While early mornings might not be for everyone, there’s no denying the magic of the dawn chorus.
For the past five years, dedicated citizen scientists all over the world have been rising just before dawn to record this symphony of bird songs using the Dawn Chorus app.
Developed by the Natural Apptitude team for BIOTOPIA (a German life sciences museum), the app helps collect bird song for biodiversity research, art projects and to raise awareness about our precious environment. Long-term collections of early-morning bird sound recordings can help detect changes in species distribution which may indicate population decline or the movement of species geographically due to habitat loss and/or climate change.
Introducing your AI Bird Assistant!
The brand new Dawn Chorus app boasts a built-in AI tool powered by BirdNET to help with species recognition. This clever feature analyses the user’s recordings and suggests potential bird species. A breakdown can be seen of each suggestion, showing where in the recording the bird has been heard as well as a confidence level showing how accurate the AI thinks its interpretation has been. Users can then choose to add these suggestions to their recording’s species list, as well as add birds manually based on their birding expertise.
Respecting privacy!
With the introduction of AI technology, there also comes the ability to flag when a human voice is heard during a bird song recording. Whether it’s the recorder’s voice, a passerby on a footpath, or a distant conversation, not all individuals may consent to being recorded or having their voices shared publicly. Upon detecting a human voice, the app immediately alerts the user, offering a chance to re-record. Should users choose to keep the original recording, it remains private to the user, locked from public sharing and invisible on the global map of bird songs.
Get creative!
The Dawn Chorus project goes beyond the typical citizen science experience. It encourages you to explore the world of birdsong with a creative spark! Try the “Sonic Feather” app feature which allows you to transform each recording into a stunning piece of media art.
And that’s not all! The Dawn Chorus website is about to get even more interactive with exciting new features on the horizon. There will be bird sonograms to visually understand the sounds of specific bird’s songs, interactive infographics showing the different bird habitats, and a build your own Dawn Chorus score interactive tool. A bird analysis quiz, developed by researchers from the CODE University of Applied Sciences Berlin, is also coming soon. You’ll be able to test your own expert knowledge with a chance to become a volunteer bird song annotator and citizen scientist on the Dawn Chorus Project.
Join this international project!
Whether you live in a bustling city or the countryside, the Dawn Chorus needs your recordings! Download the free app, set your alarm and step outside to experience the wonder of nature whilst contributing to this vital research.