Tracking Feeder Birds

The same technology used to locate lost pets is now being used to track common backyard birds. Scientists and students at the Cornell Lab have collected data on hundreds of thousands of feeder visits so far by Black-capped Chickadees and other birds. Tiny tags weighing less than one-tenth of a gram are attached to the birds' legs and are detected each time the birds visit specially-rigged feeders. Watch this in which David Bonter describes the radio frequency identification (RFID) technique and what we can learn by keeping track of who's coming to dinner.

Learn more about tracking feeder birds with RFID at http://goo.gl/xpOlf
Learn more about project feeder watch at: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/
and http://goo.gl/xpOlf

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• tit mouse
• bird feeder
• chickadee
• woodpecker
• Lab of Ornithology
• RFID

[MPSecare]

@Rebeccas7Suns We have the stickers that are supposed to appear to birds as a rainbow spectrum all over the windows/sliding doors. I really think cat birds are just prone to impact. xD Its just them. We have Goldfinch, Robin, Chickadee, Nuthatch, Downy and Red Belly woodpecker, Blue bird, Blue jay, Carndial, Brown Creeper, Wren, a Red Tail Hawk pair, a Sharp Shin Hawk, a kestrel, and a cooper hawk (We think its a cooper) Ruby Throats, Every kind of finch in America...ect : )

[Rebeccas7Suns]

@MPSecare Just wondering if you thought of putting a magnetic transfer on your windows to at least let the birds know there is SOMETHING there. This helps prevent birds from flying into windows. I have butterfly transfers on all my windows and it has stopped the birds from flying into my windows :)

[Stormin024]

Excellent info thanks... What a job eh?, someone has to do it... lol

[MPSecare]

I should get my hands on some of the rfi tags and put one on every catbird that flies into my window : /

[MPSecare]

I participate in Project Feeder Watch!

[westernywildlife]

@sootykitty No problem! I sometimes do that too...watch and make comments along the way. I've seen other research that use much bigger nets.

[sootykitty]

@westernywildlife

I think I posted the question before that part of the video. Lack of patience on my part. Sorry.

[westernywildlife]

@sootykitty I dont know why you asked that question..its right there in the video, they use nets. :) Just replying.

[westernywildlife]

Great idea for birds

[cjiswhite1]

one of my dream jobs