<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><h2 data-identifyelement="504" dir="ltr" id="1-The-best-bird-ID-tools-are-your-own-eyes-and-ears" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32.5px; font-weight: 400; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Request from eBird/ Merlin</h2><h2 data-identifyelement="504" dir="ltr" id="1-The-best-bird-ID-tools-are-your-own-eyes-and-ears" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32.5px; font-weight: 400; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><br></h2><h2 data-identifyelement="504" dir="ltr" id="1-The-best-bird-ID-tools-are-your-own-eyes-and-ears" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32.5px; font-weight: 400; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">1. The best bird ID tools are your own eyes and ears. </h2><p data-identifyelement="505" dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: break-word; padding-top: 4px; color: rgb(33, 33, 33); caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Merlin’s suggestions are just a starting point. <strong data-identifyelement="506" style="box-sizing: border-box;">You should always independently verify each suggestion before reporting it. </strong></p><p data-identifyelement="507" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: break-word; padding-top: 4px; color: rgb(33, 33, 33); caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><br data-identifyelement="508" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></p><p data-identifyelement="509" dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: break-word; padding-top: 4px; color: rgb(33, 33, 33); caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Tap a Merlin suggestion to see and hear it in the spectrogram. Compare each suggestion against Merlin’s example recordings. Then tap “Details” and consider the range map, behavior, and habitat description of the bird that is vocalizing–does it seem like a good fit? You’ll also want to consider the seasonality of the species (try Merlin bar charts under Explore Birds). If possible, try to see the bird making the sound to confirm the ID. </p><p data-identifyelement="510" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: break-word; padding-top: 4px; color: rgb(33, 33, 33); caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><br data-identifyelement="511" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></p><p data-identifyelement="512" dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: break-word; padding-top: 4px; color: rgb(33, 33, 33); caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Like all birders, Merlin can make mistakes. <strong data-identifyelement="513" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span data-identifyelement="514" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(184, 49, 47);">If you're not confident that Merlin's suggestion is correct, or if you have not considered it independently, don't report it to eBird. (Do not report whatever Merlin says without considering it first!) </span></strong></p><p data-identifyelement="515" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: break-word; padding-top: 4px; color: rgb(33, 33, 33); caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><br data-identifyelement="516" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></p><span style="caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Visit</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"> </span><a data-identifyelement="518" href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/" style="caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(44, 117, 201); text-decoration: none;">All About Birds</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">or</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"> </span><a data-identifyelement="519" href="https://ebird.org/explore" style="caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(44, 117, 201); text-decoration: none;">Explore Species in eBird</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">for more information if you’re unsure about an ID. </span><div>—————</div><div><br></div><div>Personally I use Merlin’s sound ID</div><div>to alert me to what is around. If I don’t find the bird I don’t report it.</div><div><br></div><div>Carol Schumacher</div><div>Birdminn@yahoo.com</div><div>Winona MN on the Mississippi</div></body></html>