Setting up Automatic Radio Tracking Stations

I’ve just notice, that it has been quite a while since our last post… This is mostly due to our incredible busy last weeks rather than because of having run out of news. The 2009-2010 season is starting. And one of the main goals for this year is to follow Dunlins, day and night, all over the estuary, using radio-telemetry. For this huge task we are setting up Automatic Radio Tracking Stations (ARTS), borrowed from the Dutch team of NIOZ. Hopefully our team is increasing, and we have three new hard workers: José Alves, Luís Rosa and David Rodrigues. ARTS will be working at the main roosts of the estuary, continuously recording the presence or absence of each radio-tagged bird.
The first captures will take place by the end of November or early December. We are looking forward to know a bit more about the “secret life of Dunlins” in the Tagus estuary….