New Motus Tower at Camas NWR
By Karl Bohan
It has been estimated that N. America has 2.9 billion fewer birds now than it did in 1970 (Ken Rosenberg, Cornell Lab of Ornithology). This finding, published in the journal Science, is startling. It is also raising questions about migration corridors used by various avian species and the quality of habitat along these routes.
The new Motus tower at Camas NWR is one of over 9OO towers in 31 countries set up to detect unique signals from individual birds that have previously been tagged as they fly through an area. Information regarding date, time, and species is automatically recorded and transmitted to a central database that is shared for research and educational purposes. Amazingly, the tags detected by a Motus tower can weigh as little as 0.15 grams, making it possible to tag and track not only birds, but dragonflies and butterflies as well.
More information from MPG Ranch https://www.mpgranch.com/