USING GPS TRACKING IN STUDIES OF BIRDS: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND CURRENT CHALLENGES

CONVENORS
Dr Mark Wilson
Dept. ZEPS, University College Cork, Enterprise Centre, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
Fax: +353 21 4904664, mark.wilson@ucc.ie

Dr. Giacomo Dell’Omo
Technosmart, Viale dei Quattro Venti 253, 00152 Rome, Italy
Fax + 39 06 5817535, giacomo.dellomo@iss.it

 
DESCRIPTION
GPS (Global Positioning System) technology can generate information of unparalleled spatial and temporal resolution. This precision makes GPS ideally suited to tackling questions about navigation, foraging behaviour, habitat requirements and many other aspects of avian ecology that have proven difficult to address via alternative means. GPS-tracking of birds was first carried out on homing pigeons in 2000, but the uptake of GPS tracking in studies of wild birds since this time has been limited. The weight of the GPS tags first deployed was too high to be deployed on many wild bird species, and data retrieval from GPS tags can also pose problems, as the majority collect and store positional information ‘onboard’. Many studies have overcome this either by combining GPS with satellite communication technology (increasing the weight and expense of tags) or by retrieving archival tags directly from birds, which is only possible with a limited range of species. Recent developments, including miniaturisation of GPS and associated components, incorporation of Bluetooth technology into tags, and development of systems allowing tags to be retrieved without recapturing birds, are expanding the number of bird studies to which GPS can be applied. This symposium is open to all past, current and would-be users of GPS tracking technology, especially those using or considering non-Argos based systems for data-retrieval. Discussion will focus on problems encountered in using GPS tags, and both proven and potential solutions to these.

KEYNOTE 1: Grémillet, D.  
GPS tracking in birds and its implications for conservation

KEYNOTE 2: Dell’Omo, G.  
Tracking the history and future use of GPS in ornithology

Wilson, M. W., O’Mahony, B., Dell’Omo, G., Irwin, S., Kelly, T. C. and O’Halloran, J.
GPS tracking of Hen Harriers  (Circus cyaneus) using a novel system combining VHF and GPS.

Dell’Ariccia, G., Lage, A.1, Wolfer, D. P., and Lipp, H.-P.  
How many members contribute to navigation? A high resolution-GPS study on respective positions in group flying homing pigeons,

Shamoun-Baranes, J., Bouten, W., Baaij, E.3, Camphuysen, K and van Loon, E.E.
Quantifying movements and inferring gull behaviour from high resolution GPS telemetry