Tracking Cranes: A New Generation of Transmitters
| By Anne Lacy, Long-term Crane Research Coordinator
Solar panel, compass, Teflon ribbon, shrink wrap… These are a few of the components in a new transmitter that ICF staff members and colleagues from Nebraska are developing this summer. The transmitter is designed to be placed on a crane like a backpack, allowing researchers to gather data on the crane’s location and other details about its movements. Following is a summary of the recent development and testing of the units at ICF: |
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| What happens when computer geeks meet crane geeks? SCIENCE! In late July our classroom space at ICF was temporarily transformed into an electrical engineering/computer lab/testing range (right). Dr. Can Vuran, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and two of his graduate research assistants, Dave Anthony and Paul Bennett, worked with ICF Field Ecology and Crane Conservation Department staff to develop a workable transmitter and test them on live birds, both captive and wild, in one short week. |  |
| Basov, a Siberian Crane at ICF, was one of our three captive test subjects. To test both transmission quality and our ability to quickly attach a harness to hold the transmitter, we relied on our aviculture staff and captive birds. The cranes were somewhat confused by their new backpacks, but we had the information we needed and the devices were removed after 24 hours. We were ready for a trial on a wild crane! |  |
| Still very much a prototype; this “mote”, as it is called, has the ability to determine the location of the crane within meters, tell us the compass heading of the crane, give us the surrounding temperature, and even if the crane is pitched at an angle (for example, while in flight or during other behaviors)! All this inside a small, waterproof package powered by a thin solar panel. |  |
| This adult Sandhill Crane male was ready to go! After capturing the crane, we fitted the transmitter on his back, made sure it was secure and comfortable, and took other standard measurements that we use for our field research. To ensure continued functioning of the unit, it must have the solar panel on the top exposed to the sun. As you can see, the profile of the transmitter should be enough to ensure that it is above the crane’s feathers and has regular exposure to the sun (the transmitter is visible on the back of the crane). |  |