GPS units and attachment
We are using lightweight (20 g) GPS transmitters with an elevated solar panel to track waterfowl across their annual cycle.
View our transmitters at:
https://www.ornitela.com/20g-transmitter
The transmitters are attached using elastic shock cord in a backpack style. We ensure that all birds are able to fly after attachment and monitor them virtually. Transmitters are expected to last multiple years on the bird.
what will we do with the data?
- determine appropriate scales for managing dabbling ducks considering variation in subpopulations
- inform management decisions by directing conservation to specific areas in an order of priority, feeding into the adaptive management harvest strategy which is used to determine hunter harvest rates in the Atlantic Flyway
- identify contributing factors to population declines by assessing survival and reproduction rates
- refine previous estimates of population based on band recovery, survey, and harvest data
- test the links between a variety of covariates like weather, migratory timing and genetics to survival and productivity to better predict responses to changing conditions
- assess competition between black ducks and mallards
How to get involved
If you come across a bird with a transmitter in the wild and
it is behaving normally, please leave it alone.
If you recover a transmitter, use the contact information
on the transmitter to return it.
Contact us with any questions regarding the project!
Work with your community to keep
local watersheds clean and unpolluted.