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Remote Sensing
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Monitoring Bird Movements by Remote Sensing
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Monitoring Bird Movements by Remote Sensing

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecological Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 12733

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nadja Weisshaupt

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Guest Editor
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
Interests: migration; ornithology; remote sensing; radar; conservation; citizen science
Dr. Mercedes Maruri

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Guest Editor
University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
TECNALIA, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA)‐Meteo Area, Miñano, Alava, Spain
Interests: remote sensing; meteorology; radar; climatology; bird migration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The monitoring of birds at local to continental scales is essential to broaden our understanding of bird population dynamics, risks to survival and thus biodiversity, and to identify key areas and flyways of birds for conservation purposes. Remote sensing systems, especially various types of radars, have been known for about 70 years to register birds, but only in recent years, technological advances have enabled data analyses in a more automated way and by a broader community. Continuously improving echo classification, quantification and analytical tools permit more fine-tuned analyses and are expected to extend the area of application of remote sensing in the near future. The growing network of various kinds of remote sensing systems will further provide unprecedented data coverage to study bird movements at various spatiotemporal scales across the globe.

This special issue is dedicated to research that specifically addresses questions related to bird monitoring by remote sensing: small to large-scale studies, monitoring activities either by remote sensing alone or in combination with other data sources (e.g., from citizen science, other observation tools). Special focus is laid on the use of remote sensing data in practical applications, such as conservation, ecology, reactions to environmental conditions, human-wildlife conflicts, and novel approaches, methods or open software that improve and facilitate such applications. We would like to especially encourage also submissions covering work from the Southern Hemisphere and the tropics, where remote sensing studies are scarce or absent.

Dr. Nadja Weisshaupt
Dr. Mercedes Maruri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • remote sensing
  • bird migration
  • movement ecology
  • bird monitoring
  • conservation
  • data processing
  • human-wildlife conflicts

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1098 KiB  
Article
Do Seabirds Control Wind Drift during Their Migration across the Strait of Gibraltar? A Study Using Remote Tracking by Radar
by Gonzalo Muñoz Arroyo and María Mateos-Rodríguez
Remote Sens. 2022, 14(12), 2792; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14122792 - 10 Jun 2022
Viewed by 2158
Abstract
This study presents data on the directional flying behaviour of the five most abundant seabird species migrating across the Strait of Gibraltar in relation to the wind, as observed from the north coast, based on radar tracking, and identified to species level by [...] Read more.
This study presents data on the directional flying behaviour of the five most abundant seabird species migrating across the Strait of Gibraltar in relation to the wind, as observed from the north coast, based on radar tracking, and identified to species level by visual observations. A total of 318 seabird trajectories were analysed, illustrating the expected east–west or west–east movements in spring and autumn. We hypothesised that the seabirds that cross the Strait channel during their migrations would behave differently with respect to compensation for wind direction, depending on their flight styles, the migratory period, and the prevailing winds. In this regard, our results showed that flapping birds (Razorbill, Puffin, Northern Gannet, and Balearic shearwater) compensated for wind drift independently of the season and the predominant wind direction. This agrees with the theory that suggests that under moderate winds and whenever visual contact with the coastline is present (as in the case of our study), migrants should compensate for wind drift to avoid being drifted towards the coast, off their main direction of flight. However, Cory’s shearwater, an active gliding seabird with long, slender wings, showed an adaptive directional response to wind, allowing it to be drifted in spring when westerly tailwinds were prevalent, but compensated for wind in autumn, when both easterly and westerly winds were similarly frequent. This adaptive flight behaviour allows it to take advantage of the prevailing tailwinds in spring, gaining ground speed and saving energy during its passage through the Strait, while in autumn, more frequent headwind conditions and a more directional migration to the south may favour compensating for wind drift. Our results support the usefulness of bird radar as a remote tool for describing the pattern of animal movements in the marine environment, as well as their behavioural response to atmospheric conditions. These studies are particularly relevant in the current framework of climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Bird Movements by Remote Sensing)
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13 pages, 5499 KiB  
Communication
Anthropogenic Illumination as Guiding Light for Nocturnal Bird Migrants Identified by Remote Sensing
by Nadja Weisshaupt, Matti Leskinen, Dmitri N. Moisseev and Jarmo Koistinen
Remote Sens. 2022, 14(7), 1616; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14071616 - 28 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3174
Abstract
Migrant birds rely on environmental and celestial cues for navigation and orientation during their journeys. Adverse weather, such as heavy rain or fog, but also thick layers of low-level clouds, affect visibility and can challenge birds’ ability to orientate. Therefore, birds typically favour [...] Read more.
Migrant birds rely on environmental and celestial cues for navigation and orientation during their journeys. Adverse weather, such as heavy rain or fog, but also thick layers of low-level clouds, affect visibility and can challenge birds’ ability to orientate. Therefore, birds typically favour certain meteorological conditions for migration. Photopollution from artificial lights outdoors and radiated from buildings is known to negatively affect nocturnal migrants’ flight behaviour and trajectories, which may lead to collisions with human infrastructure. Positive effects of artificial light have been identified in some stationary birds, e.g., for extended foraging hours, though not during migration. In the present study, we show the effect of artificial light on the concentration and flight directions of migrating birds during overcast conditions in the peri-urban woodland in Southern Finland. Overcast conditions, by low-level clouds, prompted birds to migrate at low altitudes. Instead of spatially homogenous large-scale migration patterns, birds were observed to adapt their flight directions, in accordance with the artificial lights of the urbanized area. By using dual- and single-polarisation weather radar data we were able to study small-scale patterns of bird movements under the influence of low-level cloud layers. These cases show the remarkable capability of the existing weather radar networks to study bird migration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Bird Movements by Remote Sensing)
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13 pages, 1660 KiB  
Technical Note
Monitoring Raptor Movements with Satellite Telemetry and Avian Radar Systems: An Evaluation for Synchronicity
by Brian E. Washburn, David Maher, Scott F. Beckerman, Siddhartha Majumdar, Craig K. Pullins and Travis L. Guerrant
Remote Sens. 2022, 14(11), 2658; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14112658 - 2 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2557
Abstract
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 [...] Read more.
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 (Buteo jamaicensis) 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. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Bird Movements by Remote Sensing)
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11 pages, 7032 KiB  
Technical Note
A Gaussian Mixture Model to Separate Birds and Insects in Single-Polarization Weather Radar Data
by Raphaël Nussbaumer, Baptiste Schmid, Silke Bauer and Felix Liechti
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(10), 1989; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13101989 - 19 May 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3092
Abstract
Recent and archived data from weather radar networks are extensively used for the quantification of continent-wide bird migration patterns. While the process of discriminating birds from weather signals is well established, insect contamination is still a problem. We present a simple method combining [...] Read more.
Recent and archived data from weather radar networks are extensively used for the quantification of continent-wide bird migration patterns. While the process of discriminating birds from weather signals is well established, insect contamination is still a problem. We present a simple method combining two Doppler radar products within a Gaussian mixture model to estimate the proportions of birds and insects within a single measurement volume, as well as the density and speed of birds and insects. This method can be applied to any existing archives of vertical bird profiles, such as the European Network for the Radar surveillance of Animal Movement repository, with no need to recalculate the huge amount of original polar volume data, which often are not available. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Bird Movements by Remote Sensing)
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