfs9TQT7sKED7TfXHr5MqCnnseg%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Colorado Birds" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en > * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include > bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate > * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAFjVA_YRxh1cHvohyqW%2BGp-N-bCYybhoNDvejUgwXmWuBj0%2BjQ%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAFjVA_YRxh1cHvohyqW%2BGp-N-bCYybhoNDvejUgwXmWuBj0%2BjQ%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAPHVJeh-AZicv1VS5BsF%2BbbVTqsH3qopF7ZVjar15tzQvbVrzg%40mail.gmail.com.
