Hi all:

I want to caution birders about over-reliance on identifications made by the Merlin app. I've been having a lot of fun with it lately, although it does mean messing around with another phone app instead of birding. Merlin is pretty impressive at picking up bird sounds and suggesting identifications. However, MERLIN IS OFTEN MISTAKEN!!

Any bird identification suggested by Merlin should be independently identified by the observer before reporting to a database such as eBird. In eBird's own words: 

"Is Merlin always right?  
No. Merlin shows a list of possible birds based on the songs and calls you recorded, and matches that with the birds that are likely in your area. Explore the matches provided by Merlin and compare the provided audio recordings to see if it matches your bird. Merlin is a great birding companion that suggests which species are more likely, but it relies on you to confirm what you’re hearing or seeing."

So have fun with Merlin this spring, use it to improve your own birding, but please don't cut and paste Merlin ID's into your eBird checklist. Put YOUR observations into eBird, not Merlin's.

Thanks!


Kyle Jones (frustrated eBird reviewer)


To post messages, send e-mail to:  [log in to unmask]
Set your e-mail application to PLAIN TEXT ONLY to post messages.
To contact the list owner:  [log in to unmask]
To unsubscribe:  E-mail this command to [log in to unmask]  UNSUBSCRIBE UV-Birders
To change your e-mail address:  E-mail this command from your old address to: [log in to unmask]  CHANGE UV-Birders [new e-mail address]

Web based archives and subscription management are available at:
http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html