The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is an international collaborative network of researchers that use automated radio telemetry to simultaneously track hundreds of individual birds, bats and insects. Motus is based on two components — tiny radio tags and a network of receivers. Motus radio tags are lightweight transmitters that send out pulses every few seconds that are detected by Motus receivers. Receivers are mini-computers hooked to antennas that detect radio signals. The system enables a community of researchers, educators, organizations, and citizens to undertake impactful research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals. By tracking bird movement, PSBO researchers in conjunction with other Motus collaborators, can learn more about avian movement, discover where birds go during migration and how long they stay in specific areas. This information helps guide conservation and habitat management decisions.
This award was applied toward the purchase of materials in support of two Motus station installations. Working in partnership with the Natural Resources staff from both the Stillaguamish Tribe and the Tulalip Tribe, PSBO installed two new Motus stations that bookend the north and south areas of Port Susan Bay. Motus station #11303 is located at the edge of the zis a ba estuary restoration project owned by the Stillaguamish Tribe, located near the north end of Port Susan Bay. This station links reception with the Fir Island Motus station to the north. Motus station #11316 is located on property owned by Warm Beach Camp and Conference Center and links reception with the zis a ba Motus station to the north and the Big Flats Motus station to the south. Within hours of the station installation at zis a ba, a tagged mallard duck was detected, a species being tagged and monitored by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. Both new towers are part of the North Sound Motus Collaborative Project, and with these new additions, this network links ten stations covering a geographical area from Lummi Island to Marysville. More information can be found at www.motus.org.
The PSBO Motus team ascended a steep learning curve in working toward the goal of installing two Motus receiving stations. Not only were we learning to fly with this new technology for tracking avian migration and movement, but we were “learning on the fly” along with other Motus receiving station collaborators. We ended up changing our plans more than a few times to adjust as emerging and improved Motus receiving components came available. While this process took longer than anticipated and extended beyond the timeline of our original funding, our team and ultimately our installations benefited from improved manufacturing of components and mentoring from seasoned experts.
PSBO’s engagement with the Pacific Northwest Motus Working Group keeps us in touch with potential research partners and projects across the region. As part of the North Sound Motus Collaborative, PSBO volunteers are partnered with the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, Tulalip Tribe, Samish Indian Nation, Lummi Nation, Padilla Bay Reserve, Skagit Land Trust, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Together we are interested in monitoring waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebird broad scale movement patterns in the north Puget Sound Region of Washington State. ($8,400)