When I open the app, select “Sound ID”, then “Supported Birds”, I don’t see it… I think that “Explore Birds” is different.
Category Archives: Listserv Posts
Re: New Merlin Sound app
Hi Rebecca,
When I open up the app and click Home, Explore Birds, then on the inverted caret in the right hand corner, I get “All installed birds.” The Ruffed Grouse is there. If I just explore “likely,” it’s not. That would be within the Rocky Mountain pack. I have to wonder if it’s not because there aren’t years of checklists from northern Gem County.
I suspect this platform will be tweaked as they receive feedback from ebirders. I’m having lots of fun with it in the field but whenever I’m in low cell service, I get some oddball birds showing up.
Liz Medes
Dry lake
It seems by the e bird reports there is plenty of water at dry lake is this true ???
Re: Bird song recording equipment
Good on you for using your phone, Alan. Like in photography where the best camera is usually the one you have with you, in nature recording, the best recorder is usually the one you have with you. Hard to beat the ever-present phone, especially if you can get close to the calling bird. That said, here are several relevant questions:
– Are you interested in recordings of one or two birds at a time (like using a telephoto lens) or birds in a soundscape (like using a wide-angle lens)?
– What would your budget be for a recorder—$100 or $1000+?
– How portable a device are you envisioning—one that fits in a pocket or one that fits in a backpack?
– How long can you imagine wanting to record at a time—five minutes or five hours?
– How much time and energy are you wanting to invest in recording birdsong—a once-in-a-while recording or a twice-a-week hobby?
The good news is, recording to SD cards instead of tape has dramatically reduced the size of audio recorders and made the whole process more reliable. I own a couple of recorders: the first, a Roland R-26 handheld digital recorder is a little bigger than you can comfortably fit in a pants pocket. I chose it several years ago based on the consensus that it had superior preamps to its peers at the time. It runs on 4 AA batteries, features a useful LCD display, and includes two types of built-in mics and inputs for two external XLR mics. I haven’t researched hand-held recorders lately to know if there is something better on the market.
My second digital field recorder is a new Sound Devices MixPre-3ii. Unlike my first recorder, the MixPre-3ii includes no internal mics. It does feature world-class preamps that feed a couple of XLR mic jacks, a superb headphone amplifier, and a color display that you can read in direct sunlight. Good preamps let you turn up the recording levels with less hiss than lesser preamps. The menu system in the recorder allows setting the recorder up fairly simply or in technically sophisticated ways. I like how the MixPre-3ii automatically copies everything from a recording session to a backup thumb drive once you press ‘Stop’.
If you’re interested in focused recordings of just one bird, like many of those in the Macaulay Library, consider a directional shotgun mic or a regular mic paired with a large parabolic dish. I’m more interested in soundscapes of birdsong so I record in stereo using a pair mics.
For much more insight, take a look at George Vlad’s notes on audio gear for field recording: https://mindful-audio.com/gear George travels the world making nature recordings. While he owns and uses gear costing thousands of dollars, he still likes the tiny Sony PCM A10 recorder enough that he bought a second one recently. If you like just listening to the sounds of the natural world, George has recordings to buy and recordings to simply download.
For a lovely overview of nature recording in general, Martyn Stewart’s video is excellent. A nature recordist from his youth, Stewart was gobsmacked one day to realize that a number of his early recordings are historical documents of bird species that have gone extinct.
Kevin Merrell
Bird song recording equipment
When I stood along Mud Flat Rd. in Owyhee County on 22 June listening to a Yellow-billed Cuckoo vocalize (it is classic riparian habitat for the species), I wished to myself that I had a good, easy-to-use birdsong recording machine in my hands.
I did what I could with my mobile phone, but I sure would like a quality recording instrument. If anyone has a recommendation on what to acquire, I would appreciate it.
The last time I was focusing on birdsong recording, I had a portable cassette-tape recorder.
Thank you.
Alan Gregory in Mountain Home
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Re: New Merlin Sound app
All, Today was my 1st try at the new bird sounds app. Although I am an Idahoan, I am currently in TX, and using the app to record what I thought was red shouldered hawk, the app called it either the RSHA or blue jay. About the time I was reading this a blue jays did indeed fly out of the oak I was concentrating towards. So in this case the app was spot on, as the jays are mimics of RSHA’s. Fun app, especially in unfamiliar bird habitats
Cheers, Rich Rusnak,
Re: New Merlin Sound app
Thanks for the notification. With all the emails I get from Cornell lab one would think I’d have seen that Merlin now includes sound id. I tried it immediately on the back patio and got recordings it recognized of Cordilleran flycatcher, Robin alerting of RTHA, Steller’s Jay, Cassin’s Finch – all birds I could see, hear and identify myself. It did throw in a couple of possibilities which seemed far-fetched – even sound-wise. American Dipper was included several times as a second possibility which is not in the realm of possibility.
Nancy Miller
Viola, ID
Re: New Merlin Sound app
After reading all the enthusiastic reporting, I tried Sound ID today on my bike ride. When it said to get as close to the birds as possible, I became concerned that I had to get up close. Not to worry, I used it along the Greenbelt and it correctly identified a Western Wood Pewee immediately. Unfortunately, I was about to melt, so I didn’t try again. Thank you to everyone for alerting me to something I’ve apparently been carrying around unknowingly.
Tom McCabe, Boise
Re: New Merlin Sound app
Bob,
I did the same thing the very first day using other recordings, other than within the app, and got negative returns, so I don’t understand that. I’ve had far better results in the field, but as Jim has mentioned, there’s no autopilot. It skipped right over a Virginia Rail today – again that’s a lower register so I don’t know… and the stronger the phone service, the more agile it appears to be. Still, I find it to be a monumental leap from its predecessors.
Liz Medes
Re: New Merlin Sound app
Liz –
Thanks for your enthusiastic reporting. I’ve been using the Merlin Sound ID module for a few days, and have some amazingly good results both in field and “lab”. Appreciate, too, your and others calling attention to the scientific achievement this represents! This article ( link https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/whats-that-bird-song-merlin-bird-id-can-tell-you/) gives a little of the background, including differences in the challenge detecting certain songs and species compared to others. After using Chirpomatic and Song Sleuth for what seems like years of slow progress, and just recently the highly promising BirdNET, if you ask me Merlin has leaped far ahead in both its intelligence and user interface.
As with the photo ID solutions out there, those looking for “birding auto-pilot” may be disappointed but those who see these things as incredible tools that will enhance their birding and learning about birds. I see this as a real landmark in birding. And in AI!
Jim Lyons
Boise
Boise