š² Cloudforest One Goes Live: Real-Time Bird Detection Is Now Powering Biodiversity Insights
At Cloudforests, our mission has always been simple and powerful:
grow more forests, capture more carbon, and boost biodiversity across Irelandās wildest landscapes.
Today, weāre taking a major step forward.
Weāre excited to announce the launch of the Cloudforest One Live Bird Activity Dashboard ā a real-time window into the feathered life of our rewilding sites, powered by BirdWeatherās acoustic AI and integrated directly into our website.
This technology allows us to listen to the forest itself, tracking the species that call it home and using that data to guide more intelligent, more ecological restoration work.
And the early detections have already been extraordinary.
š¦ Birds: Living Indicators of Biodiversity
Birds are more than just beautiful ā they are bioindicators, meaning their presence (or absence) can reveal the health of entire ecosystems.
Where birds thrive:
Insects are abundant
Habitat structure is improving
Food webs are intact
Nesting opportunities are expanding
Predators and prey are in balance
As forests mature and regenerate, bird diversity should rise. With our new dashboard, weāre finally able to measure that process in real time.
š§ Live Listening, Real-Time Learning
Cloudforest One now continuously records forest soundscapes and uses advanced machine learning to identify bird calls second-by-second. Every 60 seconds, the dashboard updates with:
š¹ Latest detected species
š¹ Species active today
š¹ Daily and lifetime detection counts
š¹ Trending species and activity peaks
This turns the forest into a living dataset ā not just for science, but for storytelling.
Visitors can now watch biodiversity emerge, day after day, season after season.
šæ How Weāre Using This Data to Restore Irelandās Forests
The goal isnāt just to listen ā itās to act.
1. Measuring forest regeneration success
As native trees establish, we expect a rise in species like wrens, robins, goldcrests, and warblers. Trends in detections help us monitor the ecological response to our planting efforts.
2. Identifying habitat gaps
If certain bird families are under-represented (e.g. raptors, woodland specialists, open-ground species), we can adapt our planting plans to support them.
3. Tracking seasonal movement
Migratory species like chiffchaffs, willow warblers, and cuckoos offer rich insights into phenologyāwhen seasons begin and end in a changing climate.
4. Supporting long-term biodiversity projects
This data strengthens our collaborations with ecologists, universities, and conservation groups. Over time, it contributes to a national picture of rewilding success.
5. Engaging our supporters & proving impact
Cloudforesters can now literally hear and see the difference their trees make. Every detection is another datapoint in the story of regeneration.
š¢ A Dashboard Built for Discovery
We built our dashboard to be:
Full-width and immersive
Forest-themed to reflect our landscapes
Updated every 60 seconds
Equipped with a LIVE pulse indicator
š Capable of alerting us when a new species arrives
Itās not just a tool ā it's a window into the heartbeat of Cloudforest One.
The next time a new species visits our rewilding site, weāll hear about it instantly.
And so will you.
š Why This Matters for Irelandās Future
Ireland is one of the least forested countries in Europe. Our native woodland covers only about 2% of the island. Every new planting site is a chance to reverse centuries of biodiversity loss.
Birds are among the first to respond to improving habitats ā and that response helps guide our entire mission:
More trees ā More insects ā More birds
More birds ā Healthier ecosystems ā Stronger carbon sinks
This is the feedback loop of regeneration, and now we can watch it unfold in real time.
š² Whatās Next for Cloudforests
This is just the beginning.
Over the coming months, we plan to:
Add live ecological charts to the dashboard
Launch multiple listening stations across new forests
Combine acoustic data with camera traps and environmental sensors
Build a public Biodiversity Index, updated daily
Our goal is ambitious:
to make Ireland a global leader in community-powered rewilding and forest restoration.
And with the help of technology, science, and thousands of Cloudforesters, weāre making that future a reality.
š£ Explore the Dashboard Now
You can view the live detections, discover new species, and watch the Cloudforest evolve here:
Come check in daily ā you never know what species will show up next.
Because the forest is speaking.
And now, we can hear it.
