Suddenly, everywhere we go, birders are using Merlin. Holding our phones up and looking about, Merlin is telling us what’s out there waiting to be seen.

Anyone who has birded for very long will have heard of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, THE institution in this country where the most in-depth study and advancing knowledge of birds, birders and the wonderful sport of birding is occurring. Many of the Lab’s resources can be accessed online including courses, reference materials and, more to the point for this article, apps.

A huge issue for birders from the very beginning is how to learn which of those elusive bird species is making that chip, chirp, buzz or song. We hear them all the time, have trained ourselves to listen and to hear, but still, many of us need help identifying what we are hearing, at least sometimes. Ace birders suggest leaving one’s bins at home to see what can be found when one only listens. This can be difficult and frustrating, even for those who have birded for years and years.  

But now, finally, Merlin to the rescue! This free app created by the Cornell Lab is designed to assist birders with visual and sound identification and the tracking of life lists. The sound ID feature contains thousands of bird songs and calls and is designed to be used in specific areas to eliminate extraneous, irrelevant bird sounds. It can be a really valuable learning assistant and is being used by many birders, especially those who are learning bird songs and calls.  

Like any assistive device, however, it must be used with care and consideration.

For one thing, Merlin does make mistakes. According to one long-time local birder, this is less and less common but definitely still possible. Another experienced birder said Merlin “sometimes gives bizarre results.”

To help users learn how best to use Merlin, Jason Thiele, an eBird reviewer in Wisconsin, wrote an article on pointers and best practices for its use in the field. He has given permission to share what he wrote and his five main points follow. The complete article may be found at the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology.

1. “Identified with Merlin” is not proper or acceptable documentation! Merlin can do a good job at identifying birds, but it’s not infallible.

2. Save the recording of the bird to your device and upload it to your eBird checklist.

3. If you’re unable to make or submit a quality recording, you should at the very least provide some sort of description of the song or call you heard.

4. Whenever possible, offer other evidence such as a visual description of the bird, notes about its behavior, and/or a photograph or video to support the audio ID.

5. Above all, birding ethics should always apply.

The bottom line with regard to reporting birds on eBird, is that bird species should not be added to an eBird list just because “Merlin said so.”

 For more on Merlin and its use in general, visit Merlin Bird ID.

 For more on the ethics of birding in general, visit https://www.sacramentoaudubon.org/news/ethical-birding-practices on the Sacramento Audubon Society website.

- Maureen Geiger