Clip-on microphones are a cheap and easy way to improve recordings on your phone or laptop. Check the connections are compatible with your chosen recording device (for example, do you need a USB connection, an iPhone connection, etc.?). You may need to buy additional cables, but these are handy options if you want to attach your microphone to your coat or bag. The range on these microphones won't be too powerful, but may be useful if you're just starting out.

Shotgun microphones are a step-up again. They are unidirectional, so pick up sounds from the direction they are pointed. They are more powerful than in-built mics of handheld sound recorders and will give a better quality recording.

A popular choice with serious birders, they are light enough to be carried around attached to a rucksack for constant recording, or you can rig them up for nocmig. Ideally you would use a tripod to provide a stable base, but we have seen some creative solutions. Look for a model with a screw thread that allows you to attach it to a standard tripod.

Parabolic dishes are the most expensive option for external microphones, but give the best in quality recordings. They are larger and bowl-shaped, giving high amplification of the subject pointed at, while also including some of the ambience around it but without the amplification. There are pros and cons to this; you get a wider field of 'view', but you may get more noise from roads, gardens, etc. than with a shotgun mic. Some of them can be folded down or rolled up to be more portable.

A popular choice with serious sound-recordists, you can carry them around for constant recording, but bear in mind they are large, cumbersome and you will lose one of your hands to carrying and directing it. You can rig them up for nocmig, ideally you would use a tripod to provide a stable base. Check the threading on the microphone to make sure they are compatible.

Parabolic microphones can be stereo, which creates a somewhat more spacious recording and helps the listener to separate the main subject from the background by directional clues. However, it is a weird kind of stereo with a big bulge in the middle, which is why we often prefer the next kind of microphone.

A“binaural” microphone setup imitates the way a human listens. There are two microphones involved, and like the two human ears, the mics are placed about seven inches apart. There are detailed guides on how to create your own set-ups, and the result will be an immersive, ambient experience, particularly through headphones. We love the dyamic nature of binaurual stereo - as if you are in the middle of the action - and the natural-sounding ambience. However, lacking the amplification offered by a parabola or the everything-but-the-subject elimination of a shotgun mic, binaural recordings risk being more distant-sounding and with a less clear separation of main subject and background. The solution is to anticipate recordings well in advance and place your microphones strategically, often leaving them in place for a very long time and retreating to watch from a distance, in the hope that the birds of interest will at some point vocalise right beside your gear.

We like to use a ‘SASS’ casing (Stereo Ambient Sampling System) and high quality omnidirectional mics for binaural stereo The original Crown SASS is no longer manufactured, but you can find them on eBay or even build your own. Alternatively, some passive wildlife recorders such as the Wildlife Acoustics SM4 are essentially binaural stereo recorders and have the added advantage of being programmable and extremely rugged.