[Tweeters] Magic man fowls it up again

[Nagi Aboulenein via Tweeters]

The totally bonkers out-of-range recording misidentifications can sometimes occur when you have multiple bird packs downloaded and all are enabled (enabling specific regional bird packs is done via the “Explore” page, and carries over to the Sound ID). For example if you happen to have the Palearctic bird pack downloaded and “all” bird packs enabled, Merlin Sound ID can get confused and do crazy things like identifying a Yellowhammer in New Mexico. To eliminate these kinds of mis-identifications, it helps to narrow down the enabled bird packs to the one specific to the actual region you’re in. Then at least out-of-range birds won’t be considered by the Sound ID AI in trying to find a match.

Having said that, Merlin Bird ID is still easily confused - we had Nathan Pieplow give a keynote talk at one of the Oregon Birding Association membership meetings a few years back, and he explained back then that for every 10,000 photos that Merlin’s Photo AI gets trained on, there is a single sound recording available for training the Sound ID AI. As more and more correctly identified sound recordings get uploaded and verified by local experts the AI will improve. But I don’t think it will ever be fool-proof against excellent mimics such as the Starling and the Mockingbird. Cornell Labs has at various times hired folks in Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia to both do recordings, as well as to go over other folks’ recording to verify correctness.

All best,

Nagi
On Apr 3, 2024 at 15:19 -0700, PENNY & DAVID KOYAMA via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>, wrote:

> Ha, ha.  I still laugh about the time Merlin "recorded" a Yellowhammer (Eurpean bird) when birding in New Mexico, and another time last spring when Barb Webster and  I were at Stillwater near Carnation, WA and Merlin claimed American Robin rather than the Bullock's Oriole we  watched calling.

>

> I do admire your persistence as a Merlin detective!

> Penny Koyama, Bothell

> > On 04/03/2024 10:12 AM PDT Kevin Lucas via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

> >

> >

> > Over the winter Merlin has repeatedly mistaken vocalizations by starlings as being from Western Wood-Pewees. There are several places where a starling does a GREAT imitation, e.g. Eschbach Nature Area, the Eagle Path at the southern end of the Yakima Greenway Path in Union Gap, and at two places where we lived. At the Eagle Path and Eschbach, when I've read out-of-season Western Wood-Pewee heard-only reports, I've thought it likely to be one of the talented Starlings I'd heard there.

> >

> > In our back yard last week Merlin was fooled that a starling was a robin. I was watching and listening to the starling atop the utility pole calling like a robin. It sounded good enough I decided to give Merlin a go. Merlin failed, said American Robin. Most times with Starlings Merlin correctly indicates Starling.

> >

> > During a winter raptor survey this year in the White Swan area I heard an unusual vocalization. I was next to running water, so I could not hear all of the quality of the song. I tried Merlin. It said Wood Thrush. I didn't know what Wood Thrushes sounded like. Once home, I listened to Wood Thrush vocalizations. It had not been a Wood Thrush. I worked on the Merlin recorded audio using Audacity -- noise reduction, frequency notch filters, and amplification. I then played back the cleaned-up audio on my computer, and used Merlin on my phone to try again. This time Merlin nailed it -- Song Sparrow.

> >

> > Yesterday I went to one of my favorite spots to look for Greater White-fronted Geese. About 10 minutes after I arrived I heard a flock of them heading my way. As they got closer I took some photos. Some landed with the Cackling and Canada Geese, others flew over. I wondered whether Merlin was good at distinguishing between Cackling and Canada Geese, but wouldn't be able to test since they were mixed together there. When I heard some more Greater White-fronted Geese calling as they flew toward me, I pulled out my phone and gave the magic man a go. They flew low, calling, right over me. Merlin fowled it up, identifying them as Cackling Geese.

> >

> > Perhaps Merlin can distinguish between Cackling and Canada Geese, but I'd trust him even less after his latest foul up with fowl up.

> >

> > I'm looking forward to hearing my first Western Wood-Pewee of the year while I'm watching it. I'm not annoyed by Merlin. I'm amazed, and sometimes I find him incredible.

> >

> > Good Birding,

> > https://www.aba.org/aba-code-of-birding-ethics/

> > Kevin Lucas

> > Yakima County, WA

> >

> > Qui tacet consentire videtur

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