Interested in recording the sounds of birds and other wildlife?
The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is excited to host two sound recording workshops in Australia this coming spring! One workshop will be held in Adelaide, and the other in Perth. These three-day workshops are intended to teach the basics of sound recording, editing, and sharing, as well as how your efforts in the field can help bring Merlin Sound ID to Australia and power research and conservation. Each workshop includes an orientation and field equipment session, two full mornings of recording in the field, and two afternoon classroom sessions. You don’t necessarily need to have previous experience in sound recording, just a strong interest in getting started and contributing your recordings to science!
Dates: 14-16 November 2025, Adelaide, SA
21-23 November 2025, Perth, WA
The following will be provided as part of the workshop:
- Transportation to the recording sites each morning
- Lecture rooms and teaching materials each afternoon
- Field breakfast and light lunch on days 2 and 3
- Free access to Cornell’s online Sound Recording Course (US$100 value)
The cost of lodging and evening meals are the responsibility of participants. We will suggest some nearby hotels close to the Tonsley campus of Flinders University (Adelaide workshop) or University of Western Australia (Perth workshop) upon registration. The Perth workshop takes place immediately following the Australasian Ornithological Conference, so if you are attending that event as well, you may want to take this into account when booking travel and lodging.
While some recording equipment will be available, we strongly encourage participants to bring any gear they already own to the workshop. We are happy to provide advice on equipment and guide anyone interested in acquiring appropriate gear before the workshop. We will be focusing on directional microphones to make focal recordings; soundscapes will be touched on, but will not be an emphasis of the course.
Laptops are an essential part of the sound editing process, and each participant is required to bring one to the workshop.
Cost: A$100; we can provide a limited number of scholarships to cover this fee as needed.
Requirements
- Strong interest in sound recording
- Strong interest in sharing recordings with others
- Laptop computer
Preferred qualifications
- Sound recording equipment
- Interest in Merlin Sound ID and annotation of sounds
- Experience with eBird/Macaulay Library platforms
Rough schedule:
Day 1 (Friday): Convene in the late afternoon (3-4PM). Talks to introduce basic concepts and set up gear for the next morning.
Day 2 (Saturday): Early morning field outing. Afternoon discussions, file review, and editing session.
Day 3 (Sunday): Early morning field outing. Afternoon intensive editing and upload session. End late afternoon, possibly with the option for participants to stay for dinner or head out around 3-5PM.
Please fill out this application form to express your interest in one or both of these recording workshops. https://forms.gle/M3DFzezhhs8gzZh39. Spaces are limited, so apply as soon as possible (deadline August 31; deadline extended to September 10 for Perth). Applicants will be invited to officially register based on qualifications and course availability.
If you have any questions or want more information, you can reach out to Jay McGowan at jwm57@cornell.edu.
