Laura Gooch, a former civil engineer based in Ohio, and her husband, an electrical engineer, made their own recording kit. It won’t pick up lower-pitched noises as well as a shotgun mic, and for songs that tend to reverberate through the environment, like that of the Wood Thrush, it can produce oddly sterile recordings. (Cup your hand to your ear to get a sense of the effect, says Kroodsma.) A parabolic setup excels at at reducing background noise, but it does have limitations.
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The parabolic reflector, which looks like a satellite TV dish, funnels sound waves directly to the microphone. And to make better recordings from longer distances, consider upgrading your mic to a parabolic setup like Telinga’s PRO-X ($840), which includes a foldable dish, microphone, and handle. Lugging it along is worth the effort, as it provides much more control over recordings, which will be of the highest quality.
It’s a huge step up in price, and the device is large enough that you’ll want to carry it in a case slung over your shoulder. The ultimate field recording kit includes a state-of-the-art recorder, like the Nagra Seven ($3,000). You’ll also need an XLR cable to connect the mic to the recorder, and a windscreen or windshield will further reduce background noise. The most common model among bird recordists is the Sennheiser ME66/K6 ($460). A shotgun mic, which looks like a baton, pulls sound from the direction you point it aim it at your quarry and you’ll greatly reduce the amount of background noise you pick up. (It’s also the audio recorder of choice for a couple of Audubon staff members). The Zoom H4n ($200) is small enough to fit in your hand but mighty enough to produce high-quality recordings. Get better sound quality with less hassle by combining a recorder and microphone. The Macaulay Library has helpful tips for making the most of smartphone recording. Consider purchasing a miniature directional mic like the R øde VideoMic Me ($59).
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wav files, such as RØDE Rec on iOS ($5.99) or RecForge II on Android (free). mp3 files, and opt instead for an app that records higher quality. Avoid the default Voice Memo app, which records lower quality. If you’re just starting out, get a taste for recording with your smartphone. Whether you plan submit your recordings, it’s wise to end each one by saying the date, time, location, and species (if known). Some individual citizen science efforts also rely on recordings, like a project analyzing female birdsong. Recordists can upload audio files to eBird, which automatically copies them to Macaulay Library. "You don't have to go far afield to record something new,” Budney says, pointing out that researchers have barely studied some common backyard phenomena, such as contact calls in cardinals. “Anyone can do this,” says Greg Budney, an audio curator at the Macaulay Library, which has almost 10,000 avian recordings. If you experiment with capturing vocalizations, consider sharing your recordings to aid scientists.
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That, plus the very effort of making the recording helps the bird stick in his head. Recording takes longer than simply working through a field ID, he says, and that means spending more time observing an individual bird’s behavior. Cooper quickly discovered that the more he recorded, the more adept he became at identifying his quarry. student in ornithology at the University of Chicago, started doing avian research in Africa, where recordings are scarce, he began creating his own sound files to learn local birds’ songs. Many recordists (yes, that’s their preferred term) start casually, as a way to improve their birding skills.
Whether recording avian calls is something you want to dabble in or devote yourself to-and no matter your budget-this guide will help you get started.
Based on nine hours of recordings, the bird had almost 700 different songs in his repertoire.ĭon’t worry if stalking a single bird for days on end isn’t your style. The furtive birds are known for mimicking other birds, and he wanted to find out just how many avian species this especially garrulous bird could ape. Kroodsma once committed himself to a three-day stakeout in California’s scorching sagebrush steppe to capture the calls of a particularly talkative Sage Thrasher. “There’s a danger whenever anybody picks up recorders and headphones,” warns Donald Kroodsma, who has written several books about birdsong and spent hundreds of hours in the field with a microphone.
Setting out to record birdsong for the first time can be a surprisingly risky endeavor.
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