Satellites Track Bird Movement, Preserve Species

Product Type: Popular Article

Year: 2006

Author(s): Wilson, J.T

Pages: Online

Suggested Citation: Wilson, J.T. 2006. Satellites Track Bird Movement, Preserve Species. People, Land and Water. : Online p.

Abstract

On a crisp day in late April near Great Salt Lake, Utah, two scientists witness the maiden voyage of a technology that will aid in the conservation of migratory birds by generating a new level of understanding about their movements. U.S. Geological Survey scientist Adrian Farmer and refuge biologist Bridget Olson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service work quickly with their quarries, gently attaching satellite transmitters to their backs and colored bands to their legs. The recipients of these devices are two Marbled Godwits, large-sized shorebirds that migrate from the southern coastal United States and Mexico to breed on the northern Great Plains and other sites in the United States and Canada...