ABOUT

With a background in sound art, Patrick Franke has established himself as a leading wildlife sound recordist over the past decades. His work is characterized by a systematic approach to acoustic data collection, analogous to specimen-based collections in natural history museums. His archive comprises more than 30,000 catalogued recordings. The integration of this archive into the publicly accessible Macaulay Library is currently in progress.

In 2007, Franke launched Singwarte as an educational platform and has since conducted workshops and lectures aimed at training and engaging participants in capturing high-quality sound recordings. At the heart of Singwarte is its strong commitment to nature conservation. Sound represents a highly effective medium for fostering human engagement with natural environments and increasing awareness of conservation-related issues. 

Furthermore, wildlife sound recordings provide valuable data for understanding species distribution, as well as behavioral patterns such as bird migration. In recent years, advances in computational approaches to conservation have enabled possibilities that were previously unattainable. Well-trained sound recordists are able to contribute high-quality datasets that can be directly applied in science and conservation.

Singwarte workshops train the next generation of sound recordists who are committed to conservation bioacoustics.

Co-founder + board member
Finch Research Network

Co-founder Bioacoustics Study Group
German Ornithological Society

Vize-chairman
Wildlife Sound Recording Society

Co-founder ID Guide
Birds in Flight