At 2:06 PM +0000 3/11/09, Steve Pelikan wrote:
>Travis:
>
>Interesting project! Phoebes (in Ohio, at least) do show some
>variation in their songs so there's some hope...
>
>I agree that the ME 66/67 or omni in parabola would work well for
>this sort of thing. The advantage of the omni is less handing/wind
>noise and parabola gives better signal/noise.
Hi Steve--
I like the suggestion of tying to also make a record of the stimuli
that _could be_ triggering behaviors-- not relying on dB meters etc
which most of the studies seem to do,.. Moving the understandings
forward might require some new techniques-- especially outside of
labs as Travis seems committed to.
Using multiple channels and somehow placing mics so they obtain the
aural perspective of the birds might be more necessary in loud
settings, but using a rig in both loud and quiet settings that is
optimized to record ambience accurately might provide a more
measurable sense of relative levels, sound source tonalities and
space/directionality compared to using "close-up" measure/arrays.
We've all noticed, many times, how parabolas and shotguns alter the
impression of the background sounds. Of course, one can make mental
note these discrepancies in the field, but the info does not get
embedded in the scientific record like it could with a rig designed
for ambience. The dynamics of directional mics are quite dependent
upon aiming and the direction that the critter happens to be calling.
If I was trying to determine how loud a caller was calling to
overcome other (background) sounds, I'd much rather have an ambient
recording to work with.
One of the questions in my mind is whether very good binaural gear
might be a good way to go. I can almost always detect qualities using
good headphones that analysis software and great monitor speakers are
blind to. Rob D.
=3D =3D =3D =3D =3D
>THe disadvantage is that the parabola can be ungainly.
>
>I also encourage you to consider the ergonomics of the recorder with
>attention to the requirements of field recording of birds. I did a
>lot of work with a Sony MD recorder that required lots of fine-motor
>control (and removal of gloves) to start recording, adjust gain
>levels etc. It is much better to have a recorder that starts with
>the push of a single (big) button.
>
>Another thing to consider is that, if you're using one microphone,
>it is very nice to be able to set the gain levels for the two
>channels independently to protect against clipping.
>
>And, given a choice in connectors, I'd suggest XLR's over trs and
>especially over mini trs.
>
>What works nicely indoors (and even what sounds the best) in a dry
>run can become a problem in the dark and cold after being dragged
>through the brambles. On the other hand, if you plan to simply set
>up a recorder near a nest and walk away for several hours, these
>factors aren't too significant.
>
>Again, good luch with your Phoebe study!
>
>Steve P
>--- In
><naturerecordists%40yahoogroups.com>=
m,
>Travis Wood <> wrote:
>>
>> Thank you for the articles on the topic, I have quite the
>>extensive collection at this point. Most of the research completed
>>to date has been done on song-learning birds so I am going to study
>>the Eastern Phoebe, a non song-learning bird to see what, if any
>>vocal adjustments take place in the urban environment. Thanks to
>>all for the suggestions so far, I'm chewing on what equipment to
>>pursue.
>>
>> Travis
>>
>> --- On Mon, 3/9/09, Raimund Specht <> wrote:
>>
>> From: Raimund Specht <>
>> Subject: [Nature Recordists] Re: Research Project
>> To:
>><naturerecordists%40yahoogroups.com>=
om
>> Date: Monday, March 9, 2009, 5:34 PM
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>> Here are a few articles on this interesting research topic:
>>
>> <http://www.livescie>http://www.livescie nce.com/animals/
>>061204_urban_ birdsong. html
>> <http://www.conserva>http://www.conserva tionmagazine.
>>org/articles/ v8n2/not- so-silent- spring/
> > <http://findarticles>http://findarticles .com/p/articles/
>mi_qa3793/ is_200607/ ai_n16629432
>>
>> Regards,
>> Raimund
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