About the AWSRG

nature sound recordingThe AWSRG is the premier association for wildlife and nature sound field recordists in Australia.

We are a friendly and welcoming group of about 70 members from diverse walks of life, who have in common a passion for the natural world, and in particular the recording of wildlife vocalisations, be they from insects, frogs, mammals, birds, fish or crustaceans.

A distinguished history:

Established in the 1980s, the group’s membership has included many of this country’s pioneering field recordists, such as Harold Crouch, John Hutchinson, Bill Flentje and Ed Slater. Through the 1990s, the group collaborated, under the editorship of Rex Buckingham, in the production of ‘The Field Guide to Australian Birdsong’, the first time that vocalisations of every Australian species had been brought together and published. This project was updated by Howard Plowright to a digital edition completed in 2007.

Despite these achievements, there remains so much more to be known about Australian bird and wildlife vocalisations. The field is thus wide open for discovery, and citizen science has an important role in documenting repertoires and behaviours.

Aims:

The aim of the AWSRG is to foster this enquiry, provide a forum to share knowledge, and encourage new recordists with the development of practical field skills.

These aims are facilitated through:

  • A biennial gathering, held at a natural location, featuring workshop sessions on equipment and fieldcraft, plus presentations on current research and member’s projects.
  • The twice yearly publication of the ‘AudioWings’ journal, accompanied by a CD of member’s recordings. Editions of this journal, spanning the last twenty years, represent a valuable archive of citizen science on Australian wildlife communications. (A sample journal is available for download, and others archived in the member’s area)
  • The encouragement of members to archive their audio collections, sometimes representing a lifetime’s work, by donating them to the Australian National Wildlife Collection, Sound Library in Canberra.

Membership:

Our current members come from a range of profesional disciplines, including field recordists, academics, educators, artists and musicians. Equally, many members are amateur naturalists and citizen scientists. As such, we each have something to contribute, and the group is always welcoming of new members with an open sharing of knowledge and support.

Membership is thus open to all, details here.