Making aerial movements visible in the free airspace

While in transit through the radar beam, animals leave a specific echo signature related to their flight behaviour. This echo signature can be used to classify echoes into several groups such as birds with i) continuous wingbeat pattern, ii) birds with regular flapping pauses (like most passerine birds), or iii) insects and possibly iv) bats.

The characterization of echo signatures is based on the long experience in using radar technology at the institute. Ground survey and animal releases have been used to cross-validate the characterization of birds, insect, and bats. Read more here.

Modern, continuously developing technology and accurate classification of the echoes is key for science-based and cost-effective monitoring by radar.

We have been involved in the conception and realization of a new radar system in joint ventures with our partners ZHAW, SBRS, and Agroscope, and supported by InnoSuisse. The BirdScan MR1 radar has been operating since 2015, and a new FMCW radar is under development to count animals as low as 10 m above the ground and register additional features in the air (micro Doppler). We are involved in an advisory capacity and above all in the validation of the system for classifying bird, bat and insect echoes.

We have set up and lead the BirdScan Community to foster the exchange between BirdScan radar users with regular meetings and with the development of research platforms:

• An FAIR database to pool all existing and future identified echo signatures, making it available to all users for improving the classification method.
• Maintenance of the birdscanR R-package that provides tools to analyse and visualise BirdScan data.

• Dominique Kleger, Swiss Birdradar Solutions AG (SBRS)
• Marcel Rumpf, Institute of Signal Processing and Wireless Communications (ISC), Zürich University of Applied Science (ZHAW)
• Eva Knop, Agroscope

• InnoSuisse