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The Nature Trust of New Brunswick is collecting the chirps and songs of birds around the province with the help of 10 solar-powered machines from Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The non-profit\u2019s soundscape project began a year ago, with the goal of identifying rare species and shifts in migratory patterns without the need to have crew on sight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So far, the device, known as autonomous recording units, have helped identify five species at risk, including the common nighthawk, olive-sided flycatcher, American bittern and bobolink.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It also identified unusual activity from bald eagles that were nesting near one of the devices and allowed bird experts to confirm species that were breeding on site.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt lets us get a pretty accurate picture of the different wildlife that are present at some of our more remote nature preserves,\u201d said Jon MacNeill, communications and engagement manager for the trust.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Jon MacNeill of the Nature Trust of New Brunswick says the goal of using the autonomous recording devices is to identify species at risk. (Benjamin Ford\/CBC)<\/p>\n
MacNeill said these devices are especially useful for the trust\u2019s coastal sites that act as migratory stopover locations for birds passing through on their global journeys.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOn some of those island sites, [birds] go to breed or to nest and we don\u2019t want to disturb the birds while they\u2019re doing those important activities,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also complicated to send crew to those remote islands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could just take [a device to a site and leave it and let it collect sound through all of the different seasons and go pick it up and then have a lot of audio files to sift through.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shraddha Vadgama, stewardship co-ordinator for the Nature Trust of New Brunswick, said having this information is critical because it helps the trust understand areas within preserves that might need additional protection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
WATCH | How solar-powered devices are installed in N.B. nature preserves:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767465566_860_default.jpg\")
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Soundscape project uses solar-powered devices to detect birds from afar<\/p>\n
The Nature Trust of New Brunswick has acquired 10 solar-powered recording devices to collect the chirps and songs of birds without anyone there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can protect breeding habitats, specifically if, you know, there is a trail ,and a bald eagle is nesting nearby. We need to protect it and divert that trail system.”<\/p>\n
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Shraddha Vadgama of the Nature Trust of New Brunswick says data collected from the autonomous recording units allows the trust to direct the public away from critical habitats and nesting spots. (Benjamin Ford\/CBC)<\/p>\n