New Bird Tracking Technology Installed

April 14, 2022
The structure behind the equipment barn at 218 Day Road resembles the old-fashioned, outdoor television antennas that once were ubiquitous. It is, in fact, the latest technology for tracking migratory birds. It is one of more than 1,300 receivers in the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, a rapidly expanding network of automated stations around the world. Motus is the Latin word for movement.

How does it work? Birds are fitted with tiny, lightweight radio transmitters (nanotags) and the station receives their signals, usually within a six-to-ten-mile radius of the receiver. The nanotags’ small size and weight allow researchers to attach them to the smallest of migrant birds and not interfere with their activities. Read more.