Date: 4/24/25 8:22 pm From: Zoltan P <zoltanap...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
Robert,
Good points. Merlin is a fantastic tool for helping birders and non-birders get engaged in the natural world around them. I have seen several non-birder friends get a spark from using Merlin, and before they knew it, they became birders.
Merlin has improved tremendously over the last 2 years, and is a great tool for various use cases, for birders and naturalists of all stripes.
That being said, Merlin is imperfect, and will likely remain so. The one thing I would suggest, in support of Josh’s point, is that people should not submit sightings in Merlin-generated checklists unless they are very confident that the bird was present. This will help keep eBird data clean, which benefits countless scientific endeavors, and ultimately benefits the birds. I bet it would help ease the strain on the eBird reviewers as well.
Just my two cents.
Good birding to all!
Zoltan
> On Apr 24, 2025, at 7:29 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote: > > Dear Josh: > > Since I posted my list yesterday, I've fielded a few emails like > yours. Respectfully, you are missing the point. > > Firstly, not all birders are scientists. I happen to be in my 39th > year of academic publishing, all of it in STEM. However, I appreciate > the joy of birding. It is much more fun to think there might be a red > crossbill hanging around my backyard than it is to question Merlin's > program. I know about its limitations. Those who constantly point > these out might believe they are doing a service to the birding > community, the vast majority of whom are not credentialed scientists. > I would pose that you are not. > > Science is not about taking the joy out of someone's observations. > Merlin, though developed by scientists, is not meant to be used only > as a scientific tool. A seminal goal behind it, I believe, is to > encourage people to appreciate the hobby of birding and to experience > the joy of it. If that leads to the gathering of data, it's a win for > everyone. But if the tool is not accurate, it does not mean the tool > is worthless to the layman. It might appear so to a scientist and > those who instantly resent anyone posting a Merlin result of a bird > they have not seen themselves, but the point might not be accuracy in > all observations and reporting. Perhaps the point is simply to find > joy. > > I have introduced several people to the joy of birding by pointing > them to the Merlin app. All of them have come back to me and thanked > me as they now have a tool to learn what birds are around them, > whether they see these species or not. The next step is to search for > these birds, and when finding them, it is not all about confirming the > observation, listing these in an eBird checklist, and building a life > list. Many birders I know have zero interest in any list. It is simply > about appreciating nature, the nature around us we often overlook, and > the joy of it all. > > I would caution you, do not take the joy of birding away. > > Sincerely, > > Bob > > On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:48 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote: >> >> Hi MassBirders, >> >> I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have not backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at least listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in question. I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is right 99% of the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous birds before I do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me skeptical. In particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as I do myself). On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European Starling’s imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve also caught it falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk. So, maybe the crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually lurking in your neighborhood, but maybe not…. >> >> On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County) reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the sugar water! >> >> Good birding, >> >> Josh >> >> >> Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D. >> Amherst, MA >> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman >> https://www.facebook.com/opihi >> >> Writer/compiler, Bird Observer >> https://www.birdobserver.org/ >> >> Columnist, “Earth Matters” >> https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters >> https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ >> >> Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club >> https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ >> >> Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas >> https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa >> >> >>> On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote: >>> >>> Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live >>> in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30 >>> this morning. A few nice surprises. >>> >>> American Robin >>> Red-winged Blackbird >>> White-breated Nuthatch >>> Yellow-rumped Warbler >>> Savannah Sparrow >>> Palm Warbler >>> American Goldfinch >>> Carolina Wren >>> Northern Cardinal >>> White-throated Sparrow >>> House Finch >>> Song Sparrow >>> Tufted Titmouse >>> Black-capped Chickadee >>> Red-bellied Woodpecker >>> Blue Jay >>> Dark-eyed Junco >>> Chipping Sparrow >>> Eastern Bluebird >>> Morning Dove >>> American Crow >>> Brown-headed Cowbird >>> Eastern Phoebe >>> Canada Goose >>> Red Crossbill (!) >>> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!) >>> Red-breasted Nuthatch >>> Fish Crow >>> >>> Faithfully submitted, >>> >>> Robert Ross >>> <plumisl...> >>> Byfield, MA >> >> >
