Green Valleys is the recipient of a grant to establish a wireless, bioacoustic monitoring network at Welkinweir. Once the network is deployed, staff and interns will be able to track the presence and movement of a wide variety of wildlife.
Bioacoustics
In order to improve our knowledge of migratory birds at Welkinweir, we have started pilot projects utilizing citizen science, bioacoustics, and bird walks. Through the analysis of preexisting bird-sighting data available on observation aggregators such as eBird, we are able to predict when we should begin to see certain migrating species in our region and then approximate how long we will be able to see them on the property. This provides us with the base for our studies, because we can choose which migrating species we want to study and when we want to study them.
The next step in monitoring migrant birds is deploying our network of bioacoustic recorders. The recorders capture any nearby bird sounds; then, using computer software, we are developing the ability to automatically identify what birds are present on the property – even when nobody is here to watch for them. Finally, we will combine the automated identification of the bioacoustics with the expertise of real, in-field bird watchers during our migration bird walks. Combining each of these strategies will provide us with a comprehensive picture of what bird migration through Welkinweir looks like, and it will give us one more piece to the infinitely large puzzle that is bird migration.
The bioacoustic monitoring network at Welkinweir captures and stores sound recordings through a wireless network. Preview images of this network are available on this page; check back periodically as we add more wildlife listening stations!