We asked our team to share their proudest achievements with The Sound Approach...

 1. The Sound Approach have been responsible for the discovery of new species for science. Between 2013 and 2015, our team were able to identify a ‘new’ species for science, the Omani Owl, primarily using sound recordings and photography, and later confirming the discovery using DNA. The species was previously known, but from just one tatty old specimen in the Natural History Museum (Tring, England) said to be from Pakistan, and collected 135 years earlier. Read more.

2. In 2009 and 2010, The Sound Approach was responsible for the rediscovery of the Turkish Fish Owl. There had been just a handful of Western Palearctic records in the last 100 years, but we hoped that a viable population might still exist. Thanks to the work of The Sound Approach, we were able to confirm that the population still existed. Read more.

3. We own one of the largest privately-owned archives of bird sound recordings in the world, exceeding 83,000 recordings of more than 1,500 species. The archive features bird sounds from almost every species in the Western Palaearctic, and is one of the most detailed, accurate and well-document sound archives in existence. We are renowned for our high standards in ornithology and sound recording. Read more.

4. We are an independent award-winning publishing house, with six books complete with accompanying bird sounds, focusing on different groups of birds or locations. In 2008, Petrels Night and Day was awarded Birdwatch Book of the Year. The work that has gone into our publications have resulted in significant contributions to our understanding of bird behaviour, species and sounds. The forthcoming second edition of The Sound Approach to Birding (2025) brings together the latest insights, research and ideas about bird sounds, supported by high quality and diverse recordings. Shop here.

5. In 2015, The Sound Approach was awarded the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Marsh Award for innovative Ornithology. The prestigious award was presented to the team for our valuable contribution to ornithology, recognising the groundbreaking contributions our research into bird sounds is making. Read more.

6. The Sound Approach has made significant contributions to the way in which birders access and analyse bird sounds, not least in introducing the science of ‘Nocmig’ to Europe and supporting the development of this science with amateurs and professionals alike. Read more.

7. The Sound Approach have been instrumental in identifying a number of rare or scarce species found in unexpected locations. Our high standards in sound recording and expert understanding of the role of bird sounds in identification have led to confirming the presence of a Paddyfield Pipit in Cornwall in 2019, a Green Warbler in The Netherlands in 2019 and a number of other species across the globe.

8. Our work has led to some changes of thinking about the distribution of certain species. For example, thanks to our work we now know that Eastern Yellow Wagtail Motacilla tschutschensisis a regular winter visitor to the Iberian peninsula having recorded multiple individuals in the same location on several occasions. We have also shown Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoniand Little Bunting Emberiza pusillato be far more regular in Portugal that previously appreciated. We have also added new species to the national avifaunas of several countries. The most recent was when we discovered a small flock of Eastern Red-rumped Swallows Cecropis daurica wintering in southern Oman in February 2025.