Virtual birding : extending birdwatching to review acoustic recordings

This thesis investigates how to enable bird watchers to review audio recordings collected by environmental sensors. Birders have valuable experience that is essential for identifying highly variable bird calls. Accurate bird call identifications can provide reliable information for avian research and conservation efforts. The five studies in this thesis yield a nuanced understanding of birders’ activities. Evaluations by birders of two prototype websites for analysing audio pinpoint effective design elements. The findings demonstrate that audio segments, visualisations, and tailored feedback in a website interface support accurate identifications of bird calls that may otherwise remain undetected