I have not seen them participating for several months, but @sunguramy had a posting about their experiences with observing birds with low hearing. What they described in that posting was similar to what you describe. Here:
“Is it possible to get IDs just of sounds (no photos)?
SUNGURAMY: Sound only: I have gotten an ID of a flying squirrel with the sound only, even! I was stumped having not heard one before.
Re: Merlin - I understand the frustration of euro/american centric and that is its own issue for sure. But Id like to provide another viewpoint. I am hard of hearing. I dont have many bird observations for a reason - i typically dont hear them. I can turn on Merlin and know if there are any around and maybe what they are (it’s pretty accurate for my area). I ask my birding friends how they find birds, because even when Im with them I can rarely spot a bird unless its close enough / still enough for a very accurate point; and unanimous they say “we hear the call and zero in on where the sound is coming from”. Most can ID from the call too, which is far beyond my physical disability limitations. I literally thought there was no chance I could learn what birds are around because none of that is an option for me - even if i hear one, i dont hear well enough to get a direction. Merlin is really my only link to this whole kingdom even if all it did was tell me birds were around, it would be worth it!
I hope they expand it to be more worthwhile in other regions too”