About the Wildlife Sound Recording Society
The Society welcomes anyone of any age who is interested in, or has an appreciation of the sounds made by wildlife and the natural world.| Core aims of the society are to: Encourage participation in the collection of these wonderful sounds of the natural world. To help promote the need to understand their meanings. Through its members, the Society fosters development in: Recording skills and techniques Promoting the study of bioacoustics. |
Members of WSRS benefit from learning How to go about recording wildlife sounds, How to find good recording locations, Field craft, Natural History What equipment to use, What to do with your recordings |
Aims of the Society
- To encourage the recording of wildlife sounds.
- To offer opportunities for technical improvement and scientific study.
- To further the appreciation and understanding of animal language.
Activities
Meetings
There are at least two meetings of the Society during the year:
- Members' Day takes place in the northern Summer; after the AGM business meeting, a speaker is invited to talk on a
subject of particular interest to members. Members have the opportunity for discussion, exchanging news and getting advice. - The Spring Meeting, held in a locality that offers scope for recording in the field, is arranged over a Spring weekend; this gives ample time for members to exchange ideas on equipment, techniques, etc.
- Technical Workshops are held every two years to give practical help in the use of equipment and techniques used to record and analyse natural sounds.
Additionally, field and indoor meetings are arranged during the year by members at local and regional levels.
Details of upcoming meetings are listed in the events section.
WSRS Website
Members of the society have access to a restricted area, containing:
- WSRS Forum, for discussing any aspect of natural history sound recording
- Back Issues of the WSRS journal, Wildlife Sound, dating back nearly 50 years.
- Past recordings made by its members
- Members are able to comment on the WSRS Sound Magazine.
Sound Magazine
Our Sound Magazine is produced four times a year. It is compiled from members' work and includes a wide variety of items from both new and more experienced recordists. Containing comparisons and contrasting recordings made by members from around the world, it also gives guidance on recording techniques and equipment, with examples.
Journal
Wildlife Sound is published twice a year. All members are invited to submit articles; these include reports on equipment, advice, analysis, field techniques, projects, meetings etc. You can read selected articles here . Find out about a previous issue.
Newsletter
Three or four newsletters are sent out during the year between the publication of the Journal with updated information about forthcoming events and activities.
Competitions
The Society runs two competitions a year. One is for short documentaries about any subject relevant to wildlife sounds. The other covers individual animals, species, encounters and habitat. The winning entries are played at the July Members' Day and are featured on the Sound Magazine
Wildlife Sound Recording Society Annual CompetitionThe overall winner of the competition receives the Silver Fox Trophy.
Our Restricted Category competition is generously sponsored by Wildlife Watching Supplies with the gift of a voucher to spend on-line.
Wildlife Section, British Library Sound Archive
(formerly known as the National Sound Archive)
Many recordings made by our members are deposited for reference and scientific study purposes with the Wildlife Section of the British Library Sound Archive, a practice which they encourage.
Membership
Members can view back issues of the journals, have access to the WSRS members forum and comment on the Sound Magazine plus much more, all from the members' section
Read more about how to join or download an forms in PDF format here.