Date: 4/24/25 5:37 am From: Robert Ross <plumisl...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
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 > >
