Project
Transmitter birds
Birds with backpacks
In 2018, we started satellite-tagging Black-tailed Godwits in the scope of the precursor project LIFE Meadow Birds. The goal was (and still is) to find the exact migratory routes that the birds use, and to use that information to determine which dangers they might face along the way.
The first transmitters that we used were light and durable, but had no GPS accuracy. Now, with the ongoing technological progress, we are able to use lightweight GPS transmitters with lots of different sensors to gain detailed movement and behavioural data from the Godwits. In eight years of challenging field work, we have tagged 237 adult and juvenile birds in total, and have now collected more than 600,000 locations.
Follow our birds
If you want to follow our birds on their journey, you can track their locations here:
By default, you will see the data from the last week. If you want to change the period, use the “Open right drawer” button at the top right. From there, you can also select individual birds.
How it's done
The field season starts with the arrival of the adult Godwits by the end of March or the beginning of April. After they arrive, the Godwits occupy territories on the flat-flooded meadows at the project areas V39 Dümmer and V18 Unterelbe.
When they are breeding, we monitor their clutches closely and wait for the right moment to catch the birds. After we have caught an adult bird, we measure it and put an individual combination of colour rings on it. Then, the bird gets a very light GPS tag (“backpack”) with leg loops that are tailored to its body size. Juvenile Godwits will be tagged right before they can fly.
With the movement data and the observed causes of death, we want to improve conservation measures for Black-tailed Godwits and other meadow birds along the entire East Atlantic Flyway.