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Zoom H1 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter GMS
- Start date
Zoom H1 suitability for bird recording
After hearing the success stories of birders on the nearby continent using recording equipment to document and record migrating birds I was looking into getting a recorder myself. The main objective for me was to get a recorder that would be good enough to allow recording of calls/song and subsequent analysis via sonogram. There was no requirement for the sound quality to be brilliant, just as long as it allowed ID/documentation.
After much research I bought the Zoom H1 late last year, mainly because the price was very attractive and the microphone quality was said to be very good.
I only managed to test the recorder over the last few weeks and here’s what I found:
Ease of use:
This recorder has a very basic functionality and you only can change the following: low cut filter (on/off), auto levels (on/off) and recording format (mp3/wav). Recording is started/stopped via a big button on the recorder interface. Can’t get any easier than that.
Battery:
The battery that came with the instrument lasted for about 4h. Runtime is longer according to the manual so presumably with a better quality battery this will last longer. So far I have had the recorder switch on at all times during vis-mig, but not recording to avoid to big file sizes. I have only recorded when necessary. This obviously means I’m running the risk of missing some birds that may only call once or twice.
Wind protection:
The recorder appears to be very sensitive to wind impact, so I would never record without wind protection. I don’t know how this compares to other recorders but would assume this to be a common problem.
Recording quality:
Recording calls or song of a bird close-by works well, with good recording quality achieved, e.g. a bird sitting in a bush or singing from a tree. Fly-over birds are more difficult, especially due to wind impact on exposed vis-mig points. Nonetheless I’ve managed to record Xbill, Finches, Pipits, Wagtails, etc…without big effort. The quality of the recordings is not brilliant and often quite noisy but it is generally good enough to identify birds from the recordings/sonograms. I managed to record a ‘glip type’ Xbill and while the quality of the sonogram was not especially good (even though the bird was fairly close) it allowed ID.
Shortcomings/problems:
Birds that are further away are not easily picked up (of course depending also on the conditions) because the recorder is not powerful enough and background noise appears to be high at times.
For me this seems to be what I had been looking for. I’m not looking for a price for the best recording but a recordings of sufficient quality that allow ID. And I believe that this recorder is suitable for this purpose. For people who are more serious about bird recording this is most likely not going to be good enough.
After hearing the success stories of birders on the nearby continent using recording equipment to document and record migrating birds I was looking into getting a recorder myself. The main objective for me was to get a recorder that would be good enough to allow recording of calls/song and subsequent analysis via sonogram. There was no requirement for the sound quality to be brilliant, just as long as it allowed ID/documentation.
After much research I bought the Zoom H1 late last year, mainly because the price was very attractive and the microphone quality was said to be very good.
I only managed to test the recorder over the last few weeks and here’s what I found:
Ease of use:
This recorder has a very basic functionality and you only can change the following: low cut filter (on/off), auto levels (on/off) and recording format (mp3/wav). Recording is started/stopped via a big button on the recorder interface. Can’t get any easier than that.
Battery:
The battery that came with the instrument lasted for about 4h. Runtime is longer according to the manual so presumably with a better quality battery this will last longer. So far I have had the recorder switch on at all times during vis-mig, but not recording to avoid to big file sizes. I have only recorded when necessary. This obviously means I’m running the risk of missing some birds that may only call once or twice.
Wind protection:
The recorder appears to be very sensitive to wind impact, so I would never record without wind protection. I don’t know how this compares to other recorders but would assume this to be a common problem.
Recording quality:
Recording calls or song of a bird close-by works well, with good recording quality achieved, e.g. a bird sitting in a bush or singing from a tree. Fly-over birds are more difficult, especially due to wind impact on exposed vis-mig points. Nonetheless I’ve managed to record Xbill, Finches, Pipits, Wagtails, etc…without big effort. The quality of the recordings is not brilliant and often quite noisy but it is generally good enough to identify birds from the recordings/sonograms. I managed to record a ‘glip type’ Xbill and while the quality of the sonogram was not especially good (even though the bird was fairly close) it allowed ID.
Shortcomings/problems:
Birds that are further away are not easily picked up (of course depending also on the conditions) because the recorder is not powerful enough and background noise appears to be high at times.
For me this seems to be what I had been looking for. I’m not looking for a price for the best recording but a recordings of sufficient quality that allow ID. And I believe that this recorder is suitable for this purpose. For people who are more serious about bird recording this is most likely not going to be good enough.
Hello GMS,
I've used a zoom H2 for a couple of years now, mainly attached to my bat detector, but more recently with some success when birding.
During vis-mig stakeouts, I leave it running, and start a new file every 30 minutes or so. I've found that there is often too much going on already, and the seemingly simple task of hitting the record button is too much of a distraction. If something good goes over, I make a note of the time on the recording display and cut the section out when I get home.
To combat the wind, I try and put the recorder either in a dip, or surround it with a scarf or towel shielding it from the wind.
I process the files using audacity, a free software package, and wavesurfer for generating sonograms.
See link below for two Lapland Buntings over my head during vis-mig..
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/petermk/17586/Lapland+Buntings.html
They ain't gonna win grammys, but they are a lasting memory for me. One thing that struck me, in the first recording is that the recorder starts picking up the calls a good few seconds before the rustling, which was me realising what was approaching.. and my hearing is pretty good, (but maybe my concentration needs some work!)
Peter
I've used a zoom H2 for a couple of years now, mainly attached to my bat detector, but more recently with some success when birding.
During vis-mig stakeouts, I leave it running, and start a new file every 30 minutes or so. I've found that there is often too much going on already, and the seemingly simple task of hitting the record button is too much of a distraction. If something good goes over, I make a note of the time on the recording display and cut the section out when I get home.
To combat the wind, I try and put the recorder either in a dip, or surround it with a scarf or towel shielding it from the wind.
I process the files using audacity, a free software package, and wavesurfer for generating sonograms.
See link below for two Lapland Buntings over my head during vis-mig..
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/petermk/17586/Lapland+Buntings.html
They ain't gonna win grammys, but they are a lasting memory for me. One thing that struck me, in the first recording is that the recorder starts picking up the calls a good few seconds before the rustling, which was me realising what was approaching.. and my hearing is pretty good, (but maybe my concentration needs some work!)
Peter
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Thanks Peter - that's really useful advice.
I've tried it a couple of times now leaving the recorder running constantly also using a little shelter to reduce wind impact and I'm positively surprised. Background noise of course much lower now and I won't be missing anything as the recorder is running at all times. No goodies recorded yet but I've got a few recordings now that I wouldn't have been able to get before. Reach is still the main problem but I think it's only a matter of time before something good flies past.
Main background noise was a bumble bee
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