Sound science: recording and listening in the biology of bird song, 1880-1980

Abstract

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Sounds Convincing: Modes of Listening and Sonic Skills in Knowledge Making

“…These domains, however, are not disciplines such as audiology or acoustics, in which sound is foregrounded as an object of study, but rather, ones in which sound is used as an entrance to knowledge acquisition. These domains include car mechanics and engineers listening to engines (Krebs 2012a, 2012b, 2012c); doctors listening to patients’ bodies and hospital equipment (Van Drie 2013) and medical students learning to listen (Harris and Van Drie forthcoming); ornithologists in the field and the laboratory listening to birds (Bruyninckx 2012, 2013); and sonification researchers developing and listening to auditory displays as alternatives or additions to scientific visualizations (Supper 2012a, 2012b, 2014). The project is thus interdisciplinary in its scope and subject matter, as it compares listening practices and other sonic skills in different disciplines.…”

“…Monitory listening refers to checking for possible malfunctions — for instance, when car drivers pay attention to ‘the rhythmic and silent run of the engine’ and ‘the regular humming of the gearbox or chain drive’ (Küster 1919, quoted in Bijsterveld and Krebs 2013, 20). Monitory listening is also employed in the scientific laboratory and field by researchers checking the proper running of their equipment (Bruyninckx 2013, Mody 2005), and in the hospital by doctors and nurses monitoring the vital signs of patients. Monitory listening usually accompanies other tasks and activities, often unrelated to sound — whether those are driving a car, operating a microscope, or performing surgery on a patient.…”

“…Narratives of field observation in ornithology, for instance, often feature ornithologists letting themselves be guided through the woods by ear, always listening out for rare, exotic or appealing bird songs, such as in this account by the naturalist J. Schafer: ‘While going through a thicket of hazel brush, briars and vines, a bird was heard singing so softly that it was some time before I could locate the exact place where the song came from. After listening a short time I recognized the song to be that of a Catbird, but to make sure of the identity of the singer, it was driven from its hiding place’ (Schafer 1916, quoted in Bruyninckx 2013, 36).…”

“…Scientists, physicians, and engineers often engage in such interactive listening in order to find out more about their subjects. Ornithologists, for instance, may interact with the birds that they study by deliberately exposing them to specific sounds — such as recordings of birdsongs or traffic noise — in order to elicit a response (Bruyninckx 2013, 94f.). Car mechanics, too, often engage in interactive listening, for instance when listening for changes in the sound of the engine while changing gears; and so do car drivers, when they pay attention to the sounds of the car in deciding when to shift gears.…”

“…Similarly important for the skill of mode-shifting has been the rise of sound recording technologies in ornithology. The phonograph, sound camera, gramophone and tape recorder enabled ornithologists to record the sounds of birds in ways that many of these scientists considered more accurate, less dependent on individual listening capacities and therefore more ‘objective’ than the notation of sound in traditional onomatopoeic terms, musical staff or graphs (Bruyninckx 2013, 63). In addition, these tools allowed them to repeat their listening exercises as often as they wanted, or even to slow down the speed of the recording, thus affording precision in notation after the field trip (Bruyninckx 2013, 49).…”