Date: 3/10/26 8:10 am From: Bob Tarte <enslavedbyducks...> Subject: Re: [birders] Merlin Problems
Sorry, didn't mean to send that last message to the group.
On Tue, Mar 10, 2026 at 11:02 AM Bob Tarte <enslavedbyducks...>
wrote:
> Hi, Lisa,
>
> My wife died last May from a terrible illness that was very much like ALS.
> I took care of her at home for a year, then she had to go into a nursing
> home. I visited her twice a day, feeding her lunch and dinner.
>
> I just started writing again and have three different projects in various
> states of completion. Not many pets now. Thanks so much for asking.
>
> --
> Bob Tarte, Lowell, Kent County
>
> On Tue, Mar 10, 2026 at 10:50 AM Lisa Lava-Kellar <lisalk...>
> wrote:
>
>> I agree with your assessment, Bob, and I'm not half the birder you are!
>> But I still love it.
>>
>> Are you still writing? Do you and your wife still have the menagerie of
>> animals? Haven't "seen" you on Birders for a while, so thought I'd check.
>>
>> All the best,
>> Lisa L-K
>>
>> On Tue, Mar 10, 2026 at 10:14 AM Bob Tarte <enslavedbyducks...>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks, Rich. I've been birding for decades and don't count a bird
>>> unless I see and/or hear it and ID it based on what my own senses are
>>> telling me.
>>>
>>> If Merlin alerts me to a bird I'm not hearing, often, if I keep walking,
>>> I will start hearing it on my own. Or I'll stand still and listen harder!
>>> It's a great tool when used like that.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Bob Tarte, Lowell, Kent County
>>>
>>> On Tue, Mar 10, 2026 at 9:44 AM Rich Wolinski <rawolinski...>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Merlin has weaknesses. I've found a number of times it doesn't pick up
>>>> birds close by and indicates are present though their habitat is not.
>>>> Unless I can verify the bird s present with my own senses I don't count
>>>> it. It's a tool under development and you would be wise to treat it as such.
>>>>
>>>> On Mar 10, 2026 8:52 AM, Bob Tarte <enslavedbyducks...> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Yesterday I was in Saranac, Ionia County, and ran into a small flock of
>>>> Rusty Blackbirds along the river. They were singing, but when I checked
>>>> Merlin to determine if I was missing any other birds in the area, it was
>>>> 'deaf' to the Rusties, no matter how many times I tried. It found a
>>>> Northern Cardinal and juncos. That was it.
>>>>
>>>> This winter, I had a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at my feeder for three
>>>> weeks. It was 'meowing' loudly one morning, and just for fun I tried
>>>> Merlin. The bird didn't register at all.
>>>>
>>>> I'm wondering if Merlin has a bias against out-of-season / out-of-place
>>>> birds... though the Rusties seem like they are here about when they should
>>>> be. Maybe a little early.
>>>>
>>>> Has anyone else had this problem with Merlin? If so, what's the fix?
>>>> Thanks.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Bob Tarte, Lowell, Kent County
>>>>
>>>> --
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>> Birders is a service of the Great Lakes Commission. Visit us at
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>>> Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility
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>>>
>>
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Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility of the subscriber providing such content and
do not reflect the views, policy or position of the Great Lakes
Commission.
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