Episode 35: Merlin & Mindful Birding

In this episode, we discuss the Merlin Bird ID app, an AI tool for bird identification that can help us identify bird sounds, and we discuss how using Merlin impacts our experiences while practicing Mindful Birding, and pose the question: could Merlin sometimes be a barrier for deepening our experiences with birds around us, or be counter-active to Mindful Birding? 

We’re curious to hear your thoughts on this too, and welcome your comments via email (see link above)

In our Joy of Birdsong segment, natural sound recordist Laura Sebastianelli shares the sounds of a dawn chorus with a rich sense of place in Acadia National Park. If you want to learn to record nature, or are already an experienced recordist, she invites you to join her and others in a Natural Sound Recordists Gathering for a week of exceptional field recording opportunities in the Cobscook Bay region of Maine to record, learn, and share among peers.

Intro music: “Inspired by Nature” by PlayAgain
Intro Birdsong & Clips throughout : Western Meadowlark
Outro music: “Inspired by Nature” by PlayAgain
Outro Birdsong: Eastern Meadowlark
Mindful Birding Network Website
Instagram: @mindfulbirdingnetwork
Produced by Co-hosts Holly Merker and Holly Thomas

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Welcome to the Mindful Birding Podcast, bringing you conversations and insights on the health benefits and joy of mindful birding, brought to you by the Mindful Birding Network and your co-hosts Holly Merker and Holly Thomas.

SPEAKER_04 0:26

So, Holly, it's great to see you and spend some time with you. And so you and I have been talking a lot over the last couple of years about the app Merlin, Merlin Bird ID, by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. And many questions surface specific to mindful birding and how we might incorporate Merlin into the practice. Or is Merlin a barrier to mindful birding? And so we wanted to come together today to just share some of these conversations with our listeners, as I'm guessing that probably some of you might have these questions as well, or perhaps some ideas or thoughts have surfaced for all of you as well.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Yeah, so I think most people that I encounter nowadays know about Merlin already, and people are thrilled at this technology. But in case there are a few people out there who still don't know what Merlin is exactly, maybe we could just describe it for people first so they have an understanding of the limits of the technology, but also all the really cool features about Merlin and why people have become so fascinated by the use of this tool.

SPEAKER_04 1:49

Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, it is one of the best things that's happened to birds, in my opinion, in the last, I think it first launched as an app for sound because Merlin the app has been around for a long time. So this is an app created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and you can download this for free, and it helps you to identify birds either by visual AI, so artificial intelligence, and that's how Merlin is working. It's using AI technology in order to identify birds either by sight or by sound. And when I say by sight, because it's most well known for its ability to identify birds by sound, but you can also enter a photo into the Merlin app on your phone and find out what bird you're seeing because it will use these same technologies. It's called Merlin Vision to identify a photo. And this is so exciting. And when I say that it's one of the best things that's happened to birds, it's because it has really awakened so many more people to understanding birds and just the awareness that so many different species are around us all the time.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

Right. And similarly for then bird sound, the Merlin app has a recording function where it will display us a little spectrogram of the sound. So it's giving you a visual image of what the sound kind of looks like, where the pitch is high, where it's low. And then it there's a little blue dot that comes up that will say hearing a bird. So it can actually oftentimes distinguish birds from other things like squirrels or other sounds that one might be encountering. And then a little image, a picture of the bird that it thinks it's identified will pop up and it will keep a list going as long as you're recording of the birds that you encounter. So for many people who are new to learning bird vocalizations, this can be a really useful tool for helping them, number one, just notice the great variety of birds that they're encountering, sometimes many more than people thought. Like, wow, I didn't know I had so many different birds right here. And it can also help get over that hump of making those connections between hearing the bird and understanding who's making that sound. And also it can help for people who are visual learners, seeing that connection between the image of the spectrogram and connecting that to the sound, it can help reinforce that pattern in the mind. So those are some of the ways that the Merlin app has really lit a fire in people in terms of making more connections and having a deeper understanding of who the birds are that they might be encountering.

SPEAKER_04 4:51

I just think that Merlin has really opened doors for so many people. And one of the things that I love about it is that for people who might not hear as well, or perhaps even are deaf, this is a great way to understand and feel connected to the birds around you just by knowing that they are around. And for example, I will just bring up a little anecdote that a couple of years ago, I was helping guide a mindful birding experience for participants, and we had a couple of uh deaf participants in the group. And for the first time, because of the Merlin app, they were able to see sound. And so that awareness, just being able to understand the birds singing around was incredibly powerful. And so I really think that Merlin can be an incredible accessibility tool for people when they're listening to birds. Now, you brought up something about understanding an awareness of who's around and just watching these spectrograms and these patterns of song. But like people, I just want to say that Merlin sometimes gets a little bit confused, right? And especially can um misinterpret what it is seeing or reading on that sonogram or spectrogram of bird song, just like people. So think of maybe there's a lot of noise distraction in the background, perhaps the pattern matches another bird. And also sometimes if we don't have our settings to our exact location, then Merlin is drawing from a wider array of possibilities, and that also can interfere with whether or not Merlin is giving us an accurate identification of what's around. And sometimes Merlin gets it wrong, just like people, right? So sure, yeah, and and that's kind of cool too, though, because it gives us the opportunity, I think, to really think about okay, Merlin says that this bird is singing near me or vocalizing, because it's not just about song. Merlin can also identify um like a chip call or a flight call, all these other vocalizations that we know birds are making. But thinking about that and thinking, well, did I hear that bird? I will often myself go back and listen to whatever Merlin said. If I'm like, oh, you know, I didn't hear that species, or should that species be in my area right now? And so it gives us the opportunity to really think about who is around and get familiar with those species. So Merlin offers great tools for us as learners and just in our awareness of who might be around. I like to say, you know, you brought this up, Holly, too, about patterns because we're looking really, Merlin isn't hearing, even though Merlin says hearing a bird, it's actually reading a sonogram. So it's a visual AI tool, still using the visual aspect. And when I'm teaching people how to learn the language of birds, that is a critical component, is having this visual aspect of learning. And it's all about these patterns, getting to know a pattern of a bird and thinking about birds from that perspective, which is is really cool because I think when we're learning birds, we're trying to remember a song, right? If we're if we're learning bird song. And you know, years before Merlin existed, this was not the way learning bird song was taught. And I find it really fascinating that now we have these tools right in front of us. I don't know how many of you and and Holly, uh, did you ever have the golden guide, the little teeny golden guide to birds? When I was a kid, we had one of these on hand, and I probably still have one somewhere, but they were the first field guide, as far as I'm aware, to have a little picture of the bird song in the field guide, which is super cool, I think. So it's getting this recognition of patterns, and this is something thinking about mindful birding, that for me, if I'm practicing mindful birding, I am really attuning to the patterns around me, the patterns of sound, the patterns of movement, the patterns of behavior that I'm noticing, and and so thinking about it from that perspective. So again, Merlin is a really wonderful tool. It has its own learning curve that it's still working on, but it's also giving people the tool to think differently about bird song.

SPEAKER_02 9:56

I think it's really interesting. You know, you point out a lot of really interesting things about Merlin there, that Merlin doesn't always get things right. And though the thing that I like to remind people, because I lead a lot of outings where people want to have their Merlin out. And I know we want to get into this more about a mindful birding outing. What is that like to have Merlin out? But Merlin is learning the same, not in the same way that a person learns, but nevertheless, Merlin is using pattern recognition based on input from humans, right? And humans being able to say, this is a such and such. And so there are experts that have to weigh in on these identifications to kind of vet the process, and then Merlin is learning these patterns and can then identify when it fits the pattern or when it doesn't. But there are some birds that sound very similar, or like you said, if your location isn't precise enough, Merlin can get confused about what might be there and what's the best fit for that pattern. So Merlin theoretically should be getting more and more accurate as with time as more and more data comes in to see how these patterns fit. But not all birds are going to fit the pattern, just like humans. We have outliers, we have we have examples of birds that sing differently than others. Let me ask you this: have you had the experience of people being on a birding outing and having their Merlin app out and saying, Merlin says there's a such and such here, Merlin says this, Merlin says that, or wanting to automatically equate Merlin registering the bird with putting it on a list or starting to look for that bird, or you've had those experiences. How do you feel about that?

SPEAKER_04 11:52

Oh gosh, yeah. As a bird guide, this has been sometimes a challenge, to be quite honest, because I feel like one of the benefits for people in community birding when we get together with others is by uh empowering each other through shared observations, right? And especially if I'm guiding a program or instructing a bird outing, and particularly if I'm on an extended day tour and people are using Merlin and constantly questioning. Uh, I think they get anxious because I'm not calling out certain birds that Merlin is hearing far away. But as a bird guide, I don't call out, even if I'm hearing bird birds calling from a distance, birds that I know are going to be difficult for people to tune into. And so that has been one thing that has been like, okay, so I have to explain to people, and oftentimes I'll share with people like Merlin is okay to bring along with us as another participant of our of our walk or our outing. But let's consider working together and also bringing Merlin in, but not relying entirely on Merlin because we are together, we're in the field together, and we can use Merlin when we're alone or solo birding or in small groups. But um, today we're gonna dial in to what we are noticing, and I like to invite people to really think about this interaction. And is Merlin a barrier for us in how we learn birds? Because I personally I love Merlin. You've just heard me talk all about it, but I will just say that I don't think Merlin is your best teacher. Um, your best teacher in learning birds is gonna be more of practicing and really taking time. Um, you are your own best teacher, really. That's what I like to share with people. And yes, Merlin can be a great tutor, but also, and also I should say, it really helps to be confident in your own abilities to hear, to learn, to see. And and so I have had this experience where I've asked people to consider whether or not Merlin is is important for them during this experience, or if maybe it might even be helpful to not have Merlin on. So those have been some of my experiences while guiding. And I'm not specifically talking about mindful birding style because that's completely different. And we'll talk more about that in a minute. But I'm curious for you, Holly, what's your impression been? And have you encountered Merlin either being a distraction for people or as a guide when you've been leading bird outings? How does it, how has it come up for you? How is it show? How does Merlin show up?

SPEAKER_02 15:05

Yeah, well, a lot of people just seem to automatically pull their phone out to look at Merlin, and they I think they've just been accustomed to to using it as kind of a background tracker of what might what they might be encountering. And I try not to pass judgment on that, but rather invite the question of how is that for you? Is that creating a situation where you're feeling more connected to the experience? Or does it take you out? Does it take you into thought? Does it take you into a type of analyzing the situation that is more mindful or less mindful? Just bringing it up as a point of inquiry. And so with a lot of my mindful, I mean I mainly lead mindful birding things. I occasionally lead what I'll call like regular birding outings, but not so often. And I always try to weave a little bit of mindfulness into those anyway. But my take is to kind of meet people where they are, and a lot of people are have become very attached to using Merlin. And then, like you said, they they maybe feel anxious or uncomfortable if that's not going. And that in and of itself can be a point of inquiry. I guess what is it about that? Is it that someone's afraid that they're missing something that's there and they don't, or does it help give them comfort, that there's somebody helping them to figure things out on the way, and that they're they have a maybe a question about if I hear a sound and I don't know what it is, that makes me feel uncomfortable. And so maybe Merlin is serving that need of helping them feel like they're figuring it out. But all of these things are can be very insightful, right, into the process of what our experience of interacting with birds and connecting that with them actually is. So I think it's all really interesting how people have developed attachments or anxiety about going without Merlin and to maybe gently encourage experimentation and as a source of not that there's a goal to go without Merlin or a goal to figure out what the birds are, but just to notice what's coming up and why that feels important or how how the experience might change if you did things differently.

SPEAKER_04 17:36

Yeah. Oh, I loved all that you shared here. I think it's really important to notice how we are responding and how we're reacting to situations like whether or not we can or feel comfortable with not having Merlin on if our intention is to be birding in any style. And I have noticed, particularly with mindful birding, people because we talk a lot about the wellness benefits, we're talking about deepening our connections to the birds around us, we're going through sensory engagement or mindfulness techniques while in our mindful birding experience. And so people naturally, I think, do turn their phones off or they they put them away. They don't have them out typically running, but it has surfaced when I invite people to share how they're feeling and what they're what they're noticing around them, that they have felt this anxiety while practicing mindfulness techniques in the field during these uh shared programming. And yeah, I and I and I'm curious about that, that they are feeling this anxiety, this need to launch, this need to know, this need to look, because what they'll say, and this has happened repeatedly enough, uh, with the same kind of comments, is that oh, I could hear birds singing, and it was driving me nuts not to have Merlin on just to look and see. And so, yeah, I think this idea of asking yourself the question of like, why does Merlin feel good for me? What what's what is how is it uh showing up for me in my life? Is it is it, as you said, uh a support structure, or is it just this instant gratification of knowing the bird's name? Or, you know, and and for me, it when I hear people expressing anxiety as a result of not having it on, and particularly during mindful birding programming, uh then I start to wonder, okay, so where where are these edges here? And is this a barrier to our deepening our connections with the birds around us? And how does it impact our well-being? Because uh feeling anxious, you know, these feelings of anxious, like, oh my goodness, like there, you could see it when people are describing it, you could see the anxiety that's surfacing for them. Is this something like is it counteractive to the mindfulness techniques or the practice of mindful birding? So I asked these questions of myself, it with just thinking about that. And also, I will share that last summer I I was co-guiding a mindfulness in nature or mindful birding program with some teens, and one that my co-leader asked the question, can you turn your hepatics off on your phones? Hepatics are those little vibrations we might get if our phone like notifies us that there's a text message or a news alert and or any of those other sensory experiences. And you know, for some people, that isn't easy. We're so used to having these constant prompts physically. I know I wear an Apple Watch and it does buzz my wrist. I mean, I've told it to do this, it just you know, like you were saying, it's it takes a human behind it to uh have these things happen. But I I just thinking about that, I mean that that's kind of what's surfacing for me is just noticing how we feel. What is our reaction? And it's not to say we're judging it, it's just noticing.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

Yeah, I think that brings up the broader question of using the phone while birding, which I know for me is something that definitely takes me out of the I don't know, the feeling of immersion or more easily connecting with the birds or my sensory experiences, glancing at my phone or doing any sort of looking at my phone definitely for me is is a barrier. And when I lead outings, I'll often announce to people at the beginning, like a little discussion about phone use in general. And I will kind of invite people to trust them to use their phone in a way that works for them, but also in a way that's not going to disturb other people. So, you know, I don't actually know if it disturbs other people who maybe don't want to use their phone. If they see somebody else with their phone out consulting the phone, I tell people I will not be using my phone unless it's something that I need to be doing for the programming. Like if I need to check the time because I don't wear a watch or I'll do a quick glance or something like that, or that I need to track. But that I invite people to reflect on what's going to be a meaningful way for them to either detach from their phone for the time that we're together or to use it mindfully. I know sometimes people have to leave their phone on. They might be expecting an important call or something like that. Merlin can be the same type of thing. For some people, like you said, if somebody doesn't hear well, if somebody's deaf, Merlin, having Merlin on can be a real way to step into, oh, there's a bird around. And just that heightened awareness that substitutes for maybe a sensory experience that they can't have directly. And so that can bring them closer. But for others, it's a real distraction from connecting. And so I think it's it can be very individual. It can maybe even vary from day to day, like how you want to be engaging with the birds. I don't know. I just I think it's a really interesting topic because almost every time I lead something, people ask me what I think about Merlin. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:50

And that's kind of cool though, because it invites this conversation. And I think that we learn from each other, and it's also good to have these different ways to connect. And you know, I think people crave the knowledge, it's there for us, right? Knowing what birds are around, who is around. Also, it just takes us into an experience with nature. Really, I mean, that that I don't know. I feel like having this in the palm of our hands is just an incredible valuable tool, right? And 10 years ago, my gosh, I don't think we ever would have been thinking this was even possible, right? To have something like a, you know, we did this, you know, there were different apps that allow people to understand what music was playing on the radio, right? But it makes sense that, yeah, we can we can transport these AI tools into bird identification. And it's happening at a deeper and deeper level when we talk about projects like community science projects like eBird or the Great Backyard Bird Count, different other projects run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If you're not familiar with those, those are great ways to pay forward to bird conservation by entering the birds we see in our own neighborhoods or wherever we are on planet Earth. So it helps us understand birds further. But I will tell you that eBird is using Merlin and all it to identify all of the media that's coming in. So Merlin is a tool, it's one of the layers of data vetting, of checking IDs now, looking at the different species that are coming through and helping, since so many people are contributing uh photos or other media assets to the Macaulay Library, which is part of the eBird database, it's it's really helpful. So there's so many ways in which Merlin or similar tools that we might be using can help us. But for me, I will say, and like again, this gets into what works for you. What do you need? But thinking about why do you need that if you're asking yourself these questions? And so my actually my birding style has changed a lot over the last several years for sure. And part of that is just a recognition that what I'm craving is a deeper connection to the birds around me and and noticing how looking at my phone, whether that be, you know, if I am looking at emails or getting prompted to check out the latest news flash or test text messages from friends, however that might be. It might even be Merlin if I might have that on the background, or perhaps it's eBird. It was really pulling me out of the experience that I was finding myself not really in the present moment. Because if I'm looking at my phone, I'm in the present moment with my phone, and I'm not necessarily tuning into what's happening around me with the birds. I'm not having that sensory experience in the same way. For me, it was like a circuit was broken in this connection. And for me personally, I have had to really pull back and try to keep my phone in my purse or my backpack, whatever I'm carrying, while I'm out birding. And this is for all styles of birding, whether it be mindful birding or it's going to be, you know, traditional styles of birding where I'm actively creating checklists for eBird or something like that.

SPEAKER_02 27:47

Right. I think that just noticing those subtle or not so subtle, the way that that checking the phone can pull you out of the experience is just a very good place to start with uh what's what's going on with that in in a mindful sense of reflection or understanding how our minds work, or what's what's fueling our anxiety, what's fueling our sense of is it, is it curiosity or is it compulsion to know? Is it is it a wanting to broaden our understanding of birds and the sounds they're making, or is there some sense of measuring up and being a good birder? Or, you know, we've talked about the way people kind of measure themselves or rate themselves and their experience of does that is it okay to sit with uncertainty and not knowing, or does that feel extremely uncomfortable and aggravating? And so all of those things are just other ways of practicing, right? And we don't always have the blissed out, full connect to the birds and kind of that flow state or loss of sense of self, or all those things that we're sort of might consider wonderful experiences. Sometimes our connections with the world are like understanding maybe how we are disconnected or how we're striving or how we're judging ourselves. And those can be little openings into possible growing of self-compassion or little entryways into why is it that I'm always reaching for my phone when I want an answer to something? And it might just not be the bird, it might be anytime we're in conversation with another friend and some not knowing comes up and we reach to Google. You know, it's that same impulse to want to know things and want to know it now and not not sit with not knowing. And so that's that's very interesting as well.

SPEAKER_04 29:51

Yeah. And when you're thinking about that, because this knowing, not knowing, how does that impact our curiosity?

SPEAKER_02 30:00

Well, yeah, having instant access to information and answers, it's it can be very satisfying at times, right? We don't sit there and struggle with not remembering the name of something or not remembering who that actor was in that whatever whatever it was that comes up in conversation. And the same kind of thing gets mirrored with birding of, oh, I know that sound, but who is that? Or oh, it sounds like this, but it's it's a little bit different. Or is that this? I don't know. And and instead of just being patient or being okay with not knowing, we want that answer. We want to know, and we want it to be definitive. So that's something interesting about humans. We when we can have the answer to something, are we willing to still not look? I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 30:49

That's a really good question. Yeah. And and I think that's something that we all can all ask of ourselves, especially if we do feel this draw towards technology in the palm of our hands these days, or however that might be. And you know, thinking about mindful birding, one of the tenets of mindfulness and mindful birding is this element of curiosity and this childlike wonder. And children don't always know the answer, but they're really good at noticing and thinking about okay, what is this? And and being very curious. And so thinking about your childlike wonder and how to enhance that, I think probably is something to consider. And and considering whether or not tools that we're talking about, Merlin or other other ways we might find an answer quickly, are they really satisfying our curiosity or are they satisfying a need?

SPEAKER_02 31:49

Right. And and also this idea of like the link between curiosity and creativity and wonder, but also there's something about cultivating patience that I think maybe getting quick answers or looking to technology for the answer to something right away, it kind of cuts that short. We seem as technology is answering more and more of our questions, we're getting less and less comfortable with not knowing. And I don't necessarily think that's a good thing for human capacity to sit with things that might be just a little uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_04 32:30

I hear what you're saying there. And it makes sense to me. And so, yeah, this is really a thought-provoking conversation, Holly, I think, about the ways in which we're using these technologies and how they are affecting us, both physically, you know, that that anxiety response, if that's what you're experiencing, or is it is it how is it serving you in your connection to the birds around you? And is that good for the birds? Like thinking about it from that perspective as well, because I like to think about this reciprocity of noticing and awareness and just inviting you to ask these questions.

SPEAKER_02 33:13

I think having a little bit of a playful or experimental attitude towards the use of something like Merlin could be really helpful for people too, especially if they're noticing that they feel anxious without it, just maybe invite a little play and say, well, when do I feel most joyful? Or does it add to my joy? Ask those questions. What is it that I'm really getting from this? And if I'm being honest with whether it's helping me learn birds, playing with that a little bit too. What are some other ways to learn? Like you said. I mean, for me, the best way to learn bird sounds has always been my direct experience of actually seeing the bird and seeing the bird making the sound. And that's not always possible because sometimes the birds aren't within view. That has far and away been the best way. And that takes a lot of time and patience and repetition. It's not as quick as something like Merlin for recognizing birds and making that immediate connection without laying eyes on, but for lasting memory, that that's always been most helpful for me.

SPEAKER_04 34:29

Right. Yeah, I would agree with you and echo what you're saying. It hasn't really helped me. It also wasn't a tool I had available when I first started learning bird song. And I found that process to be painstakingly difficult. And it has taken me years, and I'm sure you would agree, to build up a sound library that I have in my mind of what birds are singing, what song each makes. And of course, like people, all birds, individuals make different sounds, and they could be singing, they could be calling, they could be chipping, they could be doing any new. I mean, there's so many ways in which birds vocalize or make sound, you know, and that's what's really one of the wonderful things about them. And obviously, we know the benefits to human well-being of bird song in particular, but yeah, for me, Merlin hasn't been a teacher necessarily. And even I will say uh I become a beginner birder all over again when I travel to a new place, particularly outside of the United States, where I don't have a good familiarity, I don't have a good sound library in my mind of who's singing. And I will say that I do use Merlin when I travel, and I find it to be okay, it's telling me a name, but again, I'm not learning the bird. I'm really not having that connection like you referred to of seeing the birds sing. So I'm aware of who's around, but there's a disconnect, and I find that I don't have the same retention of those names and those birds that I would like, which I do feel like I have here, but again, it's because of the way I learned bird song, the way I've gotten connected to the birds through their vocalization, which is more of an immersive experience and hasn't included technology. So just something I'm noticing about when you're making these comparisons and learning styles. Of course, everybody has a different learning style too. So some people are uh more visually visual learners or auditory processors or experiential. So thinking about your own learning style too might help.

SPEAKER_02 36:53

I think that's a good point that you make about that when you learned a lot of bird songs, or when I did, Merlin didn't exist as a tool. And so, yeah, it could be hard to understand what that would be like for a person, especially maybe somebody who's who's older and just now getting into birding later in life and doesn't, you know, feels like they didn't have a whole childhood growing up listening to bird song or having those lazy days of studying birds. And and so now this technology is available and it's hard to resist using it. So it may feel like it's just it's really helpful to people who didn't have that. And like you, I also use Merlin, particularly when I'm traveling or I'm going to wear birds where I kind of know it's like going to a country where you sort of know some of the language, but it can help you kind of remember a little bit, like, oh yeah, oh yeah, that's this one, and just kind of retune your ears to the local birds. So I I think it's super helpful that way.

SPEAKER_04 38:00

Well, Holly, this has been really fun talking about Merlin and all the wonderful ways that it can help us engage with who's around. Did you have anything else you wanted to share?

SPEAKER_02 38:11

Or I just hope that we've sparked a little bit of curiosity about Merlin. I know people are already using it, but maybe stretch the ways in which you might be thinking about it as a tool that can be both helpful or is it a hindrance to your birding experience? And just staying open to those questions about how we're using things, how we're using technology, whether it's bringing us more engagement or whether it's creating separation. And that's going to be very personal and different for every everybody. So it's really just an invitation to explore and see how things work for you.

SPEAKER_04 38:54

Absolutely. Yeah, and I just want to say that Merlin offers so much to what we know about birds and has really opened doors and windows for people, as we mentioned, in so many different ways, whether that just be the awareness or the fact that so many people know that Merlin exists and have downloaded it onto their phones, is incredible. And so a big, huge uh gratitude to those people who have been working really hard on the Merlin project for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for many years now. I think it's at least been over 10 years that this project first got its feet on the ground and has really been a phenomenal resource and not just for people, but also for the birds, because of this awareness that this, as you said, this invitation to get to know who's around us.

SPEAKER_02 39:55

So thanks, Merlin. Yeah, I share your gratitude. Thanks, Merlin.

SPEAKER_04 40:07

And now our Joy of Bird Song segment, where we give special thanks to our special guest, Laura Sebastianelli, as she shares one of her beautiful recordings from the state of Maine in the United States.

SPEAKER_00 40:33

It was recorded at 4 40 a.m. at Seawall Campground at Acadia National Park on May 20th, 2025. It captures some real top-notch singers like Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, and White Throated Sparrow, and a great thriller, the dark eyed junko. And I love the sense of place the recording conveys too. You can hear surf on the granite ledge, aptly named seawall, and the wind gusting in the swaying canopy above. Humans too are part of this natural soundscape. In the distant lobster boat, the navigational buoys, and even in the rooster crowing from a home abudding Acadia National Park.com.

SPEAKER_04 44:00

Become a member, it's free, and join our growing flock of people interested in mindful birding. Stay up to date on our next gathering, our blog, and mindful birding events from around the world. And you can follow us on Instagram too at mindful burning network. We look forward to sharing time with you in future podcasts. And until then, we wish you happy mindful birding.