Bird migration and satellite tagging - biodconference.org · Bird migration and satellite tagging Andrew Pierce Philip Round Chukiat Nualsri & Kaset Sutasha. Migration Satellite tracking

Bird migration and satellite tagging

Andrew Pierce Philip Round Chukiat Nualsri & Kaset Sutasha

Migration

Satellite tracking sparrowhawks

• What is migration?

• Why do birds migrate?

• Why study migration?

• How to study migration

What is migration?

• Seasonal movements between breeding and non-breeding

grounds

• Mostly from high northern latitudes to tropical or more

southerly latitudes

• Also can be from high altitudes to lower ones

• Not the same as dispersal

Why do birds migrate?

• Evolved after last ice age

• To exploit food resources

• Vast tracks of land for nesting

• Longer day length – larger clutches

Why is it important to study migration

• Every year billions of birds migrate

• 2000 species (20 %) regular seasonal movements

• 40 % of migratory birds declining

• 200 species considered endangered

• In order to conserve birds we have to conserve their habitats in all countries along their flyways

Threats to migratory birds

• Habitat loss x 2

• Loss of stopover sites for food/rest

Collisions & light pollution

power cables

wind turbines

Liming

5.7 million per year in Egypt alone

Hunting & trapping 10s of millions

per year in Europe & North Africa

Studying migration

• Observations

• Radar

• Ringing

• Geolocators

• Satellites

Fishing for swallows?

ebird generated map of 128 species

Wood Thrush migration

Radar

Ringing (banding)

Ringing studies

Individual numbered rings

Need to ring large numbers

Need to recover dead or alive

Barn Swallow

Geolocators

Light-weight 0.5 g

Need to retrap the bird

Use daylength for location

Less accurate near equator

Common Swift Apus apus

Studies in Thailand

• Waders – canon-netting and geolocators

• Passerines – mist-netting

• Raptors – counting & ringing

Laem Phak Bia

Occasional “falls “of migrants

150 Dusky Warblers ringed in two days, April 2004

54 Siberian Blue Robins on 1-2 October 2006

Large-billed Reed Warbler, 27 March 2006: 2nd record for The World

Ko Man Nai, Rayong

Eurasian Curlew

Broadbill Sandpiper

Common Redshank tagged in Singapore Tagged in Thailand and re-sighted in Singapore

Raptors and satellite-tagging

Principle world raptor migration routes

East Asian flyways

? ? ?Khao

Dinso

Khao Dinsor – Pathio – Chumphon

Development of Khao Dinso

• Basic counts – on to systematic counts

• Flyway foundation and local participation

• Bird-ringing

• Satellite tracking

Raptors

Sparrowhawks

Eagles

Buzzards

Falcons

Black Baza above Chumphon

Non-raptor migrants

Ringing at Khao Dinso

Japanese Sparrowhawk 294

Chinese Sparrowhawk 97

Shikra 7

Useful biometric & moult data

Ratios of male/female/juveniles

But no retraps

No data on Spring migration

Next step….

Satelite-tagging

Objectives

• Determine the main routes

• Determine any stopover sites

• Speed of travel (distance per day)

• Wintering areas

• Breeding Grounds

Satellite tags

• Platform Transmitting Terminal PTT

• Various tags available

• Gps tags

• Solar-powered 5-g tags

Satellite tagging

• Testing & calibration

• Get disorientated after long movements

• Make sure data gives correct location

How the tags work

• 10 hours ON – 48 hours OFF

• Solar-powered

• Doppler effect

• GPS tags (need larger birds)

Catching the bird

Birds migrate over the ridge at KD

Nets set perpendicular to flight path

Birds fly low between trees when windy

Fitting tag

Back pack harness

– Teflon ribbon

Sewn using braided line

Tight but loose!

Permanent

And then they were off…

What happened next?

Where did they go?

How long did it take?

Medan

SandakanBSBCC

To Wallace’s Standardwing

Apasara

6 Oct

23 days

2947 km

Chom

29 Sep

Chom

13 Oct

16 days

1582 km

Apasara

13 Sep

Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis

Medan

SandakanBSBCC

To Wallace’s Standardwing

Apasara

6 Oct

23 days

2947 km

Chom

29 Sep

Chom

13 Oct

16 days

1582 km

Apasara

13 Sep

Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis

500 km

Erin

12 Dec

64 days

4046 km

Dara

20 Oct

8 Days

937 km

SandakanBSBCC

To Wallace’s Standardwing

Chinese SparrowhawkAccipiter soloensis

Erin 6 OctDara 2 Oct

3 weeks

500 km

Erin

12 Dec

64 days

4046 km

Dara

20 Oct

8 Days

937 km

SandakanBSBCC

To Wallace’s Standardwing

Chinese SparrowhawkAccipiter soloensis

Erin 6 OctDara 2 Oct

3 weeks

Southbound routes – after leaving Khao Dinsor

Time spent at wintering sites

Habitat of Dara in northern Sumatra

• Picture from Sumatra of Dara’s home

Apasara’s wintering site in Borneo

• Pictures from Borneo

The Philippines

Sumatra

Java

Burma

China

Dara 30 Mar

Funded by:

1,000 km

Apasara

44 days

4401 km

Erin 15 Apr

60 days

6627 km

Erin 2 Mar

Apasara 26 Mar

Dara 16 May

39 days

3598 km

Northward

routes?

The Philippines

Sumatra

Java

Burma

China

Dara 30 Mar

Funded by:

1,000 km

Apasara

44 days

4401 km

Erin 15 Apr

60 days

6627 km

Erin 2 Mar

Apasara 26 Mar

Dara 16 May

39 days

3598 km

Northward

routes?

Chom

51 days

7,813 km

3 April

Stopover sites

• Very few

• Longest by Erin

– Sumatra 3 weeks outbound

– Java 10 days heading home

• Northern Thailand few days…

What next?

• More detailed analysis of habitat used

• More tags

– This is just a snap shot

– Need more tags to form better picture

Other species – if we can catch them…

Other species?

NSTDA

KMUTT

Flyway Foundation

Tesaban Pathio

Ringers and counters

Acknowledgements

J. E. Murray