Noise from oil and gas pumps can be a real mood-killer for a male sparrow trying to attract a mate, but a team of biologists in southern Alberta has discovered that songbirds are finding ways to cope.
Their research involves high fidelity speakers, powerful microphones and many early morning hours spent on a patch of prairie near the small city of Brooks.
They blast recordings of various types of oil and gas pumps through the speakers and then track and record the birds’ response. The acoustic experiments are producing intriguing results.
A Savannah sparrow perches in southern Alberta. Males are varying their pitch to attract females, new research suggests. (Paulson Des Brisay/CBC)
One songbird species, the Savannah
This story was originally published on CBC News. To read the rest of this news worthy story, please visit https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/oil-and-gas-birds-noise-pollution-1.4754257?cmp=rss.