Bird call recognition apps.

Hello Michael,

You can spend a fortune on recording gear or take my approach – have a look at my website under Resources. Most important, you do need a good microphone and windshield like the one I use. My information on recorders a somewhat out of date now, although I have recently purchased an LS-14 that I find quite good and I got it for about $200, but there is a good choice of alternatives in the $2-400 range.

In regard to apps, both the Morcombe and Pizzey apps have most Australian birds to listen to or play, just that they can’t name any sound you have recorded that you can’t identify.

And don’t forget, there is a lot of very good sound on my website for nearly all the Australian passerines, plus some.

Personally if I was still vetting atlas records I wouldn’t allow the use of ID by App as a “heard” record. There are enough dodgy records already to deal with and there is so little known about the repertoire of nearly all of our birds that the concept is fraught with problems.

The biggest hurdle to be overcome in producing a sound app. that covers every bird in Australia is that, even excluding vagrants, the recordings probably don’t even yet exist.

Regards

Graeme Chapman