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Merlin Bird ID

merlin.allaboutbirds.org

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Re: Merlin Bird ID

#111

Post by HelloMcFly »

yoko888 wrote: post #89

[dead]

This app changed my life. I got into hiking and outdoor spaces when I married my wife and she wanted me to join her in camping, something I never did as a kid. This iteratively got me more into natural spaces and wildlife, but only as a passing curiosity.

But then one morning while camping, I woke up to a symphony of birdsong. Many calls, but there were at least dozens of a call echoing throughout the forest of a flute-like bird with a trill at the end. I was enchanted. I had used the Merlin app previously just to ID some city birds near my house, but I remembered I had it and found that dozens of wood thrushes were singing their song to me that morning. It's my favorite sound in the world, I've got a tattoo on my arm of the spectrogram of their song, and I make it a point to camp where I expect them to sing every year.

This created a journey into a love and personal involvement in the natural world that has changed me for the better.

Re: Merlin Bird ID

#112

Post by plastic3169 »

I love this. It used to work like magic but something happened and now it barely recognizes birds for me. Only if they are really close. Anyone else? Maybe my hardware is failing? I also travelled and loaded other packs and wonder if I messed up my DB.

Re: Merlin Bird ID

#113

Post by HelloMcFly »

russellbeattie wrote: post #66
OptionOfT wrote: post #16

We have a Mockingbird in our backyard (or more precisely, we live in his/her territory) that impersonates a Gila woodpecker. We were able to record it. Playing back the video and using Bird ID actually shows it as a Gila Woodpecker.

Oh, that's not my experience at all! I downloaded this app to see how many distinct songs a mockingbird was singing one time (it was a lot) and the app just came back: "Mockingbird". I was both amazed and disappointed!

I have a Blue Jay that began imitating a Cooper's Hawk after one started showing up in the neighborhood. In its early attempts at imitation, it was still recognized as a Blue Jay, but the Blue Jay has improved and it now comes up as a Cooper's Hawk! I watch it sing, so I know this is the Blue Jay, not the hawk.

Re: Merlin Bird ID

#114

Post by fullstop »

HelloMcFly wrote: post #109
togume wrote: post #101

It’s so great this app is getting attention. Hopefully the devs/PMs come here and pay attention. The sound ID works very well, especially in the jungles/forests of Colombia with zero network availability. The rest of the app needs a lot of love, though. Buttons don’t work often, screens are inconsistent, results get lost, and more issues. Features: I’d love an iNaturalist bridge. Going back into a previous recording…

> Buttons don’t work often, screens are inconsistent, results get lost, and more issues. What device are you using, out of curiosity? I use this app almost daily for months at a time across several generations of the Google Pixel, I haven't had any of these issues even one time. I'm not even sure what you mean by "we ID something, but it’s gone by the time we show it to someone". Like, it shows a match while you're r…

The only problem I had was when I had a OnePlus phone. It would show the little circles of "I found a bird" but not actually identify anything, and as far as I know it was a OnePlus specific bug. I have a Pixel now, and it works perfectly.

When I was in Aruba there was no bird pack which covered the island, but the one for Venezuela seemed to work for most birds that I heard.

Re: Merlin Bird ID

#115

Post by nlh »

plastic3169 wrote: post #112

I love this. It used to work like magic but something happened and now it barely recognizes birds for me. Only if they are really close. Anyone else? Maybe my hardware is failing? I also travelled and loaded other packs and wonder if I messed up my DB.

Could be an issue with your mic (clogged? weak connection?). I just installed and used it and the app works perfectly for me and picks up birds that are calling faintly and in the distance.

Re: Merlin Bird ID

#116

Post by wlaw15 »

My <2yo son started excitedly pointing out birds flying by a kitchen window at home so we placed a feeder on the glass and he loves when they eat while he's eating. Then I found this app to start to try and identify the different frequent diners together. Was amazed at how well it worked even through the screen on the window.

Re: Merlin Bird ID

#117

Post by nbaugh1 »

yoko888 wrote: post #89

[dead]

Yeah I use it almost everyday. I've gotten to where I frequently recognize new birds. I don't talk about it much because I haven't fully come to terms with entering a bird watching phase of my life, but occasionally I'll say something like "Oh that Northern Flicker is back" and my wife will be totally confused. We live in Brooklyn near Prospect Park and have a backyard so we get a pretty wide range of birds.

Re: Merlin Bird ID

#118

Post by francesca »

I love this app. I let it run in the background when I walk my dogs at home and when I'm traveling and it is amazing how well it connects me with the world around me.

Re: Merlin Bird ID

#119

Post by Balgair »

togume wrote: post #101

It’s so great this app is getting attention. Hopefully the devs/PMs come here and pay attention. The sound ID works very well, especially in the jungles/forests of Colombia with zero network availability. The rest of the app needs a lot of love, though. Buttons don’t work often, screens are inconsistent, results get lost, and more issues. Features: I’d love an iNaturalist bridge. Going back into a previous recording…

Love the app!

But it crashes for me every 255 seconds after start-up on Android. Yes, I timed it.

Is there a way to submit bug reports?

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