A New Toy Wizard

by Ann Collins

I have a new toy! And my life has changed forever! Not sure if it’s for the better, but it lets me be totally lazy. My phone is my window on the world. Living on a downward slope almost to a deep gully, service here is sketchy, often not available at all. Anyway, my new toy is the Merlin phone app, which identifies birds by sound and records a list for me. I’m excited to see what the Wizard has found and I question frequently his ability.

For instance, it has always been a bit of undeserved pride that I’ve never seen a house sparrow on my property. I still haven’t, but Merlin hears them every day or so. House sparrows can be a major pain if they camp out in large enough numbers. They really are considered invasive. They were brought over by some well-meaning moron who thought they would be a nice addition to our native birds. Ironically, in their native England they are becoming quite rare while they have become a real pest here. It’s never a good idea to introduce a plant or an animal you think is cool. Example: the Burmese pythons in the Everglades.

As I sit inside my cozy sunroom drinking hot, spicy tea on this deliciously cool early autumn morning,* Merlin is busily making a nice list for me. I take my phone out to the deck and conjure up the Wizard and he eagerly gets to work. I’m glad for that, because with encroaching old age many things don’t work like they did in my youth! For istance the high-pitched frequency of many bird sounds simply don’t register in my increasingly deaf ears. Merlin is a relatively new app, so his hearing hasn’t failed him yet – probably just a matter of time.**

I wonder what Merlin’s range is? Are the birds he hears actually in my yard or can he hear the ones a mile away? Just up the driveway? Does that depend on my service or just how he’s programmed? Who knows? Guess I could ask him.

It’s kind of hard for me to trust technology. I didn’t grow up with it like so many of the younger folks. When Merlin IDs a Blue Jay and the next bird is a Red-shouldered Hawk, my skeptical nature questions, was it really a hawl? Some of the calls of these two birds really sound alike. Blue Jays are pletiful here at Chimney Hill and I do have Red-shouldered Hawks regularly. The hawks might even breed here or at least close by.

House sparrows? Never seen one here. I can thank my lucky stars for that. They can be a real nuiscance. How about a Blue Grosbeak or a Dickcissel or an Indigo Bunting? I did have a number of them a few years back but haven’t seen them in quite a while. I don’t doubt the Merlin reports of Red-winged Blackbirds or the grackles (Common and Great-tailed). Large flocks are not uncommon, so the Red-winged Blackbirds could be traveling with them.

In spite of my skepticism and questions I still love my new toy. It really gives a new dimension to my census and wildlife evaluation. I love it!

Thanks to my buddy Suna for programming the app for me!

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*This was written during the September cool spell.

**Suna points out that Merlin often has trouble with low sounds like owls and doves.