Evaluating Limitations and Usability of Kaleidoscope Software for Analyzing Recordings at Potential Mexican Spotted Owl Sites
Category: Research Poster
Author(s): Sean Pearson
Presenter(s): Sean Pearson
Acoustic monitoring using autonomous recording units (ARUs) is an increasingly common way to study wildlife. Differences in recording quality can affect which species are detected. This study examines how environmental conditions and physical location characteristics influence acoustic data collected at ARU locations within potential Mexican Spotted Owl habitat in the Arapaho National Forest in Colorado. Even though ARUs produce valuable data, there is still a gap in understanding how background noise impacts recording usability and detection of wildlife sounds. Audio recordings from 10 locations collected during the 2024 field season were processed in Kaleidoscope and reviewed through manual listening. The recordings were sorted based on the amount of background noise and sound clarity, then compared across locations. There were clear differences in recording quality; wind, precipitation, and other miscellaneous noises made it harder to detect wildlife sounds at several locations. Locations with clearer recordings generally had more noticeable sounds of wildlife, therefore making it easier to identify individual species. Overall, physical and environmental conditions at the recording locations had a strong influence on how the data was interpreted. Accounting for acoustic data quality can help improve wildlife monitoring and lead to more reliable conclusions.