birding-aus

Song Sleuth

To:
Subject: Song Sleuth
From: "Peter Ewin" <>
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 09:23:56 +1000
I believe that it will take longer than 5 years before this technology is really seful for birds. Analysis of bat echolocation (Anabat) has been around since the early nineties, and still requires interpretation by an experienced person to get calls correct, and some species , such as long-eared bats (Nyctophilus) still can't be separated. Many calls can only be identified to probable or possible level as well. The technology with this has advanced remarkedly in the last 5 years, but I think many of the IDs done in the past, could be classed as dubious at the least. Admittedly part of the problem is the lack of reference calls for comparison, particularly across the whole distribution of all species. Recording bats isn't like birds where you can do the recording and then track down the bird for ID. Also they probably have different calls for feeding and alarm, so when recorded after being released, is probably not a typical call for all species. The database required for birds across the entire country is likely to be huge, some species will be easy to identify by a computer, though these are probably also likely to be easy to identiy by ear and if like doing bat work, much comparison is done by comparing sonographs visually.

Anyway the idea is a good one, but I wait for the binoculars that have a database of identifyting features and automatically calculate what species you are looking at and put a litle text label at the top of your view.
Cheers,
Peter


From: "Hugo Phillipps" <>
Reply-To: "Hugo Phillipps" <>
To: <>
Subject: Re: [BIRDING-AUS] Song Sleuth
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 23:41:51 +1000

[BIRDING-AUS] Re: Song SleuthHi 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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