Hoot Detective, the citizen science project developed by ABC Science, the A2O and the University of New England, has been featured on Off Track (14/08/2021). Off Track is presented by Ann Jones and Jo Khan, and is an amazing radio program on the ABC about the sounds of nature, ecology, and the researchers behind the science. Please check out the program here, featuring QUT’s very own Callan Alexander and Marina Scarpelli.
It’s been a long time between posts, and there have been many exciting developments for the Australian Acoustic Observatory over the intervening period. A large number of sites have been added to the A2O network, ranging from the far north to Tasmania, and the arid interior to coastal locations. Many recordings are now processed and are being made accessible through the A2O data portal.
A2O infrastructure is now hosted by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane. The move to QUT has been an involved process, and we aim to minimise any further delays related to the new arrangement. Thank you to everyone for your patience, and please check in regularly with the observatory for future developments.
The observatory has also had a paper published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution. The paper can be accessed here. Please reference this paper if you plan to use A2O data in any publications or projects.
Thanks again for your support and enthusiasm for the Australian Acoustic Observatory! Keep an eye out for more news here and keep in touch with the A2O team if you have any comments or questions.
Acoustic data may now be accessed for the Samford Ecological Research Facility (SERF). SERF is managed by the Queensland University of Technology, and affiliated with the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). These are the first available recordings for the A2O, with acoustic sensors actively monitoring the soundscapes of eucalypt woodland (SERF Dry A and SERF Dry B) and notophyll vine forest (SERF Wet A and SERF Wet B) on the outskirts of Brisbane in South-East Queensland.
The A2O is currently recording the sounds of the Mitchell Grass Plains, ranging from the calls of arid bird species to the lowing of wandering cattle. Acoustic sensors have been deployed across an actively grazed research station affiliated with QUT and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network outside of Longreach in western Queensland.
There are now four acoustic sensors deployed across QUT’s Samford Ecological Research Facility, found on the outskirts of Brisbane, Queensland. SERF is a 51 hectare property that protects threatened and endangered ecosystems within a mosaic of remnant native vegetation and cleared pasture. The facility is home to a wide range of audible species, including Australia’s largest nocturnal bird, the Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua).
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