Here comes the sun and #10minuteMerlin
I had a visual on a large flock of swallows yesterday evening. I'm pretty sure they were tree swallows as they are almost always the first swallows that I see in large numbers. #SpringMigration
Sunrise April 11th 2026. Looking out over a hayfield. It's cloudy. No sun to be seen.
Merlin bird ID app: field sparrow, Wilson's snipe, house sparrow, American Robin, song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal.
Merlin bird ID app: Baltimore Oriole, dark-eyed junco, mourning dove, Red Wing Blackbird, European starling, American Crow.
Merlin bird id app: cedar waxwing, blue jay, common grackle, brown headed cowbird, red-bellied woodpecker, house finch.
Here comes the sun. ππ
And #10minuteMerlin
I'm not convinced the Baltimore Oriole is accurate. There is one April 4th e bird sighting about 200 mi south of me. It just seems early.
Sunrise April 8th, 2026. A nice peachy red sunrise over the hayfield this morning. A couple pole barns are in the distance. There are just enough clouds on the horizon to add a layer of interest.
Merlin Bird ID app: Eastern meadowlark, Canada goose, Wilson's snipe, song Sparrow, mourning Dove, American Robin.
Merlin bird ID app: field sparrow, brown thrasher, wood duck, American Crow, Northern Cardinal.
Here comes the sun.
And a fine group of birds to serenade me while I'm doing outside morning chores. #10minuteMerlin
Sunrise April 6, 2026 Looking out over a hayfield at a pole building. There is a large maple tree on the left. No leaves yet. The color of the sunrise is peeking through layers of clouds.
Merlin bird ID app: House Sparrow, song Sparrow, American Robin, European starling, Red Wing Blackbird, Northern Cardinal, mourning dove.
Merlin Bird ID app: Canada goose, red-bellied woodpecker, brown thrasher, rock pigeon, blue jay, dark-eyed junco, Eastern meadowlark.
Sunrise this morning. The color kept coming and going as the clouds moved in and out.
All the usual gang on this morning's #10minuteMerlin
Merlin bird ID app: Carolina Wren, Northern mockingbird, Wilson's snipe, Northern Cardinal, killdeer, Field Sparrow.
Merlin bird ID app: Field Sparrow, great horned owl, mourning dove, American woodcock, song Sparrow, American Robin.
Merlin bird ID app: Blue Jay, white-breasted nuthatch, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, brown thrasher, Northern mockingbird.
A bit of a broody sky this morning for the mix of sky and clouds looking out over the barnyard.
A fun #10minuteMerlin this morning with a couple new birds. One is a year-round resident (great horned owl) and one is a migrant (brown thrasher). #SpringMigration
The last picture is how the sky looked while I was listening.
Screenshot from the Merlin Bird ID app showing Sound ID matches. Eleven birds listed with βseen alreadyβ verification checkmarks, each with a small photo: Brown Thrasher, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Mockingbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, and Carolina Wren.
Screenshot from the Merlin Bird ID app showing Sound ID matches. Six birds listed with βseen alreadyβ verification checkmarks, each with a small photo: Dark-eyed Junco, Field Sparrow, American Crow, Northern Flicker, American Goldfinch, and House Finch.ββββββββββββββββ
Early spring energy π· The overlap of the dark-eyed juncos and the brown thrashers means migration is well underway! πͺΆ #10MinuteMerlin
Merlin bird ID app: song Sparrow, American Robin, American woodcock, killdeer.
I was too early for most of the tweeters but this is the gang that serenades me when I'm outside doing morning chores and it's still really dark. The killdeer was random but the other 3 are regulars.
#10minuteMerlin
Merlin Bird ID app: American Crow, Canada goose, Eastern Phoebe, American Robin, song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal.
Merlin bird ID app: House Sparrow, blue jay, Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Red winged Blackbird, European starling.
Merlin bird ID app: Canada goose, red-bellied woodpecker, Eastern towhee, song Sparrow, Eastern meadowlark, rock pigeon.
This morning's #10minuteMerlin
The 1st pane is standing on the front porch prior to sunrise.
The 2nd and 3rd panes are after sunrise and walking out to the chicken barn to open the door for the morning. The app seems to have trouble picking up the pigeons in the barn but heard them this morning.
Sunrise March 30, 2026 A mostly grey cloudy sunrise over open farm country.
Merlin bird ID app: wild turkey, American robin, song sparrow, Eastern phoebe, northern cardinal.
Merlin bird ID app: European starling, Carolina Wren, dark-eyed junco, Canada goose, red-winged blackbird.
Merlin bird ID app: tufted titmouse, northern flicker, common grackle, red bellied woodpecker, Eastern meadowlark, Eastern towhee.
Another subdued "here comes the sun" morning.
I messed up my #10minuteMerlin screenshots this morning. There were wood ducks that flew over. And mallards.
Also I'm not 100% sure the phoebe is accurate. It could be but it only lit up once and I didn't hear it.
A very drab and gray cloud covered sunrise on March 29th, 2026.
Merlin bird ID app: mourning dove, wild turkey, Wilson's snipe, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, song Sparrow.
White-throated sparrow, tufted titmouse, Mallard, dark-eyed junko, American Crow, American Robin.
Here comes the sun. A very drab sky this morning.
Plus #10minuteMerlin
Welcome back to northern Ohio Mr. Snipe. π
#SpringMigration
Sunrise March 26th, 2026. The pre-dawn sky over an open field. There are bare trees framing the photo.
Merlin Bird ID app: wild turkey, Northern Cardinal, American Robin, song Sparrow.
Merlin bird ID app: American woodcock, Mallard, Canada goose, wild turkey, Northern Cardinal, American Robin.
Here comes the sun.
#10minuteMerlin
Front porch except I walked down the sidewalk to get the woodcock and mallards. And I walked to the road to get the sunrise photo. Merlin missed the wood ducks whizzing by.
The Merlin bird ID app listing: European starling, song Sparrow, Red winged blackbird, common grackle.
The Merlin bird ID app listing: Canada goose, Blue Jay, cedar waxwing, brown-headed cowbird, Northern Cardinal, house finch.
This morning's #10MinuteMerlin
I see there are two different hashtags that are used but I already picked this one so that's what I'm going with.
I'm also going to put time/location because that changes what birds are active.
This is 30 mins after sunrise from my front porch.
Sunrise March 24, 2026. The sky is just beginning to lighten. The view is through branches of a maple tree without leaves yet and pine branches. There is a telephone pole in the middle.
Merlin bird ID app listing: song Sparrow, Eastern towhee, American Robin.
Merlin bird ID app listing, wild turkey, Carolina Wren, mourning Dove, Northern Cardinal, song Sparrow, Eastern towhee.
Combo "Here comes the sun" and #10minutemerlin
This is the early bird grouping.π₯°
A screenshot of the Merlin bird ID app listing: American Kestrel, American Crow, Mallard, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, song Sparrow.
I saw someone using the hashtag #10minutemerlin and thought that was a cool idea.
So here we go. This was while I was walking the dogs this morning. It was early so the red-wings hadn't started singing yet. And the kestrel kind of shut all the little tweety birds up.π
Screenshot of the Merlin app, showing Mar 22, Gloucestershire, England, with records of Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Wren, Dunnock, Eurasian Jackdaw, Common Chiffchaff, Song Thrush, Eurasian Blackcap, Carrion Crow and European Goldfinch
Screenshot of the Merlin app, showing Mar 22, Gloucestershire, England, with records of European Robin, Great Tit, Common Wood-Pigeon, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Wren, Dunnock, Eurasian Jackdaw, Common Chiffchaff (higher up the same list as the first screenshot)
Screenshot of the Merlin app, showing Mar 22, Gloucestershire, England, with records of Eurasian Greenfinch, European Robin, Eurasian Wren, Goldcrest, Common Wood-Pigeon, Great Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Jackdaw, Gray Wagtail and Dunnock
A sunny park with two large conifer trees flanking a tall tree stump with a small owl carved on the top of it. There is a hedge and building behind and a green lawn bisected by a footpath below. This is Stratford Park, Stroud, Glos, UK
#TenMinuteMerlin #10MinuteMerlin Stratford Park, Stroud, Glos, UK on a sunny Sunday morning at 09:45. This helped me to spot a nuthatch, which was a joy. An extra 3 minutes revealed greenfinch, goldcrest and grey wagtail!
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica Yellow-faced Grassquit Tiaris olivaceus Greater Antillean Grackle Quiscalus niger Scaly-breasted Munia β’ Lonchura punctulata Gray Kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis Bananaquit Coereba flaveola
This morningβs #10minuteMerlin π€
Iβm working on IDing a new-to-me call that Merlin hasnβt been able to ID, it was very active this morning. A long high pitched whistle. I havenβt seen the bird yet, so I hope that happens soon!
Screenshot of bird identification from the Merlin Bird ID app including: American Kestrel, rooster, Northern Mockingbird, Gray Kingbird, Monk Parakeet, and Bananaquit
My #10minuteMerlin this morning:
Four birdsongs detected during this recording: -Mountain Chickadee -American Crow -Dark-eyed Junco -Chipping Sparrow
#10MinuteMerlin #2!
Four birds detected during this recording: -Datk-eyed Junco -Chipping Sparrow -Hermit Thrush -Common Raven
We're camping this weekend, and since everyone's asleep in our tent, it's the perfect opportunity for a #10MinuteMerlin recording!
I am hearing even more right now so I think I'll attempt another! This is so fun :)
Screenshot of Merlin Bird ID capturing a Gray Kingbird, Cave Swallow, and a rooster
My #10MinuteMerlin featuring Cave Swallows! Not pictured are doves, Pearly-Eyed Thrasher, Kestrel, and a couple others I couldnβt immediately identify.
Screenshot from the Merlin ID app with photos and labels for various birds: Gray Kingbird, Scaly-breasted Munia, Eurasian Collared Dove, Blck Whiskered Vireo, Banaquit, and White-winged dove
My #10MinuteMerlin π¦ Happy to wake up to the vireo this morning π€
Not pictured are roosters, a Kestrel, and a Puerto Rican Woodpecker (and many others that Merlin isnβt able to ID).
Screenshot with several birds including a painted redstart and spotted towhee
Went for a hike on Mt. Lemmon yesterday and there were so many birds I've never seen before!
#tenminmerlin #10minutemerlin
Downy Woodpecker β’ γ Brown-headed Nuthatch o γ Red-bellied Woodpecker β’ γ Pine Warbler γ Tufted Titmouse β’ γ Chimney Swift γ Eastern Towhee γ
Kentucky Warbler γ Blue Jay γ Common Grackle o γ Great Crested Flycatcher O γ Carolina Chickadee β’ γ Red-winged Blackbird o γ House Finch o γ
Brown-headed Cowbird o γ American Robin β’ Northern Cardinal o γ Mourning Dove O γ Chipping Sparrow O Carolina Wren β’ γ Song Sparrow O
Northern Cardinal o γ Mourning Dove O γ Chipping Sparrow O γ Carolina Wren β’ γ Song Sparrow β’ γ Gray Catbird γ Northern Mockingbird O γ
Hereβs the full list from my #10MinuteMerlin this morning. While I donβt fully trust Merlinβs IDs every time, especially when a Grey Catbird is the noisiest one in my yard, I have confirmed visually at other times that each of these species do indeed occur here.
#10MinMerlin
πͺΆ
This hungry little one was screaming its head off and no doubt driving its poor parents up the wall nonstop for a solid 45-60min in my backyard this morning!
And this was one among 23 species making quite the racket today per my #10MinuteMerlin (ok, to rounds of it).
#10MinMerlin πͺΆ
Merlin detections: Magnolia warbler, eastern phoebe, song sparrow, tree swallow, house finch, Wilson's warbler, common yellowthroat, American goldfinch, chimney swift, chipping sparrow, American redstart.
The spring migrants are definitely here. #10MinuteMerlin in my backyard just now.
Screen shot of my Merlin app, which identified: Scarlet Tanager Tufted Titmouse Chipping Sparrow Black-capped Chickadee White-throated Sparrow Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler American Goldfinch The app shows a little thumbnail photo of each bird. The rest of the list is in next photo.
The second half of the 10-minute Merlin list: Blue Jay Baltimore Oriole Yellow Warbler Blue-headed Vireo Downy Woodpecker House Finch Red-eyed Vireo
#10MinuteMerlin this morning was quite a symphony! Also welcomed back FOS scarlet tanager pair, rose-breasted grosbeak male, and two dapper yet feisty male ruby-throated hummingbirds. π₯°πͺΆ
Merlin report showing northern cardinal, American robin, indigo bunting, tufted titmouse, white eyed vireo and American goldfinch
Merlin report showing black and white warbler, yellow warbler, painted bunting, Nashville warbler
This is the time of year when #10MinuteMerlin gets exciting. πͺΆ
A screenshot of the Merlin app. Showing brown thrasher, Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Northern mockingbird.
My #10MinuteMerlin in Granite Falls, NC is magnificent! #10MinMerlin
#birding #earBirding
Merlin bird id report showing: Northern Cardinal o Cardinalis cardinalis γ American Crow o Corvus brachyrhynchos γ Carolina Chickadee β’ Poecile carolinensis γ Red-bellied Woodpecker β’ Melanerpes carolinus γ Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus γ Cedar Waxwing β’ Bombycilla cedrorum γ Red-shouldered Hawk O Buteo lineatus γ Red-winged Blackbird β’ Agelaius phoeniceus γ
#10MinuteMerlin
Needed some bird time today. Plus a Blue Jay that didnβt fit on the screenshot.
Merlin sound id report: Best suggestions Carolina Chickadee β’ Poecile carolinensis Brown-headed Cowbird o Molothrus ater Barn Swallow o Hirundo rustica Bewick's Wren o Thryomanes bewickii Northern Cardinal o Cardinalis cardinalis American Crow o Corvus brachyrhynchos
#10MinuteMerlin mid afternoon central Oklahoma
