2.5-hour recording at midday. Just 10 bird species! It’s still early in the season, though.

• Tufted titmouse
• Dark-eyed junco
• Black-capped chickadee
• American goldfinch
• Northern flicker
• Downy woodpecker
• Song sparrow
• White-breasted nuthatch
• Hairy woodpecker
• White-throated sparrow

I started a backyard recording at 6:40a today—and promptly forgot to end it after an hour. (I like one-hour samples. The file sizes are reasonable, and Merlin doesn’t choke on them later.) So, I have a 3.25-hour recording instead.

Merlin detected 27 species by their calls or songs. It’s not the same as seeing them, but this gives me an idea of what to study ahead of trying out actual birdwatching.

• American crow
• Blue jay
• Canada goose
• House finch
• White-breasted nuthatch
• Tufted titmouse
• Black-capped chickadee
• Red crossbill
• Song sparrow
• American robin
• Northern cardinal
• Pine siskin
• American goldfinch
• Red-winged blackbird
• Common grackle
• Downy woodpecker
• Red-bellied woodpecker
• Eastern bluebird
• Red-breasted nuthatch
• Golden-crowned kinglet
• Yellow-rumped warbler
• Rock pigeon
• Carolina wren
• Dark-eyed junco
• Killdeer
• House sparrow
• Pine warbler