General
What does Bioacoustiq do?
We deliver a bioacoustic monitoring service, helping you survey species and measure biodiversity in your land. Our Bioacoustic monitoring technology is designed to be easy to use, leasing recording equipment to you for your survey period, before returning the devices to complete data analysis.
Bioacoustic Monitoring Service
What is bioacoustic monitoring?
Bioacoustic monitoring uses recording devices to capture the sounds made by wildlife over extended periods. The recordings are processed to identify species and understand patterns in their activity. This provides a non-invasive and repeatable way to monitor biodiversity across different locations, seasons and years.
How does your bioacoustic monitoring service work?
In short:
- Ship – we send you a recording device and you set it up as per the instructions
- Record – leave the device outside for 1 month
- Return – take down the device and post it back
- Report – we analyse the data and send you a report
How does your bioacoustic monitoring service work?
In short:
- Ship – we send you a recording device and you set it up as per the instructions
- Record – leave the device outside for 1 month
- Return – take down the device and post it back
- Report – we analyse the data and send you a report
What will happen to the data captured?
The audio data that we collect will be filtered and analysed for bird and bat calls. For some species, we will verify the identification manually by listening to a few select recordings. After the verification, we keep the audio data as standard for a 6 month period. After this period has finished, the audio data will be deleted.
If you require longer term storage for the audio data captured from our surveys, please let us know when scheduling your surveys.
You can read about our analysis processes here, and see our privacy policy and data protection policy for more details.
Will you detect every bird and bat?
Our process has been designed to verify whether or not specific bird or bat species have been detected, and we also apply human verification during our analysis to maximise identification accuracy. Our “Identification List” includes all Birds and Bats that live and migrate to the UK. Any species that are extremely rare, and do not often visit our shores may not be included in our identification processes. Please enquire if you have a specific rare species in mind that you are interested in monitoring.
There are various factors that may cause species not to be identified, such as:
– Background noise (e.g. severe weather) makes species’ calls unclear and difficult to identify.
– Species may be far from the recording device, or may make faint calls which are difficult to detect.
– Some species are not particularly audible, especially at certain times of year when they make few calls or hibernate.
To best avoid these issues, we recommend the following steps be taken to provide a comprehensive understanding of biodiversity:
– Multiple surveys are taken during different seasons (preferably in each season) throughout the year. This also ensures migratory birds are captured during winter and summer.
– Multiple recording devices deployed, either evenly distributed across land or strategically placed in different habitats to maximise coverage.
– To make the most of your survey, we provide further tips and guidance for best placement of the recording devices when you schedule an order.
Can I tell how many individual birds and bats there are?
Not explicitly. Since a single bird can make multiple calls then we can only tell you how many calls have been identified. We use the total number of bird calls (or “identifications”) as a measure of total species activity.
With repeat surveys we can measure the relative change in calls for all species, which is indicative of abundance change over time.
I saw a bird that does not appear in the report. Is the device working correctly?
There are various factors that may cause species not to be identified, such as:
– Background noise (e.g. severe weather) makes species’ calls unclear and difficult to identify.
– Species may be far from the recording device, or may make faint calls which are difficult to detect.
– Some species are not particularly audible, especially at certain times of year when they make few calls or hibernate.
To best avoid these issues, we recommend the following steps be taken to provide a comprehensive understanding of biodiversity:
– Multiple surveys are taken during different seasons (preferably in each season) throughout the year. This also ensures migratory birds are captured during winter and summer.
– Multiple recording devices deployed, either evenly distributed across land or strategically placed in different habitats to maximise coverage.
– To make the most of your survey, we provide further tips and guidance for best placement of the recording devices when you schedule an order.
Some birds can be observed easier than heard (for example, some birds of prey). Complimenting a bioacoustic survey with a visual survey can be an effective way to deliver a comprehensive species evaluation.
Do I receive access to the recordings?
You do not receive access to the audio recordings, which are stored securely and privately by Carbon Rewild, who are the Data Owners. We plan to make select recordings from surveys in the future, however this feature is not currently available.
How long do you keep the audio recordings?
As standard, after 6 months following the survey these recordings are deleted. If you require us to store the audio from our surveys for a longer period, please specify this when scheduling your surveys, as there may be an additional storage cost based on your requirements.
We also offer long term storage and archiving as part of our service. Please speak to the team about this service offering.
How many recording devices will I need?
The number of recording devices required varies based on your requirements. We do recommend multiple recording devices are evenly distributed across your land to maximize coverage, and we can share recommendations on device spacing based on your land size and features.
You may wish to strategically monitor key locations (e.g. habitats) with greater detail, which will require a greater density of recording devices to comprehensively cover the area. Please reach out to us for free consultation and survey design.
What is the recommended survey length?
Our minimum survey length is 28 days, which we have found is the minimum amount of time to accurately identify all species within a single season.
Due to the seasonal nature of nature (especially with birds and bats), you will find that your species richness and abundance will vary monthly based on species behaviour, migration, hibernation etc. Therefore, for comprehensive surveying, we recommend monitoring at 2 – 4 times per year in different seasons.
For a more comprehensive understanding of species behaviour and biodiversity throughout the year, we recommend 3-month or 12-month surveys, which we can provide.
How many surveys do you recommend throughout the year?
Due to the seasonal nature of nature (especially with birds and bats), you will find that your species richness and abundance will vary monthly based on species behaviour, migration, hibernation etc. Therefore, we recommend monitoring at 2 – 4 times per year in different seasons.
We also provide continuous 12-month monitoring for a complete annual review of biodiversity and species behaviour.
Can you analyse recordings collected using my own equipment?
Yes. Our data analysis service is available for organisations that collect recordings using their own equipment and field methods. Recordings can be uploaded for species classification, data processing and verification, with managed, partially managed and self-verification options available.
Will I receive a report and access to the online dashboard?
Yes. Survey results are delivered through clear reporting and the Bioacoustiq Core online dashboard. The dashboard allows you to explore detected species, activity patterns, recording locations and changes over time. The exact reporting provided will depend on the service and requirements agreed for your project.
How long does analysis and verification take?
Analysis time depends on the volume of recordings, number of locations, target species and level of expert verification required. We will provide an expected delivery timeframe when your project is scoped, but typically we aim for a 4 week turnaround from when the recording devices or data has been received. If you are working towards a fixed reporting deadline, please let us know when making your enquiry so we can confirm whether it can be accommodated.
Do you offer international services?
Yes. Our complete survey service, including recording equipment, analysis and reporting, is currently available in various regions outside the UK. We also offer data analysis services internationally for organisations that collect their own acoustic recordings. Suitability depends on the location, target species and available identification models, so please contact us to discuss your project.
Other
Did you change your name?
Yes. Carbon Rewild is now Bioacoustiq. We changed our name to better reflect our focus on bioacoustic monitoring and wildlife data analysis. We are still the same company, with the same team, services and commitment to our customers.