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Hi everybody -
I see no reason in principle why such a device
shouldn't be able to work well, if it has a comprehensive library of bird calls
to compare, and after any initial bugs have been eliminated.
It's been done for years with microbats. Of course birdsong is much more
complex than the echolocation calls of bats, and there are potential problems
with mimicry and regional dialects, but I can easily imagine that 'call
identifiers' - at half the price and a third the weight of the early
example cited - will be available for Australian birds within five years.
I don't see them as a threat in any way. They may make bird surveys
somewhat simpler, although they can only complement visual ID - not replace
it. Birders with hearing difficulties may welcome them - and not everyone
is adept at learning to recognise calls. After, all, you don't have to use
them if they offend your purist sensibilities.
And thanks to Peter for bringing this to our
notice.
Cheers,
Hugo
Hugo Phillipps
Queenscliff,
Vic
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