Did you know that myriads of birds, bats, and insects are flying to migrate, disperse, forage, or reproduce, day and night? For instance, two thirds of migratory birds fly at night! Radar can reveal what mostly remains visually unseen. We monitor the movements of flying animals and relate them to environmental factors, in order to predict their distributions and assess their vulnerability to anthropogenic infrastructures (e.g. wind energy) and activities (e.g. aviation).

BirdScan MR1 monitoring birds, bats and insects in Texas, USA.

Bird flows on September 28 2018. See www.birdmigrationmap.vogelwarte.ch for animated maps

Looking for bats in the radar signal, near the bracken cave, Texas, USA.

Monitoring bird migration within the Alps, Maloja, CH.

Monitoring bird migration at the Col de Bretolet, CH





BirdScan MR1 monitoring birds, bats and insects in Texas, USA.
Bird flows on September 28 2018. See www.birdmigrationmap.vogelwarte.ch for animated maps
Looking for bats in the radar signal, near the bracken cave, Texas, USA.
Monitoring bird migration within the Alps, Maloja, CH.
Monitoring bird migration at the Col de Bretolet, CH





Investigating the spatio-temporal patterns of aerial animal movements using radar
Details
Projektziele
Our radar studies aim at:
- Continuous and automatic monitoring of migration by radar
- Investigating environmental influences on the temporal and spatial distributions of migratory flows, primarily birds
- Examining the environmental influence on individual flight behaviour
- Forecasting the temporal and spatial distributions of migratory birds, aloft and on the ground
Vorgehen
We use a combination of small-scale radar and large-scale weather radar to map the spatio-temporal distribution of migratory flows. Read more on radar technology here. To complement the lack of information on species identity of radar data, we work on workflows to integrate radar data with other source of information, such as nocturnal flight calls and ground observations from citizen.
Bedeutung
Monitoring migratory flows with radar allows us to investigate the environmental impacts from local to continental scales. It provides insights on how birds achieve their remarkable performance during migration. It also supports conservation actions by giving cues on how to mitigate effects of anthropogenic environmental changes on migratory flow.
Ergebnisse
With radar monitoring, we have gained insights in:
- Influence of topographical structures (mountain ranges, sea, desert) on migratory behaviour
- Elevational distributions of migrants in relation to atmospheric conditions (wind, etc.)
- Flight speed, air speed and wingbeat patterns of wild birds
- Composition of nocturnal bird migration (passerines, waterfowl)
- Potential hazard for migratory birds by wind turbines and other tall buildings
Weitere Informationen
We used national networks of weather radar to interactively map the spatio-temporal distributions of migratory birds. Enjoy exploring the maps! Newest data can be visualised on the website aloftdata.eu
Projektpartner
Financial support
Publications
https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.377
https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.397
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9146
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15433
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2021.0194
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13101989
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13091839
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108879
https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.143
https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.04003
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11192233
https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.04025
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.05.039
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-017-1506-z
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13174
Employees







Trade publications
2022
Europe and the West African savannas Bruderer, B. & D. Peter, 2022
Contact: info@vogelwarte.ch
License: zenodo-freetoread-1.0
doi-Link: doi.org
Contact: bruno.bruderer@vogelwarte.ch
2021
Contact: info@vogelwarte.ch
License: zenodo-freetoread-1.0
doi-Link: doi.org
Contact: bruno.bruderer@vogelwarte.ch
Bird Migration
We research migratory birds from their breeding grounds to Africa and lay the foundations for their protection beyond national borders.