Can you identify birds by sound? Bioacoustics is the study of natural sounds. The recent development of weatherproof digital sound recording systems, coupled with new protocols for analysis of digital sound recordings, have opened new frontiers for wildlife inventory, monitoring, and conservation. One result is the Merlin app on your phone for bird identification!

Dr. Casper will discuss recent findings from the use of acoustic devices for bird monitoring in the Cedarburg Bog, at the Mequon Nature Preserve, and other Ozaukee County properties. This new technology has the potential to revolutionize bird censusing and avian monitoring. The advantages of using acoustic monitoring in combination with traditional methods of bird population assessments will be discussed as will the use of acoustic devices for assessing bat and frog numbers. Examples of really cool recorded sounds from Ozaukee County should illustrate how bioacoustics can inform our understanding of the natural world around us.

This free program will be available both a in-person talk and online. The in-person event will be located at the Pieper Power Education center in Mequon (address below).

Speaker Bio: Gary Casper (gc@greatlakeseco.com) is an Associate Scientist at the UW-Milwaukee Field Station, and an Associate Editor for the Natural Areas Journal and Herpetological Conservation and Biology. He researches wildlife conservation, inventory, and monitoring throughout the Great Lakes Region.

Contact Nick Gall at ngall@mequonnaturepreserve.org with any questions.

Register Here for the In Person Program

Join the Virtual Program