100 Bird Songs & Counting: My First 7 Months with a Parabolic Mic
Author
Jeff Mann
Date Published
I brought the parabola to Austin to see the roosting of thousands of Purple Martins.
Earlier this year, I dove into the world of recording with parabolas when a Pro Mono Parabolic microphone from Wildtronics landed on my porch in a large brown box.
This 22-inch wide dish-shaped microphone blew me away the first time I used it. In the past seven months I've used it nearly every weekend and uploaded nearly 100 recordings to eBird.
Mic + Recorder combo
I paired the Wildtronics mic with a Zoom F3 recorder mounted to the mini accessory bar and find it way more versatile and quick to set up and record than my shotgun mic setup.
I picked the F3 recorder for two reasons: its small size and no need to adjust gain, just start recording.
The Zoom F3 and Wildtronics Parabolic mic become one. Connected by a cute green XLR cable I found online
After disabling the F3's pre-recording, phantom power, backlight and selecting the correct battery type, I get about two birding trips worth of use from a pair of AA batteries. About six hours of intermittent use.
Two things I consider when deciding which clips to upload:
- Is it my first recording of this bird species?
- If not, is this recording high quality?
Jeff's favorite parabolic bird recordings
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Clips
Chuck-Will's-Widow
Yellow-breasted Chat
Great Horned Owl
Canyon Wren
White-Eyed Vireo
Painted Bunting
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Clips
Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay
Black-necked Stilt
Olive Sparrow
California Quail
Blue Grosbeak
Killdeer
⭐⭐⭐ Clips
Osprey
Bushtit
Summer Tanager
How I've traveled with it
I picked up one of those HUGE, Pelican 1640 hard cases with foam and check it during flights. It's obnoxiously large but doesn't weigh too much.
Update: I've tried just taking it apart and putting the dish and mic into a large suitcase and it traveled great that way!
The Pelican 1640 Case is so big!
It fits into the hard case face up
I've taken it to California and Florida in this case.
I now always carry both the camera and the parabolic mic when birding
I'm still in search of more comfortable straps or a way to better carry the mic and camera, but it works for now. The benefits of having a powerful microphone outweigh the added bulk.
Have you tried out a parabolic mic before? It feels like a super power!
Comments from the community
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Kavi
Apr 11, 2026
Hi Jeff, This post has been really helpful as I was deciding whether to buy a parabolic mic - thanks for sharing it. Quick question: How do you usually store yours? I’ve got mine mounted on a small tripod for now. Also, do you have any tips for packing it safely for travel?
Jeff MannAuthor
May 18, 2026
Hi Kavi! Great questions. At home, I found space where I can simply place it face down out of the way. Mine sits on top of a hutch next to my camera bag. I've traveled with it twice now, once taking it in a huge Pelican 1640 hard case, and once by disassembling it and putting it in my suitcase instead. I much prefer just having it in my suitcase! After taking it apart it was easy to put in my large bag and pack my clothes around the dish. The dish has some flex to it and feels very durable.
Paul Terpstra
Dec 10, 2024
If we sent you one of our parabolic mics for a test, would you do a comparison to the Wildtronics for us?
Jeff MannAuthor
Dec 11, 2024
Hi Paul, thanks for your comment! I would love to chat and learn more about Klover’s parabolic mics from the perspective of a birdwatcher. I’ll send you an email. Jeff