Wildlife Acoustics, Inc

Wildlife Acoustics, Inc., a privately held Massachusetts corporation, is the leading provider of bioacoustics monitoring technology for scientists, researchers, and government agencies worldwide. Our customers monitor birds, bats, frogs, insects, fish, whales, elephants, rhinos and other wildlife.

Our Mission

We are the leading provider of bioacoustics monitoring systems for researchers, scientists, conservationists and government agencies worldwide.

Our mission was born out the desire to provide the most innovative, easy-to-use and economical bioacoustics monitoring and analysis tools and software available today.

We Are Technologists Dedicated To Serving Biologists and Conservationists

Wildlife Acoustics is backed by an impassioned team of technologists, engineers, operations experts and marketers with intense interest in biology, conservation and environmental stewardship. It’s our desire to enable those involved in animal biology, research and conservation to do their best work easily and quickly.

Because we are privately held, WA is constantly investing in R&D to create new and better bioacoustics monitoring and analytical tools for avian, terrestrial and marine work.

We Listen

Our customers are our most important asset. We are committed to excellent customer service, We actively seek user input to continuously improve everything we do – from creating innovative monitors, detectors, recorders and software to making your purchase and training experiences a delight.

Wildlife Acoustics Bat Detector Training Course

In response to the growing demand for Song Meter and Echo Meter Touch training, we're pleased to announce the Wildlife Acoustics Bat Detector and Software Training Course, led by Dr. Cori Lausen. This three-day course provides background on the principles of bat echolocation, hands-on experience with our new range of products; the Song Meter SM3BAT, the Song Meter SMZC zero crossing recorder and the Echo Meter Touch, as well as discussion addressing the various software components for configuration and analysis.

The training courses will include an evening bat recording session. Our February course at Zoo Miami will include access to roost locations of Tadarida and Nycticeius as well as foraging areas of Eumops floridanus.

Bat Echolocation 101
Why bats produce ultrasound, and why different bats produce different frequencies.
What a bat call looks like and what affects the shape of the bat calls.
What the clutter continuum is and how this affects bat echolocation, including precautions and difficulties with acoustic analysis.
Terminology related to bat acoustics – call/pulse, sequence, pass, characteristic frequency, etc.
The properties of sound, and why ultrasound presents a challenge for bats and bat researchers.
How a species’ ultrasound and bat ecology and morphology are inter-related.
Species Identification 101
How one can predict what type of ultrasound a given species will produce, based on its ecology.
What key features in a call shape and sequence pattern allow you to differentiate species.
Basic call features of North American bat species.
Difficulties inherent in telling some bat species apart.
Methods used to tell species apart – manual and statistical techniques.
Hardware 101
What is a bat detector and how does it work.
What are the different types of detectors and how do the technologies differ (audio and data) – heterodyne, full spectrum, zero-cross, frequency division.
How full spectrum data and zero-crossing data are collected.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of full spectrum vs. zero-crossing data.
What types of detector technologies are used in what scenarios – passive monitoring, listening vs. recording, active monitoring, reference call collection, etc.
Field Applications Of Bat Detectors 101
When to use active monitoring and why.
Where to situate a passive detector, and what to consider in the placement of such units.
How to deploy a passive detector – solar considerations (latitude appropriate), housings (when they are needed, and how to accommodate various weather conditions), site selection (where to put a detector and things to avoid; optimizing post-field analysis).
How to collect reference calls and why.
Creative methods for deploying detectors – dealing with issues such as weather, vandalism, landscape features, etc.
Wildlife Acoustics Hardware
The new Song Meter SM3BAT
The new Song Meter SMZC Zero Crossing Recorder
The new Echo Meter Touch for iPads and iPhones
Wildlife Acoustics Software
Participants will learn how to use the following software associated with the Wildlife Acoustics equipment:

Song Meter Configuration Utility
Kaleidoscope Pro Bat Auto-ID Software
Sonobat Auto-ID Software
Analysis Of Acoustic Recordings
How to convert data from the Song Meter to meet analysis needs – full spectrum vs. zero crossing options, and advantages and disadvantages of analyzing in each format.
Prerequisites: None

Required Equipment: Attendees may bring their own SM3BAT, SMZC, Echo Meter Touch and/or Echo Meter EM3. We also will have a number of SM3BAT, SMZC and Echo Meter Touch units to assist with the classroom experience.

We will be demonstrating the new Echo Meter Touch and attendees are encouraged to bring a compatible iPad or iPhone.

Attendees must bring a laptop with the ability to run a Windows environment.