I'm wondering if many of you are using the Merlin Bird ID within ebird (Cornell). In the morning, I set my phone to recording and either set it outside or in an open window. I ofter get 10 or 11 different bird species recorded in the initial 10 minutes.

I use the Merlin app too.
And I do the same thing, put it on record then come back later to see who was calling. I usually get one bird I never expected.

I am getting older and I no longer can hear as well as my phone, I can see bushtits a few feet away but not hear a thing. My phone readily records them, though.

I do agree with you mneubauer, I often record something in the area that I have not seen. My eyes are not as bad as my ears. However, some of those white-breasted nuthatches are red-breasted. Merlin sound recordings alerted me to that. I have not seen a house sparrow yet but Merlin records one occasionally. The first Stellar's jay for the winter was recorded before I spotted it.

This mornings 10 min ;
Wild Turkey
Red Crossbill (rare here)
Red-Winged Blackbird
Dusky Flycatcher (rare here)
Mourning Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow (rare here)
Yellow-rumped Warbler

Really love the app. I am looking forward to the 4:15 am tweet-athon in BWCA. I always wonder what is out there, but can never identify by looking anyway. It works without a cell phone connection.

Thanks for this post! Never thought of using the app other than when I hear a bird I want to id.

Did you do anything special? I tried merlin in the bwca last year and even though I heard birds, merlin did not. I'd downloaded the correct area prior to entering since I wouldn't have internet, but that did not seem to work. It eventually ID'd one bird. At home, in 5 minutes, it will ID 15 or more from my deck.

I couldn't get it to identify anything in the 4:15 BWCA tweetathon either. It did work at Big Bend Ranch State park with no service though for a middle of the night Great Horned Owl.

I have a lot of luck in the forest. Even deep in Northwest Ontario. Not sure what your issue might be.