Ive had Antillean Nighthawk be suggested on Merlin at Mile Square Park!

   
    
     
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Thanks all. I dont list on Merlin alone and did not list the bird Monday, just sharing as a potential data point.
I fully agree on the limits of Merlin, it offered up Black-and-rufous Warbling Finch in the same area!
Drew Hatcher Orange

   
    
     
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Sorry to hijack this thread, but this is as good an opportunity as any to point out to everybody that birds identified by Merlin Sound ID only should not be reported on eBird checklists or otherwise unless independently verified by the birder either visually or through a diagnostic vocalization *in the field*. Unfortunately, Merlin has a bad habit of misidentifying common birds, and there has been a spate of eBird checklists in Orange County lately with multitudes of birds reported with only the comments that they were identified by Merlin, many of which were rarities. Merlin does have its upsides, but I feel that there are too many people who consider its identifications to be the final word or the gospel or whatever you want to call it. They're not. I've run personal tests against it myself and it was pulling out random rarities that I know were not there. This is not to discourage people from using Merlin Sound ID, although I personally am not a fan due to the amount of misuse that I see, but all users of this app should always try to independently verify any bird reported on it for themselves. Scanning the list of birds at the end of a recording and adding them on to an eBird checklist, especially any birds that weren't actually detected in the field by the observer, should not be done and is not how the app was intended to be used.
Thank you, Drew, for taking the ID with a grain of salt. I was recently told by Sherry Meddick that Merlin Sound ID misidentifies Lazuli Buntings as Indigo Buntings nearly every day at her house in Silverado Canyon.

I will now step down from my soapbox...

   
    
     
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Merlin identified the call/song of an INBU on Monday 5/15 at Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine between Sand Canyon and Jeffrey, north of Irvine Center. Did not get eyes on it however, for what it's worth. Very birdy place with lots of trees, several ponds and a riparian feature, but green fee is $$$$.
Drew Hatcher Orange

   
    
     
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Wait. You mean the Fish Crow report at San Joaquin Marsh today via Merlin wasnt real!! Man. Im crushed.
Jeff Bray Irvine, CA

   
    
     
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Joel,
Your birds are white-eyes.
No idea what Trish's bird is but I'll leave it to others more experienced than me to weigh in on hers.
Merlin Sound ID sucks.
-Ryan

   
    
     
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Hi,

Saw Trishs post just
now on a Merlin stumper..... yesterday at my urban area (housing association) in
Dana Point there was a loudly calling bird. Although it sounded very close
to me, I couldnt locate it. So I turned on Merlins sound detector....
and it wouldnt hazard a guess. Heres a link to the Merlin recording as a
wav fuke (.... with a Morning to a neighbor on my walk thrown in! Any
suggestions The cadence is pretty clear. On my dropbox
account: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5j5gvrd0mtudt5s/2023-04-29%200914.wavdl=0
Thanks in advance, Joel Weintraub, Dana Point

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Hi all:

This morning I visited the Quail Hill Preserve in Irvine, and tallied 20 species in all. The highlights were a white-tailed kite, kiting above the grassy hillside along the south side of the loop trail, and three male blue grosbeaks, in the tall mustard around the SW corner of the loop trail.

Afterwards, I stopped by the El Modena Preserve in Orange (on Cannon Street north of Chapman). There I saw four California gnatcatchers, and five cactus wrens. Two of the wrens appeared to be nesting, ducking continually into the same cactus grove and carrying food.

Yesterday, I took a long hike up the Coal Canyon trail in Chino Hills State Park (south of the 91 freeway). Highlights there included a fair number of Lazuli buntings, in the area where the Coal Canyon Creek (still actively running) passes the main trail head marker; a Merlin, located about midway between the one mile and 1.5 mile markers; a Townsend's solitaire, in the vicinity of the 1.5 mile marker; and two Costa's hummingbirds, near the 2 mile marker. Several black-chinned sparrows were actively singing near the two mile marker, but were too distant to be seen. I did not see or hear any Bell's sparrows there.

Charles Baker
Tustin

Jane, do not trust Merlin sound ID unless your positive you heard the bird and it was correct. Theres been some crazy mistakes that it makes, and it often just says it hears things when it doesnt. Its not to be trusted, and also, do not report what Merlin picks up to eBird, unless you also heard the bird and can confirm the ID yourself. If you want more info on why not to trust Merlin, feel free to email Ryan Winkleman: rswinkleman@...
   
    
     
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All,
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) has begun and runs from today through Monday, February 20. This is typicallythe time that we get the highest concentration of false and/or poorly-documented reports of rarities in eBird out of the whole year because of the volume of new birders that sign up for eBird just for the GBBC. The rarity reports have already started coming in, of courseciting Merlin Sound ID as documentation
Please take all rarity reports over the next four days that a) are from unknown observers, b) new birds not previously known, c) provide poor or little documentation, and/or d) are from backyards(!) with a grain of salt. Of course some rarity reports may be valid, so we will follow-up with GBBC observers at our discretion and should any reports of new and *notable* birds pan out we will provide appropriate notification. Since the GBBC is for some reason not actually limited to backyards, if you see weird reports coming in this weekend from areas that you frequent in the county, please feel free to send to me and I'll try to look into it if I agree it seems out of place. I do not, however, need reports of Bewick's Wrens at Huntington Central Park, which are a problem that will seemingly never go away...

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Ryan Winkleman
Rancho Santa Margarita

Hi all, For those of you that arent on eBird/dont get eBird alerts, I thought Id share this.

This morning(Sunday), I went to Huntington Central Park-east in search of the rarities found previously. These are:
American Redstart Black and White Warbler Swamp Sparrow Brown Creeper Pink-sided Junco(Dark-eyed Junco)
All of those have been seen around the island area. I was successful in only the Brown Creeper and Swamp Sparrow. Both were toward the tip of the island. The Brown Creeper appeared early on, as did the Swamp Sparrow. The Sparrow was also present on my return an hour or so later.
There were large numbers of Canada Geese, but I was unsuccessful in locating any Cackling Geese(or any geese for that matter other than two Egyptian Geese!). I also didnt see the male Eurasian Wigeon that has been reported.
There was a ton of warbler activity in the tipu and eucalyptus trees bordering the maintenance yard fence, in the general vicinity of these coordinates: 33.70695 N, 118.00337 W
Those trees held:
25+ Yellow-rumped Warblers A Black-throated Gray Warbler A Townsends Warbler A Nashville Warbler A Yellow Warbler(possibly a second one) 4 Orange-crowned Warblers A Common Yellowthroat
I also had an odd chip call, Merlin picked it up as a Blackpoll, and the chip did sound similar to the Blackpoll recordings on eBird, but I wasnt able to save the recording and Im not positive. I never saw the bird, but its worth keeping a look out for. Here is my checklist, photos will be added soon. https://ebird.org/checklist/S125720750
Happy birding!

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Braxton Landsman(BAL Land from eBird)
Ladera Ranch

balbhl@...

A White-throated Sparrow first recorded by Merlin sound app on December 8th during preliminary CBC scouting, then seen on the next field trip at the site on Dec. 20th, 21st (when photographed... see short video at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hdcn0u8jt84xyi2/DSCN4853.MP4dl=0 ), and 23rd, but missed seeing on the CBC of 26th, was at the far end of Dana Woods Park in Dana Point. Best time to try for it is probably around 9 AM. The site is just past the No Trespassing signs/fence line, on open ground before the dense shrub of the canyon starts.
Joel Weintraub, Dana Point, CA
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Top of puma ridge I believe same general area Shirley the vesper sparrow is currently a vesper sparrow as well as a stunning mountain bluebird
The vesper sparrow has a white eye ring and lighter auriculars surrounded by a brownish border
Foraging along trail edge to of puma ridge. Bird has grayish chest w brown streaking on the top and even neat lines on back- many pics
Merlin picked up a faint chip identified as a vesper sparrow so I just sat still for 20 minutes and it appeared and still is popping on and out of the trail edge in this area. 33 4736 N -117 4515W +-26
Striking all sky blue male mountain bluebird landed on top of stake w orange rope not 50 from where vesper sparrow was foraging on the trail
No rufous anywhere
Chest and beat just a lighter shade of sky blue-
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Jill Dale
Newport Beach, CA

Brown crested flycatcher observed by myself and Jim Hecht at 1245 at T junction. Same general area spotted by Jim yesterday. It flew from railroad track side into tree at top of slope by lot line fence - very obscured stayed there a few moments before flying into pepper tree school side of chrysantha. He was still fairly well hidden - stayed there 2-3 minutes . We heard his whit call here - positively identified by Merlin and followed the call to find him deep in the tree
He then flew across chrysantha onto the riparian area below the mount olive church . We heard the whit one more time but couldnt refind him . The started whit call again at 1320 end of parking lot by trailers still trying to refind
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Jill Dale
Newport Beach, CA

A little more on the returning Ruff this morning, now that I'm home and not pecking at my phone screen in bad glare.
It's the annual "Who's gonna find it first" bird and I got it this year. YAY ME!
This is presumably the same returning bird that has graced this stretch of river for several years now.
The Ruff kept its head tucked almost the entire time I was there, but it moved enough I was able to see the short bicolored bill with white at the base.
Field marks to look for. Find the small flock of Dowitchers. There were maybe 20-25 this morning. The Ruff has orange legs. The Dowitchers have yellow-green legs. Find the bird with orange legs that probably has its head tucked in and is really boring. If the birds are foraging, look for thebird with orange legs and (compared to Dowitchers) has a fairly short bill that's 2 toned and white at the face.
I've had a couple of messages asking about the location. I made a map. https://photos.app.goo.gl/374LUgUCG8dLGpA88
Behind In n Out at Imperial HWY and La Palma is where I sometimes park to ride my bike along the river. You can also park at Riverdale Park and walk (or bike) in thru the gate at the far side of the field and walk east on the south side of the river trail. The bird could be easily seen from either side of the river this morning. Pick a side. GO. The only other thing going on right now are imaginary birds conjured up by Merlin so you have nothing to lose. This bird is real, I swear.
There were also quite a few reallyspiffy looking peeps, mainly looking like Least Sandpipers, though admittedly, I did not scan very thoroughly after I found the Ruff, so who knows what else is here or might show up tonight
Trish Gussler, Anaheim