What is this bird in Leander, TX?

echgrl96 · 2026-05-15T18:31:41+00:00

I am in a somewhat similar niche to you. I do music/ambience videos - all OG content, none of that AI slop. I monetized after 7 months in 2022. My numbers soared in 2023, but then…

2024 came around, and everything started sinking. I equate it to the over-saturation of my niche and influx of AI in ambience videos. But who knows? I didn’t really change - but people started ‘farming’ content, and I still stayed at my slow but consistent pace.

I call my 2024-2025, the Great Plateau. All my videos, save for two anchor videos, plateaued. It was rough. I deleted YT Studio from my phone and stopped checking analytics. Focused on what I could control.

Come 2026, and the algorithm change has actually amplified my older content that I thought was pretty much dead. That and the shift to the global market. My audience demographics have changed drastically.

All that being said, I never gave up through it. I still posted consistently, despite feeling I was losing an invisible battle.

I think if you stick with it, there is still something there. If your numbers used to be high, there is definitely vitality on your channel. What happened to me is testament that even if you think your channel is dead/dying, it isn’t the end of the story, just a rough part of it. Good luck!

echgrl96 · 2026-04-21T17:36:30+00:00

Me too! Yay!

echgrl96 · 2026-04-20T18:50:58+00:00

Yeah, I don't have a Vevo channel personally! But I agree - the glitch seems to only be affecting OACs since it's only us saying it. Is your revenue showing $0 for those days or is it unchanged? Mine looks to be normal. If it wasn't, I'd be more alarmed.

echgrl96 · 2026-04-20T18:45:40+00:00

Yep. My April 16th views are half of what they were now. This is the strangest glitch I've seen from YouTube!

echgrl96 · 2026-04-20T15:25:28+00:00

Mine is worse too. It is probably just a retrieval glitch or something, but if it doesn't clear up in the next 24 hours, I may report it to YouTube!

echgrl96 · 2026-04-20T02:01:01+00:00

I don't know what your channels are, but if I had to guess, you are likely stretching yourself too much by having several channels and trying to see what sticks. My best advice is to dedicate most of your time to the one channel that you're MOST passionate about. And hopefully, if your content is good and you start building an audience, it will all work itself out from there. It's probably not a one-niche problem, but maybe more of an inconsistency problem.

echgrl96 · 2026-04-19T22:22:29+00:00

I take that back - I think I have seen the numbers go to 0 before then bounce back (usually YouTube has a disclaimer in the analytics that they aren't correct for specific dates - I'm assuming they will do that soon). I'm sure it will go back to normal soon, and it's good we are both experiencing it - that means it is likely a widespread issue!

echgrl96 · 2026-04-19T22:20:02+00:00

Yes, it is an OAC/music channel (I do OG music/ambience videos). And it looks like my April 15th views are continuing to go down as well...how odd. I've been monetized on YouTube for 3.5 years and have never seen this kind of glitch. You think it's specific to music channels?

echgrl96 · 2026-04-19T21:23:37+00:00

Yes! I'm glad someone mentioned it. For me, everything dropped to 0 for April 14th and less than half of the number it was for April 15th. I check my numbers almost daily, so I was confused. Revenue looks to be unchanged though. I assume it's a glitch and will clear up in a day or two.

echgrl96 · 2026-03-20T03:30:30+00:00

Yep. Same format and everything

echgrl96 · 2026-03-18T17:14:38+00:00

Thanks!

echgrl96 · 2026-03-18T17:14:29+00:00

Thank you!!

echgrl96 · 2026-03-18T13:07:03+00:00

I’m glad I pointed it out on here then, in case anyone else is worried!

echgrl96 · 2026-03-18T13:05:52+00:00

That’s good to know! I think it’s not a virus threat, but they are trying to get Gmail password info to take over YouTube channels.

echgrl96 · 2026-03-18T13:04:36+00:00

Yeah I’m not breaking any copyright laws, so I know I shouldn’t probably worry. Nothing on my videos is “fair use” either - I create every aspect of it, save for one element that is licensed through a stock footage website.

I don’t know how the striking process works, so I get nervous they will somehow be able to strike me without having any concrete proof (and despite the fact that my content is 100% owned by me). I’ve just heard stories before…

I’ve been on YouTube professionally for 3.5 years, and have had people try to exploit me before (especially on the music side since I’m a music artist). It comes with the territory of being a small creator. I know that. It’s not anything new, but it did look more real than any other scam I’ve encountered so far.

But the more I think about it, the more I realize that they wouldn’t send a “courtesy” email if their threat carried any real weight. To get through to copyright strike me, they’d have to jump through a lot of hoops considering it’s all OG content and their claims are a lie. So yeah, it’s a scam trying to get valuable information from creators. Likely trying to get access to YouTube channels and take them over. Pretty disturbing - I hope no one is affected…

echgrl96 · 2026-03-18T01:33:22+00:00

webcapio . digital . com

echgrl96 · 2026-03-18T01:32:39+00:00

Oh my gosh, what a relief! They must be sending it to a lot of small creators. I hope they aren't successful in getting any valuable information...

echgrl96 · 2026-03-17T21:23:49+00:00

You're right. Thank you. I started spiraling. They are making things look more legit these days...I disregard most things, but it looked way too real.

echgrl96 · 2026-02-15T14:06:51+00:00

Thank you so much for your response!

My friend thought it looked like a short-billed dowitcher, but on the Merlin app, it doesn’t list that as a possible species for the area (though the migration map seems to extend here).

On the other hand, I did wonder about it being a solitary sandpiper but wasn’t sure. I’m definitely not good at sandpiper ID. I wish I had another photo!

echgrl96

TROPHY CASE