Bioacoustics: Field Recording to Sound Analysis

Whether you are a student, researcher, wildlife enthusiast, birdwatcher, herpetologist, or conservation practitioner, this course offers an excellent opportunity to develop skills in acoustic monitoring and sound analysis. Throughout this three-day course, you will learn the fundamentals of sound production and propagation, key concepts in animal vocalization studies, and the interpretation of oscillograms and spectrograms. You will gain hands-on knowledge of field recording equipment, recording techniques, audio editing using Audacity, and best practices for collecting high-quality acoustic data. We warmly invite you to join us in this engaging learning experience, where you will discover the science behind animal sounds, develop valuable bioacoustic skills, and gain the confidence to use acoustic tools for wildlife monitoring, ecological studies, and biodiversity conservation. Course Syllabus Lecture 1 Foundations of Sound and Animal Vocalizations 1. What is sound? 2. A brief introduction to physics of sound production and propagation. 3. Some basic terms used in animal vocalization studies. 4. Oscillograms and Spectrograms 5. Sound categories of avian and anuran vocalization. Lecture 2 Capture and Practical Audio Editing 1. Recording sounds in the field – gears and accessories 2. Introduction to Nyquist Frequency and sampling rate 3. Do’s and Don’ts of field recordings 4. Importing and editing sound files in audacity 5. Saving the workspace and edited files Lecture 3 Advanced Acoustic Analysis with Raven Pro 1. Introduction to Raven Pro (recent available version) 2. Importing sound files to Raven 3. A brief introduction to Fast Fourier Transform, FFT windows, DFT size and hop size and their importance in acoustic analysis 4. Selecting the sound of interest and analyzing it for spectral and temporal parameters 5. Saving the selection table and workspace