Coming soon! Birdsongs and the starling that stores dozens of high quality samples.
Added 2025-07-15 05:56:17 +0000 UTCWhat a long and crazy month it's been going down the ornithology hole!
Including but not limited to:
- Setting up AI audio analyzers on Raspberry Pi devices to record bird sounds remotely and build an enormous database. (trying to sort out a build under $100 so you can do this too!)
- Building a 384kHz remote microphone/recorder that records for weeks at a time tethered to a tree
- Off-roading for days to try and find some unusual mockingbirds
- Putting together a 192kHz / 32-bit ultrasonic microphone that can analyze bird songs and bats in a way that raises the accuracy and quality level of biological data collection
- Capturing wild birds at 1000+FPS
- Last but absolutely not least, traveling to KY to get high quality ultrasonic recordings of a starling that was raised by humans since just after birth and has almost entirely learned songs from fragments of human voices, outdoor noises, mobile phone sounds, movements, television, and so on. Not only does it give the Lyrebird a run for its money, but through ultrasonic analysis, for the first time ever, we'll be able to sort out exactly what's going on in the syrinx to synthesize these sounds.
I'm finally putting over 2TB of video/audio/research data together for editing what was probably the most fun video research project I've ever done.
I'll be posting the recordings here when the video is finished, and they'll likely be exclusive for a long period while they go through publishing review with Cornell and elsewhere.
Once again, this project was 100% independent and funded by this community, and I couldn't be more grateful.
Comments
I became recently fascinated by the ability of Western Meadowlarks in Washington state to throw their voice. While hiking thru scrubby fields I kept hearing the Meadowlark in a sage brush just a few yards off the trail. I would search the bush to get enough of a glimpse of the bird in there to confirm the Merlin Bird App’s sound ID that the calls were Meadowlark (I don’t like to count a sighting based only on the sound ID). I could never find a bird in the bush I JUST NOW HEARD them in, even when I frustratingly shoke the bush to flush them out, I never saw anything fly away! After several failures I used my binoculars to search the bushes while I could still hear the bird in there and caught a glimpse of a bird perched atop a sage bush several dozen yards away. Through the binoculars I could see that bird’s beak vocalizing the very sounds I was hearing only feet from where I was standing!!! Even seeing the bird hundreds of feet away, I swear I could hear it almost within arms reach. Benn, do you have any insights into the acoustical trickery that can make sounds seem like they’re emanating from a far different place? It breaks my brain as to how it’s possible. LOVE your channel.
Dan Oberste
2025-09-04 19:17:32 +0000 UTCWatching it now. It's a sick vid.
Murk
2025-07-26 15:41:47 +0000 UTCbeen hoping you'd do more work including ultrasonics ever since the bats video.... 5-6 years ago now? stoked for this!
sweeterthananything
2025-07-25 14:17:17 +0000 UTCThis is so awesome, I'd love to be able to capture the local bird noises, they really pick my day up when they stop by, ive got a few clean recordings of bird song but it's hard to not make 'human noises' after a little jig. Honestly if you can get a database going that can recognise finer tonal or harmonic differences in the captures it could help a lot: Ive not had much luck with using the Merlin App despite clean recordings to ID birds, doesnt help how many mimics are around. A recording array would be so interesting in capturing there noises. The biggest compliment is when you find out your delay line is bird assisted just on the end, - makes you do a sanity check, check your sends but i wonder if when stopping the song and the delays ring out is maybe interpreted as an 'announce' like the tbeebird goes '303' chirp. Birds are amazing, they can drive you insane but they also bring the love you give on odd days, the transactional conditions are known but birds are always surprising. Awesome work Benn!
Kieran Lines
2025-07-24 00:41:50 +0000 UTCThis may be my favorite thing so far. Possibly of all the things, but certainly the Benn things.
erikjms
2025-07-15 18:36:03 +0000 UTCCan I send this bird a friends request on facebook or something? He's cooler than all of my friends (and me)
Brian Maneely
2025-07-15 16:48:57 +0000 UTCStarlings are very cool, but they are also an invasive species here in The States. We observed them depredate a woodpecker nest this spring just after the woodpeckers had finished hollowing out the cavity and laid eggs. After a starling brood fledged, the woodpeckers came back and tried again, but were run off a second time. :(
Brian Brill
2025-07-15 15:37:54 +0000 UTCWooow!! You never have a dull project! I'm extremely excited for this one though 🤩
Patrick Kennedy
2025-07-15 14:47:55 +0000 UTCWhen I first saw you post this, I was going to ask about how feasible it was for me to do, but then I figured I was likely going to find out soon enough. Sounds like it is pretty doable!
Nic Stage
2025-07-15 13:19:46 +0000 UTCThis, I want. I think the bird gets it.
Wave Mechanic
2025-07-15 07:15:04 +0000 UTCwhat a great fucking bird
kaetus
2025-07-15 06:32:29 +0000 UTCWas that gun fire I heard? Has she/he been watching someone play video games? Now at the end was that the bird or you receving a text message ?
Paul Cusick
2025-07-15 06:15:43 +0000 UTCThose bird songs are wild! I'd definitely take a build that includes some "if you've got XYZ laying around" too. Lots of folks already have a pi or a mic, cables, or other bits and pieces.
Ian Winsemius
2025-07-15 06:15:00 +0000 UTC
