“Do you hear that one? The one that sounds like a sneaker on a gym floor? That’s the grosbeak call!”
Learning the many songs and calls of birds is like learning a new language, and it’s a language that opens up a whole new window into the bird world. The practice of listening to the sounds of birds rather than relying on identifying them by their shape, color, and behavior is called “birding by ear” and is the basis of the class co-hosted each spring by Madison Audubon and the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
While there aren’t are very many birds visible in this video, their songs and calls create a symphony of noise! Video by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon
The songs of birds are diverse and unique to each species. You can hear the “sweet sweet sweet, sweeter than sweet” of the Yellow Warbler or the “cheeriup cheerio” of the American Robin. You can pick out the happy pure-toned whistle of a Baltimore Oriole or the R2D2-like lilts of the Bobolink. It’s a wonderful world of sound.
But hands down, the best part of birding by ear is that it expands the number of people who can enjoy and participate in birding, including and especially those who experience vision loss.
No matter how many calls you hear and songs you listen to, the noises don’t always give you a sense for the shape and size of the bird. For new birders and/or folks who are blind or have low vision, this shape and size mystery is a missing piece of the puzzle.
Enter: Patrick Collins. We reached out to the UW-Madison’s School of Human Ecology, which houses departments that are full of creative, innovative students whose expertise is to MAKE things. We asked them, “Can you help us make 3D birds?”
Patrick, a graduate student in the Master of Science in Design + Innovation (MDI) program, said yes.
Here is his description of how he made a seemingly far-fetched idea into a reality.
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“When the opportunity to work with Madison Audubon presented itself, I knew I had to jump in.
The Birding By Ear program is a 2-part introductory birding program focused on identifying native Wisconsin birds by the songs they sing. Students of all visual ability (sighted, visually impaired, or blind) first start online, learning the unique songs, tunes, and noises our avian neighbors perform. In the second session of the program students join their instructors in the field, walking through natural areas in southern Wisconsin. Ultimately, students learn to identify many birds simply with focused and active listening.
As students walk through the forest, they will hear and experience the wonderful accomplishment of identifying our feathered friends. You may never see the bird you hear, but getting to know the size, shape, and proportions of the birds around you can enrich the experience for all birders.
That’s where I come in.
Working with Madison Audubon, I created six of the birds selected by the Birding by Ear coordinators. They chose birds that ranged in size, are all native, and all very common, making the models even more accessible for students.
The bird specimens used for 3D scanning are lined up in a row on a table, each laid on their backs with the beaks pointing to the right. The specimens were provided by UW-Madison Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology and UW Zoological Museum. Photo by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon
Utilizing natural specimens lent to us by the UW-Madison Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology and UW Zoological Museum, and with help from the UW Makerspace, we 3D scanned, prepared accurate 3D models, and produced all six species into proportionally accurate, durable, and tactilely interesting forms.
3D scanning is a time consuming and detail-oriented process. There are many ways to scan an object. Most commonly it utilizes lasers and photogrammetry. For this project we utilized both processes to obtain scans of our six species, all of which are varied sizes with unique features: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, Red-bellied Woodpecker, American Crow, and Red-tailed Hawk. Each bird was scanned from multiple positions. With each scan, we detailed new portions of the bird. From there, we utilized the scans we created and fit them together like a jigsaw puzzle, eventually creating our full bird piece by piece. Ultimately, each bird consisted of millions of data points all mapped and stitched together within a digital 3D space. Once the scans were combined, I spent a few days cleaning them, ensuring we had a ‘watertight’ model, devoid of any empty spaces or missing features.
Patrick Collins 3D scans a Red-tailed Hawk using a hand-held device that he points at and hovers over the bird specimen. Photo by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon
Patrick and fellow graduate student David Gruba flip the hawk over, getting a new position for the 3D scan. Photo by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon
A laptop screen shows the software that the 3D scanner is connected to, which is slowing filling in the shape of the Red-tailed Hawk as it is being scanned. Photo by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon
Patrick uses the hand-held 3D scanner, pointed at an American Crow specimen that is a standing position, to collect data for the 3D scan. Photo by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon
An American Robin specimen lays on a circular turn-table in preparation to be 3D scanned. Photo by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon
Next, we needed to choose how we were going to bring these scans into physical form. The main considerations we had to keep in mind were threefold: the materials ability to hold up in the field, cost, and production time. Eventually, we decided on 3D printing. With a bevy of printers available through the School of Human Ecology of all shapes, sizes, and printing materials available, many of the birds could be printed with a tough and inexpensive plastic, PLA. The 3D printing process also allowed us to control the fidelity with which the birds were printed, how much material was used in the bird’s creation, and allowed for easy post processing once done printing. Some of our birds were small enough to fit within the smallest printers, some we large enough to be split apart and printed in sections (for purposes of time, scale, and to avoid errors while printing). Each bird, like their real-life counterparts, had hollow internal support structures. Utilizing 3D printing made our process faster, cheaper, and lighter.
The beginning stages of 3D printing the Red-tailed Hawk. A white machine suspended on three metal crossbars is distributing plastic lines in a small grid pattern. The printer will lay thousands of plastic lines on top of each other to create the shape of the birds. Photo by Patrick Collins
Once every bird was finished printing, the larger birds were assembled section by section using epoxy. Then every bird was sanded down, achieving a smooth and pleasant texture, while also preserving and highlighting features of each species. Finally, a smooth epoxy layer was applied to the back of a few of our birds to indicate how to orient them within a birder’s hands.
The robin and woodpecker, right after 3D printing, lay on the wooden table. The models in their current state have extra plastic on the edges and underneath. Patrick will cut off the extra material, sand, and polish them before giving them to Madison Audubon. Photo by Patrick Collins
From there, they were carefully wrapped and hand delivered to their new home with Madison Audubon, and immediately put into use by the Birding by Ear class participants.
Patrick Collins with two of his completed models! Patrick is standing outside in the grass, holding the Red-tailed Hawk specimen and the Red-bellied Woodpecker specimen. He is looking at the camera with a big smile. Photo by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon
All six bird models are lined up on a wood deck. They’re each laying on their backs, their beaks pointed to the right. Photo by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon
It was an absolute joy to work with Madison Audubon to bring these teaching aids to life. It was a fantastic learning opportunity that challenged my skillset and broadened my already vast love for applied arts. I’m incredibly grateful for having gotten the opportunity to take on this project and am excited to see the joy these models bring to the birders of Wisconsin.
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The specimens were utilized by the 2022 Birding by Ear class participants. As we gathered in front of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve in early May to practice listening to birds, students got to handle these specimens. Many said things like, “Wow, I can’t believe how big this hawk is! They don’t look that big when flying!” or “This chickadee is smaller than I thought based on how it sounds!” and always, “Oh this adorable little hummingbird!” The models are lightweight and sturdy, making it easy for anyone to touch and rotate without feeling nervous about breaking them.
Birding by Ear participant Glen Chism examines the Red-tailed Hawk on the class field trip. Glen stands in the grass in front of the stone half-wall at Lakeshore Nature Preserve. Photo by Brenna Marsicek / Madison Audubon
Denise Jess, executive director of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired, is standing in grass front of the stone wall at Lakeshore Nature Preserve, holding her white cane with the Dakota disc and the Red-tailed Hawk 3D specimen. Photo by Rowan Koester-Jess
In the end, the project cost Madison Audubon $97 — the total cost of materials. Patrick donated his time and talents to the project, and found a method of printing that was affordable to a non-profit conducting mission-based work.
Madison Audubon and the birding community can’t thank Patrick Collins enough! Thank you too to the School of Human Ecology, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, Zoological Museum, and 3D Makerspace.
We hope to meet you at a birding outing soon, and you never know, maybe the 3D specimens will be there for you to handle.
Written by Patrick Collins, UW-Madison School of Human Ecology and Brenna Marsicek, Madison Audubon
Cover photo by Rowan Koester-Jess
