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<p style="margin: 0 0 1em 0; color: black;">Preston,</p>
<p style="margin: 0 0 1em 0; color: black;">Thank you for the link to that
article. It was an easy read, and it's neat to learn so.e about how Merlin
was built. I'll keep having fun testing it.</p>
<p style="margin: 0 0 1em 0; color: black;">Good Birding,<br>
<a
href="https://www.aba.org/aba-code-of-birding-ethics/">https://www.aba.org/aba-code-of-birding-ethics/</a><br>
Kevin Lucas<br>
Yakima County, WA<br><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0 0 1em 0; color: black;">Sent with AquaMail for Android<br>
<a href="http://www.aqua-mail.com">http://www.aqua-mail.com</a></p>
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<p
style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0;">On
April 3, 2024 4:34:59 PM Preston Mui via Tweeters
<tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote:</p>
<blockquote type="cite" class="gmail_quote"
style="margin: 0 0 0 0.75ex; border-left: 1px solid #808080; padding-left: 0.75ex;">
<div dir="ltr"><div>Here's the <a
href="https://www.macaulaylibrary.org/2021/06/22/behind-the-scenes-of-sound-id-in-merlin/">Cornell
Lab's</a> article on how they built Merlin bird ID. They didn't
accept recordings willy-nilly, they had a team of experts go through and
manually tag hours of audio
recordings.<br></div><div><br></div><div><div><div><div dir="ltr"
class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div
dir="ltr"><div>Preston Mui<div><a href="mailto:prestonmui@gmail.com"
target="_blank">prestonmui@gmail.com</a></div><div><a
href="http://prestonmui.github.io/"
target="_blank">http://prestonmui.github.io/</a><br></div><div><div>(425)
223-8450</div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div></div></div><br><div
class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Apr 3, 2024
at 4:26 PM ck park via Tweeters <<a
href="mailto:tweeters@u.washington.edu">tweeters@u.washington.edu</a>>
wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote"
style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div
dir="ltr">i'm surprised merlin's database is populated by junk
data. did they accept any/all recordings just to get something to market,
or have they at least vetted the audio with experts in bird calls / songs?
one would think, where confusing audio is possible, it would take nothing
for them to post that you MIGHT be hearing X, Y, or Z, depending, and to
verify visually if possible...</div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div
dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Apr 3, 2024 at 3:19 PM PENNY &
DAVID KOYAMA via Tweeters <<a href="mailto:tweeters@u.washington.edu"
target="_blank">tweeters@u.washington.edu</a>>
wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote"
style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
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<div>
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.
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I do admire your persistence as a Merlin detective!
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Penny Koyama, Bothell
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<div>
On 04/03/2024 10:12 AM PDT Kevin Lucas via Tweeters <<a
href="mailto:tweeters@u.washington.edu"
target="_blank">tweeters@u.washington.edu</a>> wrote:
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<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large">
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.
<br>
<br>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.
<br>
<br>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.
<br>
<br>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.
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<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large">
<br>Perhaps Merlin can distinguish between Cackling and Canada Geese,
but I'd trust him even less after his latest foul up with fowl up.
<br>
<br>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.
<br>
<br>Good Birding,
<br><a href="https://www.aba.org/aba-code-of-birding-ethics/"
target="_blank">https://www.aba.org/aba-code-of-birding-ethics/</a>
<br>Kevin Lucas
<br>Yakima County, WA
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<strong><span style="font-size:xx-large"><span
style="color:rgb(95,99,104);font-family:Roboto,arial,sans-serif">Qui tacet
consentire</span><span
style="color:rgb(77,81,86);font-family:Roboto,arial,sans-serif"> videtur</span></span></strong>
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