bird call recording

[sanderling]

I'd like to record bird song - I do not want to spend too much on equipment, just somthing very small and portable - are MP3/4 players any good for this? or is a digital voice recorder OK? advise please

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

I used to use a small hand held Dictaphone...surprisingly good for what they are and very cheap too!

[hannahpanda]

I'd say a small hand held Dictaphone too, or if you have a mobile phone with a recorder on it which isnt bad quality

[zharca]

Hi, if you have an iPod then there are add-on microphones you can get for less than £20. Belkin and Griffin, both good companies, make them and Mrs Z has one made by "xtremeMac" which does the job of recording birds in the field pretty well.

Main problem is that it's not directional like a pro microphone, so you do pick up wind and distant traffic noise and stuff, but it's certainly good enough to bring home birdsong to identify.

[Gaina]

Have you got a compact digital camera with a movie facility? That's what I use - I record the movie and just extract the sound using video editing software.

[naturelover]

hi sanderling,welcome to wab,i recorded the dawn courus once,only had a small cassett recorder,sat it on my bedroom window sill with the window open,its amazing what you pick up even on the cheapest recording systum.