Science & Technology

Falcom Flight Patterns Tracked via Satellite

PRNewswire - May 29th, 2001

Dominion and its FalconTrak partners Tuesday outfitted four young peregrine falcons with solar-powered satellite transmitters that will allow scientists to track their movements for the next three years.

Looking more like full-grown falcons than the soft bundles of down they were just a few days ago, the birds were carefully fitted with Teflon webbing that holds the light-weight transmitters in place, much like a backpack with a crossover on the chest.

"The transmitter is so small that it does not interfere with the peregrine falcons at all," said Bill Bolin, Dominion's chief biologist and FalconTrak project leader. "Yet, they are so powerful that we can track a bird to within 150 metres."

After about two weeks of testing, the transmitters will go "live," and the public will be able to track the movements of the young birds by visiting the company's website. The birds are being housed in a box atop the Dominion building, which is located in Richmond, USA.

It is hoped that by raising and releasing the birds in Richmond that some of them will return as adults and nest on the city's bridges and skyscrapers.

The transmitter, developed by one of Dominion's FalconTrak partners, North Star Science and Technologies of Baltimore, was specifically designed for the purpose of tracking birds, said North Star's Jim Dayton, who supervised the transmitter fittings. The transmitters weigh just 16-20 grams, are weatherproof, and feature an external antenna.

Scientists attach the webbing to young falcons when they have reached nearly full physical size. The webbing is carefully integrated with feathers to prevent any injury or discomfort, or any interference with the falcon's normal lifestyle or activities.

North Star and Dominion are two of the eight partners in FalconTrak. The others are the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Shenandoah National Park, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Over the next few weeks, transmitters will be placed on four more birds that will be released at Shenandoah National Park. FalconTrak partners will outfit another 11 birds with transmitters. Those birds will be located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and at Shenandoah National Park.

FalconTrak is the largest tracking and research project ever undertaken on wild peregrine falcons in the United States. The tracking information will be used to study the migratory and nesting patterns of the peregrine. The data collected will be used to ensure the future survival of peregrine falcons.