Monitoring colonial seabirds with commercial marine radars
Abstract: Small marine radars have been used for many years to study birds, bats, and insects. Though almost all of these studies have been terrestrial, radar has a number of compelling advantages as a method for studying seabirds, especially at colonies. Marine radars are inexpensive and robust, an...
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
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Underline Science Inc.
2021
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.48448/rb07-2t95 https://underline.io/lecture/34778-monitoring-colonial-seabirds-with-commercial-marine-radars |
| Summary: | Abstract: Small marine radars have been used for many years to study birds, bats, and insects. Though almost all of these studies have been terrestrial, radar has a number of compelling advantages as a method for studying seabirds, especially at colonies. Marine radars are inexpensive and robust, and can be set up to record automatically. Radar can detect and track both aggregations and individual birds with high resolution, and can operate in darkness and fog. It does not require telemetry devices, and can thus track the movements of an entire population rather than a small number of tagged animals. Despite these advantages, monitoring seabird colonies with radar involves a number of challenges. The detection range is limited to a few km, and radar reflections from the sea surface are a persistent source of interference and false detections. In general, species identification is not possible from radar data alone. And while it is possible to track hundreds of birds at once with a single radar, the data processing involved is non-trivial. I will present techniques and lessons learned from a radar study of a common tern (Sterna hirundo) colony in New York, USA in 2014-15, illustrating the challenges and capabilities of radar monitoring in this context. I will also discuss future possibilities for this technology, including both technological developments and applications for science and conservation. Despite their limitations, radars provide a view of seabird behavior unavailable with other technologies, and can play a unique and important role in the future of seabird ecology. Authors: Samuel Urmy¹ ¹Stony Brook University |
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