In the framework of the Flemish contributions to the LifeWatch infrastructure, a high-tech
sensor network was installed in June 2013 to better monitor the habitat use and migration patterns of large birds, such as the European Herring Gull (
Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1736), the Lesser Black-backed Gull (
Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758) and the Western Marsh Harrier (
Circus aeruginosus (Linnaeus, 1758)). The birds were equipped with lightweight, solar powered GPS tags: 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were tagged in the harbor of Zeebrugge, 5 European Herring Gulls were tagged in the harbor of Oostende, and 3 Western Marsh Harriers were tagged in Het Krekengebied in East-Flanders.
Since the establishment of this LifeWatch bird sensor network, the GPS tags generated a lot of data. All GPS data (since June 2013) of the tagged European Herring Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Western Marsh Harriers has been made available and visualized in four animated maps:
- The breeding season of 2013
- The autumn migration of 2013
- The winter season of 2013-2014
- The spring migration of 2014
Each map displays the GPS data for this period for a certain bird by default, but other birds can be selected in the map legend.
The GPS data also revealed some peculiar behavior of individual birds:
- Some of the tagged birds forage at sea while others forage on the beach.
- Some of the tagged birds make long trips to find their daily portion of chips.
- Some of the tagged birds have their favorite cities to rest during their migration.
More individual bird stories can be read on the link below.