Presentation Outline: NE Mn Birding Alliance

Year 13

Beyond Merlin … Using, Building or Buying Birdsong Listening Devices with Rich Hoeg

Screenshots used during the presentation are found at the end of the formal outline.

Introduce: Rich Hoeg

  • Grew up in NE Minnesota … Forest was my playground
  • 13+ Year Volunteer at Sax-Zim
  • 365DaysOfBirds.Com
  • Outdoorsman / Naturalist
  • Greenwood Creek / Nature Conservancy Sand Lake / 7 Beavers
    • Canada Lynx Images & Video
    • Scent Tree and Bush

Quick Overview of BirdSong Listening Stations (after Merlin)

  • BirdSong Listening Stations (will cover in detail later … show each device)
      • Consumer Devices:
        • HaikuBox: $269 (annual Subscription of $69 after year #1) (
        • BirdNET PUC: $299 (no subscription)
      • Raspberry Pi: BirdNET-Pi ($200 for parts … no subscription)
      • Off the Grid: BirdNET-Pi & OwlSense ($160 … no subscription)
  • Usage Case???
      • Research vs “Nice or Fun to Know”
      • Raw vs Already Analyzed Data
      • On or Off the Power Grid
      • Connected or Disconnected from the Cellular Grid / Internet

Using Birdsong Stations

      • Global Network of Birdsong Listening Stations
  • Free (no account required)
  • Costa Rica Example
    • OwlSense: Elegant Trogon / Black Headed Trogon
      • Greenwood (Nature Conservancy: Sand Lake / 7 Beavers)

Review of Devices

  • BirdNET-PUC
    • Consumer Device
    • Sound Files
    • Uploaded to Cloud & Analyzed
  • HaikuBox
    • Consumer Device
    • Sound Files
    • Uploaded to Cloud & Analyzed
    • Screenshots
  • Raspberry Pi: BirdNET-Pi Demo
    • Configure Online / Runs Offline
    • Bird Song Analysis done locally 
    • Bird Song extract created upon Bird ID
    • SQLite (download / further studies … single bird species)
    • Screenshots
    • Demo
    • Placement of Microphone (Google Maps)
  • Raspberry Pi: BirdNET-Pi Build
    • Build & Software (show & explain computer)
      • Raspberry Pi Operating System (LINUX Windows)
      • BirdNET-Pi Software
    • Local & BirdWeather
    • Raspberry Pi Connect

Off the Grid

  • OwlSense
      • Runs off the Grid (Cellular and Power)
      • Only Collects Sound Files
      • Bird Song Analysis not done by device
      • Low Power Consumptions
  • Other Options

Screenshots (in alpha order)

Click or press upon any individual image to view at greater size.

BirdNET-Pi

BirdWeather

HaikuBox

OwlSense & Chirpity

Just Another Afternoon at the Scent Tree: Canada Lynx (video)

Year 13

Sometimes I see my friends in the forest … sometimes I don’t, but my traicams kick in when I am not present! Two afternoons ago two Canada Lynx were using the “scent tree”. As a fyi, the lynx walk by this spot often. My public feeders (Greenwood Creek Bird Feeders) are full and in business. In addition to birds, the feeders attract rabbits and thus Canada Lynx (snowshoe hares are their favorite prey). As a reminder this location is in the middle of The Nature Conservancy’s Sand Lake / 7 Beavers Wilderness Preserve. A few links:

Two Different Canada Lynx at the Scent Tree (video link for blog subscribers)

Great Gray Owl Hunting Lessons!

Year 13

I had the opportunity to revisit the juvenile Great Gray Owl that is now having to hunt for itself … a learning process with lots of misses. As a reminder this owl actually decided I was a great hunting perch and landed on my head earlier last week. I had provided a nice spot to hunt a particular field.

This post from my revisit of the owl has a HUGE amount of images (and one video at the very bottom of the post). In a sense this effort is as much for me as a reminder about the amazing experience. I normally do not post this many photographs, but then I don’t normally have so many great photo ops provided by one Great Gray Owl. Thus, on with the show …

Initial Hunt

Flight Shots

Going the Other Way!

Sunflower

Is There a Vole Around?

Dialed In on Me (Actually landed three feet away … I slowly walked away to allow the owl space to hunt)

Great Owl Juvenile … The Movie! (video link for blog email subscribers)