… I still think my Mockingbird is pretty talented… just sayin’ :-)
Stephen Tyson, Schochoh, Logan Co.
On Apr 25, 2023, at 12:13 PM, brainard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Posters this morning are touching on a missing link that I also failed to directly point out, which is a source of my frustration with Cornell. Make no mistake, I also marvel at what Merlin can do . . . *sometimes* or *most of the time.* However, Cornell, *not* regional reviewers and most of us as mentoring birders should be making it very clear to those beginners using Merlin for bird ID that eBird is a "citizen *science*" project that is to be treated with the utmost respect for factual content. But it seems at least to some of us that Cornell cuts a corner by not wanting to be or appear excluding in some way to beginning or casual birders. They leave the dirty work of offending some to the *volunteer* regional reviewers. To me the opening of Pandora's box to flawed human nature (people not following clearly stated protocols) was inevitable and they should have come up with a manner of assuring that incoming data are more reliable (perhaps thru a "test" of some sort to allow a login; I don't know exactly what, but something . . .
bpb, Louisville
-----Original Message-----
From: <mikesindahouse@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Apr 25, 2023 8:46 AM
To: BIRDKY <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [birdky] Re: Talented MockingbirdI think it’s alright for inexperienced birders to use eBird and yes reviewers will see their inboxes temporarily fill with sus observations as the community grows and there probably need to be more reviewers to handle the influx so it isn’t such a high burden on them, but the community should be excited and welcoming and willing to share our knowledge with new birders to help them hone their observation skills. To Brainard’s point, it’s great to get to observe a rare bird, but if it can’t be confirmed, it’s not very helpful from a scientific perspective and Merlin is a non-confirmatory birding aid. Maybe Cornell / the Merlin ID app developers need to state something like, “Merlin’s ID alone isn’t sufficient to confirm observation of a rare bird, provide written details, photos, sound recordings etc.“, in the app’s description and have a pop up window that the user must read and acknowledge when the app opens for the first time. If enough people suggest that in the app feedback they just may make those changes. In the meantime, as we continue welcome birders into the community we should spread this knowledge about Merlin’s limitations, along with helping them become better birders. Thanks, Mike Callan 502-592-7008
On Apr 24, 2023, at 9:50 PM, brainard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:My statements were more directed at Merlin users than Merlin. Cornell has opened Pandora's box and lazy, uninformed human nature is taking over in some cases. This is something that I believe Cornell (eBird) staff should be more realistic about. I continue to believe that eBird would be a better data source if a baseline level of qualification/competence was demonstrated before data would be accepted. Sure there would be fewer records, but they would be of higher quality. There's nothing wrong with reserving data entry for a subset of individuals who have demonstrated that they can at least normally identify birds in the field with competence. It's not being snooty; it's be scientific.
bpb, Louisville
-----Original Message-----
From: <james.a.wheat@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Apr 24, 2023 12:54 PM
To: <kistlers76@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <brainard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, BIRDKY <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [birdky] Re: Talented MockingbirdMerlin is always improving incrementally as more audio files are uploaded to eBird by its users and annotated by volunteers on the Merlin teams. Merlin wasn't designed to be the final arbiter of any bird identification; it is and will always be a first step in the ID process, followed by a birder's experience and reference to field guides and such, and mediated by eBird Reviewers (for rarities). To BPB's point, trimming and uploading audio is a step many users don't take; it's a slightly technical process that Merlin wasn't designed to manage fully inside the app. Here is an article for those who want to wade into the more detailed audio editing world: https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48001064341-audio-preparation-and-upload-guidelines I won't speak for our exemplary eBird Reviewers here in KY, but "ID by Merlin" is certainly not sufficient to confirm an identification. In many places, if that's the only note on the checklist meant to convince a reviewer of an identification of a rarity, it'll be rejected out of hand. There is a free course on eBird called eBird Essentials (which I hope everyone will complete, even if you're an experienced birder!). https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/product/ebird-essentials/ This course is being updated right now to include more information about Merlin, and is scheduled to be released this summer. James
On Mon, Apr 24, 2023 at 11:45 AM Steve Kistler <kistlers76@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:Last year I was sitting on our deck, and I had Merlin open to see what it heard. I was watching a red-eyed vireo sing not far from me, and on the three successive songs it called it red-eyed, Philadelphia, and the blue-headed. It's definitely still in the trust-but-verify phase. Steve Kistler Hart Co--
On Mon, Apr 24, 2023 at 8:39 AM <brainard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:I get the feeling that one does not have to be *too* talented to fool Merlin . . . . .
bpb, Louisville
-----Original Message-----
From: <kytysons9152@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Apr 23, 2023 6:52 AM
To: birdky <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [birdky] Talented Mockingbird
I used Merlin to record about 3 1/2 minutes of bird sounds, while standing in the pond thicket last evening. It reported 16 species but five of the 16 were the same Mockingbird :-)
Stephen Tyson, Schochoh, Logan County
James A. Wheat Taylorsville KY
