Funny Merlin ID Story – and a caution

Yesterday at the Borrego Springs WSP we were listening to various bird calls/songs and decided for grins to see what Merlin would have to say.  So we started the app and in a minute or so a thrasher started calling.  We thought Crissal.  Looked at Merlin and it said Crissal.  Cool.  Soon the thrasher sounded a bit different than what we were used to.  We looked at Merlin and it now added Bendire’s.  We thought – no way.  As the thrasher sang again Merlin said Sage Tharsher!  Now we knew the jig was up.  It was a Mockingbird mimicking every other thrasher call it knew and maybe a few other birds tunes as well.  We ventured out into the brush and found it.  Beware of those country Mockingbirds – and Merlin!  As an aside the ponds were interesting in that the south pond is bone dry but the north pond is full to the brim and had happy ducks eating the bugs off the surface.