Carlos has been researching the use of audio recorders in monitoring bird populations for many years, and two recent peer reviewed studies demonstrated how bioacoustics could be used to effectively monitor and survey capercaillies, an ordinarily elusive bird, sensitive to disturbance of its habitat.
This conservation-focused article in Bird Watching magazine demonstrates the expertise of Carlos and his industry-leading work in bioacoustics and soundscapes in relation to the protection of declining species. These methods are being increasingly used by ecologists as they complement existing techniques and can cover other species at the same time as bird calls are monitored. Soundscape ecology assesses the acoustic richness of a habitat in its entirety to assess overall levels of biodiversity in an area, so the technique offers scope beyond birds alone.
In recent months, Carlos has led several webinars and sessions on bioacoustics, sharing his knowledge with his peers and students. Bioacoustics monitoring has become an important feature of our conservation work at Baker Consultants, where work in this area has led to a shortlisting for a CIEEM award for Best Practice Innovation.
You can read this month’s Bird Watching magazine feature in print, or alternatively you can sign up for a digital copy of the November edition of the magazine here: https://www.birdwatching.co.uk/digital-mag.
If you need advice on ecological surveys for land management, planning or development, then please get in touch with us via our contact form on the website, or you can call us on +44 (0)1629 593958 or email us on info@bakerconsultants.co.uk.