Since we were talking about “Birding by Ear” I thought you might be interested in this article from Science Daily on a new technology to facilitate bird population surveys. I think you will find it quite interesting.
Chaffinch photo by Andrew Howe
ScienceDaily (July 28, 2008) — Switch on the mike, start the recording, the stage is set for the local fauna!
Computer scientists from the University of Bonn, in conjunction with the birdsong archives of Berlin’s Humboldt University, have developed a kind of ‘Big Brother’ for birds. This has nothing to do with entertainment, but a lot to do with the protection of nature. The new type of voice detector involved can reliably recognise the characteristic birdsong of different species of birds, thereby facilitating surveys of the bird population.
Europe’s forests are falling silent as countless species of birds go on the red list of endangered species. Yet in fact no-one can say what the exact position is with some species. So as to have a reliable count of the territories of indigenous birds it would practically be necessary to send out a whole horde of spare-time ornithologists to count the birds. [continue reading…]
The construction on this building began in March of 2004 and was just recently completed. It has 80,000 permanent seats and will add another 11,000 temporary seats for the 2008 Olympic games.
This is a huge structure and Herzog and DeMeuron have contributed some green solutions into their design including a rainwater collecting system, a translucent roof providing sunlight for the natural grass below and a passive ventilation system. “Just as birds stuff the spaces between the woven twigs of their nests with a soft filler, the spaces in the structure of the stadium will be filled with inflated cushions to regulate wind, weather and sunlight.”
The Bird’s Nest at Night
For some interesting information on the bird’s nest and more great pictures check out Inhabitat.
Putting all the controversy about the 2008 Olympics, China and Tibet aside, I like the design of “The Bird’s Nest” and appreciate the designer’s green consideration.
Yesterday, former Vice President Gore issued a challenge to America to produce 100% of our electricity from solar, wind and other non-carbon sources within 10 years.
Audubon is proud to partner with the Alliance for Climate Protection’s We Can Solve It campaign (www.wecansolveit.org), and this bold challenge to America is exactly what we need to create jobs, reduce our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels, reduce the risks from catastropic climate change, and make America more secure.
Have you noticed when you are out walking, it doesn’t even matter where you are, you will hear birds calling.You may not see the birds but if you listen closely you will begin to hear many different calls from the birds around you. [continue reading…]
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