University birdsong project expands across county

Dr Joseph Mhango said initial data would be shared by the university in September

Technology that monitors birdsong as part of conservation efforts is to be rolled out across Shropshire.

The Green Box Project involves recordings via wireless boxes operated by solar panel. Recordings are uploaded to the cloud, where birds are then identified by AI.

It is hoped the collected data could support conservation planning and contribute to national biodiversity databases.

"This idea of bioacoustics is something that people have been trying to implement in a box like this for a really long time," said Dr Joseph Mhango from the county's Harper Adams University which created the tech.

"The artificial intelligence classifies what it's heard, and picks out specific birdsong... it's able to recognise what species of bird that is.

"Data scientists at Harper Adams will take over and analyse trends - what sort of migratory birds are coming to Shropshire over time, what sort of local species persist."

The AI system was trained by real scientists, using millions of bird soundscapes.

The Shropshire Ornithological Society will host one of the sensors at its Venus Pool reserve near Shrewsbury.

"Ornithological surveys are vital for tracking changes in bird populations, which are often early indicators of broader environmental shifts," said Claire Mulvey, from the society.

"The Green Box Project not only enhances our ability to monitor these changes but also fosters community engagement in conservation efforts."

The boxes will record over the next couple of months, with the university releasing initial data at the end of September.

"We have set up pretty much a fleet of them… they will be continuously recording birdsong every single day," said Dr Mhango.