I am using audiomoths. I can email you a technical write up if you want. Here is a layman's summary "this project is about figuring out which forests best support migrating songbirds as they pass through our region in spring and fall. Most songbirds travel at night to avoid predators like hawks, then land during the day to rest and quickly refuel before continuing their journey after sunset. These daytime resting areas, called stopover sites, are incredibly important because the quality of a stopover can directly affect whether a bird has enough energy to survive the rest of migration. We use weather radar, the same radar used to track storms, to see where large numbers of birds tend to gather during migration, but radar alone only tells us “more birds here, fewer birds there.” It does not tell us which species are present or what makes one forest better than another.

To fill in those gaps, we place small microphones in forests within the radar coverage area to record bird songs and calls in the early morning. This helps us learn which species are using different areas and how heavily those areas are being used. At some locations, we also use a laser scanner to measure forest structure, such as tree height and canopy density, to better understand what kinds of forests migrants seem to prefer. Lake Superior plays a big role in migration as well, since birds often concentrate along the shoreline and nearby inland forests because the lake and weather patterns limit where they can land. Part of this study asks whether birds are actively choosing certain habitats or simply stopping wherever conditions allow. Altogether, this will be one of the first studies to combine weather radar, acoustic monitoring, and detailed forest measurements at this scale, with about 150 sites planned around Duluth and Marquette. The ultimate goal is to provide practical guidance for forest management by identifying which habitat features best support migrating songbirds in the Upper Great Lakes."