A bit of a different take on twitching to say the least!
The Cornell University Merlin App when you open it suggests a Bird of the day you are likely to see. I believe based on location season and Ebird reports in that area.
I don't know the algorithm behind it works........as it says a new bird each day through the year...well I ain't going to get 365 different species in Cheshire this year. Mr. A Hugh Pulsford and Jane Turner might be having words with me if I claimed that many birds in Cheshire!
Well at least I set out what I thought the project basis was at the start the year...........lets see how the next couple months go!
Merlin Bird of the Day lies to you at the start of the year. (AI tells me a number of hacks that Merlin does to trick that you get a new bird every day.....but that's for American Birders that have 500+ species available a year).
So I got a mate to help AI hack the code of Merlin Bird of the Day and for my location it is 186 birds in total anyay so there is never going to be a unique bird every day...and the repeat function when I start getting duplicates will be after 120 days......well guess what....almost all May birds have been repeat sightings I was getting a bi confused at early May having thought I'd seen certain birds already.
So not quite a full on 365 twitch....but now I know the algorithm behind I wasn't going to drive 15 miles out my way from one site to another on the way home just to get Oystercatcher on a tin roof!
I think this 'project' may becoming to an end and certainly won't justify any 20 mile lunchtime twitches for common species least Greta Thunberg gets annoyed at me.
Talking to a couple other birders in the field who are doing the "Merlin Bird of the Day" thing there is a pretty clear consensus that when you open Merlin for the first time on a day it looks at you/others birds at the location the previous day. Now I don't use Merlin to record birds on my phone so my App must then be going off others findings. So if I am staying around home / work for the day I open it up at breakfast, otherwise if going somewhere open it at the first site of the day.
Given it claims that the BOTD is a bird you have a reasonable chance of seeing in your location at that time of year I have no clue why Fudge Duck turned up!
Only one "twitch" this month when I'd already decided the Witton Flashes were best chance of Cuckoo (and still need Green Woodpecker for my year list) but the Black-winged Stilts sealed a lunchtime twitch would have happened anyway!
And conversely, I was in an area today where an hours searching may have got me Redstart for my year list but I decided to come home early to mount a vigil for Goldcrest which nest in a tree opposite our house and was rewarded within a couple of minutes with one....should have stayed looking for those Redstart!
I suspect Merlin is going to taunt me early May with Redstart, Tree Pipit, and Flycatcher species which are very rare in this area and I am not likely to be travelling to areas where I would see them. And Arctic Tern. We shall see on 31st May. Anyway....
April hit rate
Miss
0
0%
Yes
18
60%
No
12
40%
YTD
Miss
4
3%
Yes
73
61%
No
43
36%
Bird of the Day for April
01-Apr-26
Peregrine
No
02-Apr-26
Moorhen
Yes
Moore
03-Apr-26
Great-crested Grebe
Yes
Tatton
04-Apr-26
Ferrigenous Duck
No
"Very unlikely in your loction today" according to Merlin.so why choose it?
05-Apr-26
Sand Martin
No
NB Away from home but only accessed Merlin at vocation location
06-Apr-26
Common Sandpiper
No
NB Away from home but only accessed Merlin at vocation location
07-Apr-26
Spotted Redshank
No
NB Away from home but only accessed Merlin at vocation location
08-Apr-26
Common Scoter
Yes
Llanfairfetchan
09-Apr-26
Shag
Yes
Rhos Point
10-Apr-26
Black Guillemot
No
NB Away from home but only accessed Merlin at vocation location seen on four of the previous five days
11-Apr-26
Tree Sparrow
Yes
Whitley Reed - where else!
12-Apr-26
Reed Warbler
Yes
Moore - Eastern Reedbed - where else!!!
13-Apr-26
House Martin
No
14-Apr-26
Greylag Goose
Yes
Redesmere (feral?)
15-Apr-26
Oystercatcher
Yes
Risley
16-Apr-26
Marsh Harrier
No
17-Apr-26
Sedge Warbler
No
18-Apr-26
Stock Dove
Yes
Wrights Green
19-Apr-26
Little-ringed Plover
Yes
Nocmig
20-Apr-26
Swallow
Yes
Moore
21-Apr-26
Wheatear
No
22-Apr-26
Whitethroat
Yes
23-Apr-26
Garden Warbler
Yes
Moore
24-Apr-26
Ring Ouzel
No
25-Apr-26
Lesser Whitethroat
Yes
Weaver Bend
26-Apr-26
Swift
Yes
#4
27-Apr-26
Grasshopper Warbler
Yes
Moore
28-Apr-26
Cuckoo
No
Despite a valiant successful lunchtime twitch to the BWStilts at Ashton where one may expect a cuckoo.
Managed to remember to check every day this month what Bird of the Day (BotD) was. So no misses.
Year score to date after Q1.
Miss
4
4%
Yes
55
61%
No
31
34%
Starting though to feel a bit "uncomfy" that a few times at lunches etc I've basically driven 15-20 miles to see a bird in a guaranteed location then had to go back to work. That's not very ethical or environmentally friendly. Did pull a couple of "ringers" in as well off the Nocmig when I was outside doing other things in the evenings. Not seen any official rules on BotD though so if I feel it scores it scores!!!!
Also seeing a trend....seems about a 61% hit rate on average. So in a year that's around 221 birds (.65 of 365 mental maths). So given I usually see 220-240 species a year that might not actually be that far off unachievable.
But some of the failed BotDs are quite bizarre. Missing Mute Swan in January when they are on the canal opposite my house. Blackbird in Feb...when there are at least 4/5 on my feeders and I was in the field for three hrs as well. Collared Dove. Seen ever day this month in the garden.............apart from the day it was BotD. Even drove around local to a few other haunts but no....saw me coming.
Didn't miss getting Merlin on early in the day this month and it telling me what should be "Bird of the Day".
Addendum from Jan. As alluded to in the Wales thread in Jan whilst watching a Firecrest I took my eyes off the Firecrest as I heard Long-tailed Tit coming through which was the BotD - who knew I'd be more more interested in LTT than Firecrest!
Now I can't Google-fu how this works over a year as it on the one hand says unique bird but there will be very few locations that get 365 different species. Or birders in UK that get that annually anyway so be interesting to see how the year patches out. This months grips Willow Tit on day I had no chance to go sit at the feeders at Moore, Blackbird (seen on every one of the other 27 days) and Jay - was in perfect territory for a few hrs but none. Iceland Gull would have been a mega - only two records in UK on services I have on that day and the two adjacent. Black-necked Grebe I thought was taking the mick two days ago but they turned up at Woolston today whilst I was off chasing Gulls elsewhere!
Anyway here are the score on the doors for Feb.
Miss
0
0%
Yes
18
64%
No
10
36%
01-Feb-26
Fieldfare
No
02-Feb-26
Siskin
No
03-Feb-26
Cettis Warbler
Yes
Norton Marsh
04-Feb-26
Wigeon
Yes
Sandbach Flash
05-Feb-26
Common Gull
Yes
Wigg Island
06-Feb-26
Sparrowhawk
No
07-Feb-26
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Yes
WRC
08-Feb-26
Magpie
Yes
WRC
09-Feb-26
Meadow Pipit
Yes
Norton Marsh
10-Feb-26
Goldfinch
Yes
BWD
11-Feb-26
Song Thrush
Yes
Home
12-Feb-26
House Sparrow
Yes
Pengy
13-Feb-26
Little Egret
No
14-Feb-26
Blackbird
No
WTF none at home or at Rowing Club or 2hrs on Mersey!
A bit of a different take on twitching to say the least!
The Cornell University Merlin App when you open it suggests a Bird of the day you are likely to see. I believe based on location season and Ebird reports in that area.
I don't know the algorithm behind it works........as it says a new bird each day through the year...well I ain't going to get 365 different species in Cheshire this year. Mr. A Hugh Pulsford and Jane Turner might be having words with me if I claimed that many birds in Cheshire!
So we will see how the Merlin App decides what is MY "Bird of the Day" (BOTD) (it does seem to take your location from when your first open the App on a day) it might be worth waiting to open the Merlin App actually at the place you are birding?
Some days I also forgot to look so they are "Miss" days (4/13% in table).
But at least six or seven days I managed to look before I left the house and thought "Ah, not Marbury today, need to go to Spike Island", "First visit of the year to Woolston #3 bed", "Nah scratch that.....go to Rixton for Skylark".
And the No....well just had life, work, kids etc so sometimes it was not to be.
So here is my January.
55% I found my bird of the day (BOTD). 13% I missed my bird of the day as I forgot to check on Merlin what it was.
01-Jan-26
Miss
Miss
4
13%
02-Jan-26
Goldeneye
Yes
Moore
Yes
17
55%
03-Jan-26
Canada Goose
Yes
WRC
No
10
32%
04-Jan-26
Greenfinch
No
05-Jan-26
Mute Swan
No
06-Jan-26
Dunnock
Yes
Marbury
07-Jan-26
Jackdaw
Yes
Garden
08-Jan-26
Miss
09-Jan-26
Tufted Duck
Yes
Marbury
10-Jan-26
Lapwing
Yes
Wigg Island
11-Jan-26
Redshank
No
12-Jan-26
Pheasant
Yes
Glazebury
13-Jan-26
Mallard
Yes
Birchwood
14-Jan-26
Linnet
No
15-Jan-26
Gadwall
Yes
Marshside
16-Jan-26
Miss
17-Jan-26
Jay
No
18-Jan-26
Little Grebe
Yes
WRC - Rowing on Mersey (me rowing, not the Grebe)
19-Jan-26
Great Blacked-back Gull
No
20-Jan-26
Skylark
Yes
Rixton
21-Jan-26
Miss
22-Jan-26
Raven
No
23-Jan-26
Grey Heron
Yes
Victoria Park
24-Jan-26
Pink-footed Goose
No
25-Jan-26
Stonechat
No
26-Jan-26
Shelduck
Yes
Spike Island
27-Jan-26
Blue Tit
Yes
Victoria Park
28-Jan-26
Redpoll
No
29-Jan-26
Long-tailed Tit
Yes
Morfa Madryn
30-Jan-26
Bullfinch
Yes
Moore
31-Jan-26
Pochard
Yes
Moore
-- Edited by Andy Slee on Saturday 31st of January 2026 11:11:46 PM
