By Keita Sin

Bird sounds never fail to fascinate us, but at times the playlist of vocalisations that envelop us in the field can feel almost too overwhelming. Why do birds call, and what do their calls tell us? As birders, what can we do to remember so many sounds, and how do we best document them? How can we visualise the sounds that they make, and hear the feathers that make them special?

I – a self-proclaimed bird sound nerd – explored these topics through my spotlight talk Seeing Sounds, Hearing Feathers at the 2025 Festival of Biodiversity. The full talk is now available online for those of you who missed it! (If you find the video too long, feel free to watch it at 2x speed, but I suggest trying to listen to the sounds of the pigeon’s flaps at normal speed towards the end of the video – I promise that you’ll be able to hear the difference too 🙂 )