The recommended protocol for FZS partner parks in the Carpathians and Polissia. It gives comparable annual data on species composition and abundance of common birds for the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS). Unlike stationary recorders, the recorder here is a surveyor's tool: a person switches it on at a point for 5 minutes and moves on.

Monitoring sites

1. The survey is repeated every year at the same points.
2. A transect has 5 points, at least 500 m apart.
3. Transects are chosen in advance by the institution's staff and agreed with the coordinator. They must be easy to reach, without extra fuel or travel costs.
4. Register each point in SMART (Field sensors → Sound recording device) and save its coordinates.

Preparing the recorder

Set up the recorder before going to the field, in the Song Meter app.

1. Switch on Bluetooth and location on the phone.
2. Start the Song Meter app, switch on the SM Micro and pair it with the phone (the Pair button on the device).
3. Confirm the time and location update offered by the app.
4. Check the settings against the table below.
5. Disconnect the device (Unpair in the app).

Dates and time

• The two surveys must be 4 weeks ± 2 days apart.
• Start half an hour after sunrise and finish by 10:00.
• Work only in good weather: no rain and no strong wind.

Survey at a point

Repeat at each of the 5 points:

1. Switch the recorder on.
2. Wait 5 minutes without making noise. Keep away from streams (20 m), trees (3 to 4 m) and highways.
3. Switch the recorder off and move to the next point.

Reporting

Deadline: 30 June. Timely analysis and the report to the European coordinators depend on it.

1. Export the transect and point information from SMART (query for sound recording devices, CSV format).
2. Sort the recorder's sound and text files into folders: one transect is one folder.
3. Name the folder NN_001_YYYYMMDD-YYYYMMDD, where NN is the institution ID (table below), 001 is the transect number and the two dates are the first and last recording on the transect. Example: 10_001_20230529-20230529.
4. Hand the folders over to the field technician.

Institution IDs

Tip: the survey dates are updated every year. Check them with the FZS coordinator before the season.