Merlin Bird app question

[KC]

Wondering if anyone can explain why the Merlin app says the Wood Thrush singing in my backyard is "rare." Whenever it identifies it, there is a red dot next to the bird's name.

While it is a rare occurrence for us to have a Wood Thrush singing here, especially since it's been singing here every day since sometime in May and has been singing from dawn until dusk. I don't imagine a singing Wood Thrush would be considered rare in the area in June. 

So is this just something Merlin sometimes gets wrong?

~in Derry

[Steven Lamonde]

Good question! Both eBird mobile and Merlin Bird ID use eBird data to generate the likelihood circles (nor circle, an orange half circle, or full red circle) for each species at a given location and date. A red circle next to the Wood Thrush that Merlin is suggesting indicates that Wood Thrushes are unreported in your area at this time of year. If you can independently and confidently identify this bird, I recommend submitting it to eBird to help fill in this important spatial gap.

The following information comes from an eBird support article on the subject:

No dot: Common. Species reported on 6% or more of checklists from that grid square and time period*

Orange half-circle: Infrequent. Species reported on at least one, but fewer than 6% of all checklists in that grid square and time period*

Red dot: Unreported. Species not previously recorded on any checklist in that grid square and time period* 

* The "time period" is the past 10 years of data for the 3-week period centered on the current week. The "grid square" is the fixed 20x20km square in which the checklist occurs, unless fewer than 25 complete checklists have been submitted from that square in the last 3 weeks, in which case a 60km grid is used, then 100km, and then the regional level. 

Red dots vs. Rare species

Not all "red dot" species are flagged as "Rare" (marked with the letter "R" in eBird Mobile). Whether a species is "Rare" is determined by regional filters set by volunteer data editors. Click here to learn more about Rare bird filters. 

Unlike the "Rare" designation, which is defined by a filter for the entire region, colored dots on eBird mobile are determined by the proportion of complete checklists containing that species at the local level. Species with red dots have not been reported on any checklists from that area and 3-week period in the last 10 years, but may not be unusual enough to be considered "Rare" by eBird's data filters.

Steven Lamonde

Hancock, NH

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Steven Lamonde, MS

Affiliate Faculty - Department of Environmental Studies

Manager - Antioch Spatial Analysis Lab

Antioch University New England

Keene, New Hampshire

slam...@antioch.edu

(339) 236-1421

[NHAtlatl]

Make sure your location is correct. "Start bird ID" button brings you to a screen to set location. If the app cannot access your GPS location then you will need to set location manually.

Ken Faucher

[KC]

Thanks so much for the great information! I have to edit down my sound recording and then will be uploading it to my ebird account. I don't yet have the ebird app on my phone, but I will add it and see if it marks the singing Wood Thrush as rare.

If I remember correctly, I think my singing thrush is labeled with a half circle when it sings in the morning and a red circle when it sings in the middle of the day.

Even though the Wood Thrush has been singing every day near my house for the last almost two months, I've yet to set eyes on it. The tree canopy here is dense with both deciduous and conifer trees. I wonder if the lack of ebird entries has anything to do with this species being more often heard than seen. I know that pre-Merlin, I mostly only entered bird sightings into ebird, unless I was positive I could ID the bird by song alone.

We sometimes have had a Wood Thrush stop over in our yard for a day or two during spring migration. But this is the first time in the 20+ years at this location that one has stayed. So, for us, its presence at this location for this duration is rare. And we've enjoyed every minute of it!  :-)

~KC in Derry

On Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 3:22:50 PM UTC-4 Steven Lamonde wrote:

[KC]

Thanks for the tip. I can confirm the correct location is set for my Merlin account when the Wood Thrush has been recorded.