A different kind of bird art (1 Viewer)

Hi,

I'm sure most of you appreciate bird sounds can be many and varied. It isn't until you feed the sound into a spectrum analyser that you realise just how complicated they can be.

I guess a few of you have seen or used a spectrum analyser before, but I'm also guessing quite a few of you haven't. For those of you who haven't - it is basically a way of taking a sound and converting it into a picture (see attachment). To accomplish this is surprisingly simple - all you need is a PC/Laptop, a microphone (optional) and some free software.

Quick set up :

You need to download some free software first. You can download this software here

Now you need to decide how you want to record and analyse the bird sound. You can analyse 'live' sounds using a microphone connected directly to your PC/Laptop. The spectrum analyser will give immediate results. Another option is to record sounds (save them as a wav file) and decode them sometime later using the spectrum analyser. Either way, all you need is some kind of sound, whether it's live or a saved wav file.

Obviously there is a fair amount of experimenting you could do here - it's a vast subject! Luckily for us modern technology has made it relatively simple and it is now possible for almost any of us to 'have a go'.

I realise that this may only appeal to the more 'technically minded' of you. Don't be afraid to give it a go though. Dangle a microphone out of a window, connect it to your PC and start the software - you might be pleased by what you see!

The attached picture is a Lapwing giving three distinct 'cheee-o-wip' sounds with slight variation.

I hope you enjoy - sorry if it doesn't appeal to you!

Rich.

Would this or could this work with a bird song CD Rich?

Yep, it certainly could work with a bird song CD. You need to find where on the CD the audio files (.wav etc) are and then feed one into the spectrum analyser. If you use Spectrum Laboratory (the free software I mentioned) choose File/Audio Files/Analyse and play audio file from the menu in the software. You can then navigate to the wav file, after which the analyser will show the output on screen (similar to my picture). You may need to experiment (fine tune the settings etc) depending on the bird song and length of clip etc.

If the file format on your bird song CD is wrong you may be able to convert it. Spectrum Laboratory tells you what file format it expects - you can then use something like 'Cool edit' to convert it. If that doesn't appeal then you could just download a bird song for any particular bird from the Internet - you have more of a choice of formats etc that way.

I quite enjoy using a microphone out of the window - I can sit here and watch the output on one of my PC's next to me whilst I get on with other things. I'm getting quite good at identifying birds from what I see on the screen - even if I can't always see or hear them!

Let me know how you get on. I'd be pleased to help wherever I can.

Rich.

I am intrigued and will play with this if I get some time tomorrow. Thanks very much.

No problem - I hope you enjoy it.

Rich.

I could have used this today! Our most common bird here is the Tropical Kingbird. However, he has a "twin", Couch's Kingbird, that is almost impossible to differentiate except by voice. Today, I went quite a ways inland where Couch's is supposed to be a little more common than Tropical. Well, I checked out every Kingbird I saw trying to verify the spacing of their primaries, looking at their bill for the slightest difference in size, checking the amount of fork in their tail, and mostly just hoping to hear one!

After seeing at least a half dozen that proved to be Tropicals, I finally found a family (adults and 3 fledgelings) that were making lots of noises and they were NOT Tropical Kingbirds. Finally got a new lifer! Now, if I'd had their voice spectrums analysed, I'd have proof!

Dave,

Interesting little story and well done on the lifer!

One thing that analysing bird sounds does is really make you listen. You really notice little differences you might have otherwise missed. It's pretty similar to people who draw birds - you notice details you would otherwise have missed.

Analysing the sound of a Couch's Kingbird against a Tropical Kingbird (using a spectrum analyser) could well prove the difference. You could possibly see certain traits or different frequencies specific to both birds. Obviously some similar looking birds have such a different voice that you really wouldn't need to analyse anything.

I sometimes try to record bird sounds when I'm out so I can analyse them when I get back. I've taken to using a camcorder for this, but you could use any recording device. Even if you don't run the sound through a spectrum analyser you at least have a recording of the sound that you can listen to over and over and compare against bird CDs or the internet.

Once again, well done on the lifer. It's a pretty little bird!

Rich.

anybody fancy doing this for the 'Iberian' chiffs of late?

Yes....but is it art?......Oh hell, here we go again.

Mike

weather said:

Yes....but is it art?......Oh hell, here we go again.

Mike

Click to expand...

No, no it isn't. It certainly can look attractive and would probably make a good conversation piece...but it ain't art (at least not my kind of art).

I did wonder whether I should have named the subject as I did!

Rich.

Rich, this is great, thanks for this info. Can't wait to use it, if I could just find a decent mic to take with me in the field that doesn't cost the earth. You said you use a camcorder. Is that because the mic on it is sensitive enough or because you try to get a visual on the singer as well?

I can see where this is headed: Bird records committees the world over will now be demanding spectrographs of rarities to prove the sighting! LOL!

Katy,

Don't worry too much about a decent mic. You can get reasonable results with almost any mic. Cheaper mics usually create more noise which shows on the spectrogram and can mask the noise you actually want. However, I tried it with some of the cheapest mics available (the sort you get free with webcams) and have got some half decent results. The problem you'll experience out in the field is wind noise - you may need to find some way of shielding the mic from the wind (or use specialist equipment).

My advice would be to not spend too much on a mic at first then progress onto something more suitable in the future. You can get special mics / equipment for this very purpose but they usually don't come cheap. The more directional a mic is the better it will be for recording birds (at least specific birds).

I sometimes carry a camcorder 'just in case'. My camcorder is rather good at recording sound. The mic is pretty sensitive, and also has an electronic wind shield built into its circuitry, which does a surprisingly good job. I more often than not try and get a visual on the bird as well. I think this is invaluable in identifying something you're not sure of. You get a video (or still) with sound rather than a hand drawn picture and only a memory of the noise. It gives me a quick ‘point and shoot’ rather than worrying about digiscoping the subject. The only downside to all this is it is another piece of equipment to carry with you. I often carry a camcorder, Field scope, camera, tripod and binoculars. It's a brave bird that's still there when I get to its location!

I hope that helps! Let me know how you get on.

Rich.