Using sound recordings as an identification aid is becoming increasingly popular in all areas of wildlife research. It can allow accurate identification of sightings made in the field back at base - particularly useful for animals that are difficult to get close to, bats and birds for example. This month Alana Ecology introduces new equipment to its range for the wildlife sound recorder.
RememBird - keeping your eyes on the birds
All birders have been there: in your binoculars you’ve spotted a small brown bird in dense vegetation. You drop your binoculars to scribble down notes on its appearance, check a field guide or to grab your sound recorder. By the time you look through your binoculars again the bird has gone!
RememBird is a handy little sound recording device that can be easily attached to any pair of roof-prism binoculars. It is designed to allow you to use the device without taking your eye of a bird through the binoculars. You can whisper voice notes about the subject you are observing into the basic microphone directed at you.
At the front of the device there is a second higher gain microphone which allows you to make simple sound recordings of calls which can aid identification of the bird. The RememBird-X model has, instead of the forward microphone, an adapter to allow you to attach your own directional microphone to make higher quality recordings.
And if that’s not enough this clever little gadget can have an optional audio field guide stored within it so you can check your own recordings there and then in the field. Although primarily designed for bird watchers, this device can easily be used for other wildlife observations.
Fostex FR-2LE - state-of-the-art recording device
Fostex have been well known to professional sound technicians for many years for their high quality sound recording and broadcasting equipment. They have now produced a robust, lightweight professional recording device ideal for the wildlife sound recorder - the FR-2LE.
The FR-2LE records to a Compact Flash (CF) memory cards up to 8GB in capacity, allowing you to record hours worth of audio even in the highest quality recording mode. As it can record WAV files, you can import your recordings directly into bat echolocation analysis software such as BatSound. The broadcast quality WAV files produced are ideal for even the most detailed sound analysis research projects. Alternatively you can choose from lower quality WAV and MP3 formats for recording up to over 5000 minutes of sound on one card.
It has dual XLR microphone inputs so professional microphones, such as the Sennheiser systems, can be connected. The compact, robust and lightweight design makes it useable in the toughest remote locations. It is also economical on battery power - running up to 8 hours on standard off-the-shelf NiMH batteries. The built-in stereo microphones allow you to make voice notes in the field.
LiSN Parabolic Microphone
Parabolic dishes or parabolas collects sound from a larger area than a directional microphone and focus it into the microphone mounted on the parabola. Such systems like the LiSN are perfect for recording very quiet sounds at long range (i.e. over 20m) – ideal for wildlife sound recording.
Parabolic dishes can be fairly heavy and awkward to carry through dense vegetation or hold in strong winds, yet the LiSN system weighs less than 500g. The 3.5mm stereo jack output means the LiSN can be simply connected to most recording devices.
