Since 2011, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has been satellite-tracking cuckoos with the assistance of solar power to find out why their numbers have dropped dramatically.
The UK has lost over half of its breeding cuckoos during the last quarter century. Very little is known about the bird’s movements once they commence their annual migration to Africa.
“If we can pinpoint areas of importance then we can look at whether there are pressures there which could explain the losses of the British Cuckoo,” says the BTO.
Currently, 12 cuckoos are fitted with satellite-tags powered by solar cells. The tags, which weigh just 5 grams, transmit for 10 hours before going into ‘sleep’ mode for 48 hours, which is engaged to allow the tiny solar panel to recharge the battery. This cycle continues until the tag fails or the bird dies.
While the Platform Transmitter Terminal (PTT) system is not as accurate as GPS; it can be accurate to within 500m, which is close enough for the purposes of this project.
The tags work in with the Argos satellite system, which was established by the French Space Agency (CNES), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, USA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA , USA). Argos has been operating since 1978.
The Argos system consists of low Earth orbit (LEO), polar-orbiting satellites, a global network of terrestrial receiving stations and two data processing centers.
Prior to this project, there had only been one recovery of a cuckoo in a tracking program – that was found in Cameroon in Africa 82 years ago. The BTO’s project has been providing valuable information and a few surprises too.
Each tag costs £2,500 (approximately AUD $4,760 at current exchange rates). Associated with each tag is a monthly charge of £60 for tracking and data retrieval services. The BTO Cuckoo tracking project is supported by Essex and Suffolk Water, the BBC Wildlife Trust and through donations from the public.
