S2 E10: Machine Learning Is For The Birds

Today, we are going to talk with Zan Aslett, a remote sensing scientist and geophysicist with deep expertise in analyzing large datasets—like those 18,300 hours of recordings scientists used to uncover why birds call out during their seemingly solitary nighttime migrations. Definitely go back and listen to Episode 9 if you missed it!  With Zan’s help, we’re going to break down how machine learning was applied to this enormous dataset and get a few tips on how to use ChatGPT that are truly gamechangers for our everyday lives. Oh, and Zan is rather importantly my husband — but don’t hold that against him.

Stories:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/migrating-birds-sing-to-team-up-with-other-species/ 

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(24)01701-9 

Music: The Weeknd from wish by Lundstroem is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lundstroem/songs-i-regard-terrible/the-weeknd-from-wish/ 

Hearing Protection Tips:

Okay, as your birder friend, I want you to hear your birds today, but also in five years. Make sure you have the basics, get some inexpensive foam earplugs at your local drugstore and put them in your bag or car for those random times you are heading to a show and its going to be way too loud. Also grab some earmuffs and have them handy for when you use the blender or mow the lawn.

Here's a few that I like that are inexpensive and won't break the bank:

-Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 7 Pair + Case – (NRR 33 dB Highest NRR). https://amzn.to/3Xn2xrN .

-3M PELTOR Ear Muffs, X1, (NRR 22) https://amzn.to/41aMcbU. Most comfortable muff in my opinion. Nicely slim for a muff while providing good ear protection. Fantastic to bring to fireworks shows and air shows, so you can take them off to chat with your friends. Bonus -- even comfortable and lightweight enough that your kid will wear them!

-3M PELTOR X3 Earmuffs, (NRR 25-28) https://amzn.to/40XXVZN. Great protection, but can get heavy.

*Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the number of decibels that the ear pro can reduce ambient noise levels – NRR 33 is the maximum. I’ve found that NRR 33 is pretty bulky/heavy in muffs so I opt for NRR 22 or NRR 25.

@THE.BIRD.BRIEF