Monitoring Raptor Movements with Satellite Telemetry and Avian Radar Systems: An Evaluation for Synchronicity
Avian radar technologies have the potential to serve an important role in the quantification of bird movements and determining patterns of bird use in areas where human–wildlife conflicts might occur (e.g., airports, wind energy facilities). Ground-truthing studies are needed to help wildlife manage...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/11/2658 |
| _version_ | 1797491848897363968 |
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| author | Brian E. Washburn David Maher Scott F. Beckerman Siddhartha Majumdar Craig K. Pullins Travis L. Guerrant |
| author_facet | Brian E. Washburn David Maher Scott F. Beckerman Siddhartha Majumdar Craig K. Pullins Travis L. Guerrant |
| author_sort | Brian E. Washburn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Avian radar technologies have the potential to serve an important role in the quantification of bird movements and determining patterns of bird use in areas where human–wildlife conflicts might occur (e.g., airports, wind energy facilities). Ground-truthing studies are needed to help wildlife managers understand the biological meaning of radar information, as the capabilities and limitations of these technologies are relatively unknown. We conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy of three X-band marine radar sensors for tracking red-tailed hawks (<i>Buteo jamaicensis</i>) on or near the airfield at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport from September 2010 to May 2014. Specific information regarding red-tailed hawk locations derived from satellite telemetry was used to determine how frequently the three radar sensors provided corresponding tracks of these avian targets (i.e., synchronized monitoring). We examined various factors (e.g., bird altitude and distance to the radar) to determine if they had any influence on the frequency of synchronicity between satellite telemetry locations and radar tracks. We found evidence that as the distance between a hawk and the radars increased, the radars’ ability to detect and track known avian targets decreased. Overall, the frequency of synchronization events for red-tailed hawks was low. Of the 1977 red-tailed hawk locations that should have been visible to the radar sensors, 51 of these bird movements were tracked by at least one of the radar sensors (2.6%). This study provides a new methodology for evaluating the performance of radar systems for tracking birds and determining what factors might influence overall performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:55:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d1b847d253f64deaba84ecf5cef38fec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:55:09Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-d1b847d253f64deaba84ecf5cef38fec2023-11-23T14:45:19ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-06-011411265810.3390/rs14112658Monitoring Raptor Movements with Satellite Telemetry and Avian Radar Systems: An Evaluation for SynchronicityBrian E. Washburn0David Maher1Scott F. Beckerman2Siddhartha Majumdar3Craig K. Pullins4Travis L. Guerrant5National Wildlife Research Center, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, OH 44870, USAThe Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USAUSDA APHIS Wildlife Services, 3430 Constitution Avenue, Suite 121, Springfield, IL 62711, USAThe Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USAUSDA APHIS Wildlife Services, O’Hare International Airport, AMC Building, Room 421, Chicago, IL 60666, USAUSDA APHIS Wildlife Services, 1713 Commerce Court, Suite C, Columbia, MO 65202, USAAvian radar technologies have the potential to serve an important role in the quantification of bird movements and determining patterns of bird use in areas where human–wildlife conflicts might occur (e.g., airports, wind energy facilities). Ground-truthing studies are needed to help wildlife managers understand the biological meaning of radar information, as the capabilities and limitations of these technologies are relatively unknown. We conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy of three X-band marine radar sensors for tracking red-tailed hawks (<i>Buteo jamaicensis</i>) on or near the airfield at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport from September 2010 to May 2014. Specific information regarding red-tailed hawk locations derived from satellite telemetry was used to determine how frequently the three radar sensors provided corresponding tracks of these avian targets (i.e., synchronized monitoring). We examined various factors (e.g., bird altitude and distance to the radar) to determine if they had any influence on the frequency of synchronicity between satellite telemetry locations and radar tracks. We found evidence that as the distance between a hawk and the radars increased, the radars’ ability to detect and track known avian targets decreased. Overall, the frequency of synchronization events for red-tailed hawks was low. Of the 1977 red-tailed hawk locations that should have been visible to the radar sensors, 51 of these bird movements were tracked by at least one of the radar sensors (2.6%). This study provides a new methodology for evaluating the performance of radar systems for tracking birds and determining what factors might influence overall performance.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/11/2658airportsairport wildlife managementavian radar systemshuman–wildlife conflictsred-tailed hawkswildlife strikes |
| spellingShingle | Brian E. Washburn David Maher Scott F. Beckerman Siddhartha Majumdar Craig K. Pullins Travis L. Guerrant Monitoring Raptor Movements with Satellite Telemetry and Avian Radar Systems: An Evaluation for Synchronicity Remote Sensing airports airport wildlife management avian radar systems human–wildlife conflicts red-tailed hawks wildlife strikes |
| title | Monitoring Raptor Movements with Satellite Telemetry and Avian Radar Systems: An Evaluation for Synchronicity |
| title_full | Monitoring Raptor Movements with Satellite Telemetry and Avian Radar Systems: An Evaluation for Synchronicity |
| title_fullStr | Monitoring Raptor Movements with Satellite Telemetry and Avian Radar Systems: An Evaluation for Synchronicity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Monitoring Raptor Movements with Satellite Telemetry and Avian Radar Systems: An Evaluation for Synchronicity |
| title_short | Monitoring Raptor Movements with Satellite Telemetry and Avian Radar Systems: An Evaluation for Synchronicity |
| title_sort | monitoring raptor movements with satellite telemetry and avian radar systems an evaluation for synchronicity |
| topic | airports airport wildlife management avian radar systems human–wildlife conflicts red-tailed hawks wildlife strikes |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/11/2658 |
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