WATLAS news archive
A knot's character is formed in first year of life
4 January 2024
In any group of red knots, respective individuals exhibit a remarkable array of distinct character types. Read more herePostdoc position: “Studying shorebird movement and habitat selection in the Wadden Sea”
The department of Coastal Systems is looking for a highly motivated Postdoc. More information here
Hoe beïnvloedt zeespiegelstijging de activiteiten en leefbaarheid voor dieren in en rond de Waddenzee?
6 August 2023
Allert Bijleveld en Evy Gobbens - Klimaat helpdesk
€5.2 million for two nature projects providing an expansion of the WATLAS system
12 July 2023
Years have been spent working on a unique technique to track small birds in the western Wadden Sea. Monitoring birds is very important if you want to understand what is changing for life in the Wadden Sea.Vroege Vogels: Gevlekte scheerling, tureluur, Merijn Tinga en alle overige onderwerpen.
30 June 2023
NIOZ onderzoeker Allert Bijleveld en Wim Tijsen te gast bij Vroege Vogels (vanaf 2:31:10)RTL Nieuws, “Het enige natuurlijke werelderfgoed…”
07 July 2023
“Het enige natuurlijke werelderfgoed…” NIOZ onderzoeker Allert Bijleveld bij RTL Nieuws (vanaf 16:00)WATLAS stars in web-item made by the NOS
1 September 2022
In addition to being part of the Dutch news, WATLAS starred in an extended NOS news item on the Website of NPO.Contribution to Dutch news (NOS)
1 September 2022
WATLAS has recently contributed to the Dutch news. Watch the 20:00 NOS from 22:11.
New publication in Methods in Ecology and Evolution
8 June 2022
In a recent publication, WATLAS researchers discuss the value of their methodology, a regional-scale high-throughput tracking system.WATLAS featured in the Jeugdjournaal of the 1th of September
1 September 2022
From 4:50 onwards our researchers are featured in a news item in the youth news of the NOS.Blog by Christine Beardsworth on WATLAS methodology
21 juli 2022
In this blog post, Christine Beardsworth discusses findings from her recent Methods in Ecology and Evolution paper.
Evy Gobbens starts a blog on her work on the isle of Griend
28 July 2022
Evy Gobbens verblijft deze zomer 11 weken op Griend om onderzoek te doen naar bonte strandlopers. Lees in deze blogserie het dagboek dat Evy bijhoudt over het wonen en werken op een onbewoond eiland middenin de Nederlandse Waddenzee.
Zendertje van 1 gram moet bonte strandlopers op het Wad secuur volgen
6 juli 2022
Voor het eerst onderzoeken wetenschappers van het NIOZ secuur wat en waar de bonte strandloper eet op het Wad. Lees het hele artikel hier.Rainbow Research: Transgender Pride
17 June 2022
In this blog, Mees van Laanen shares his story of studying birds in the Netherlands, and Transgender Pride.Contribution to ARTE documentary
25 May 2022
WATLAS has contributed to an ARTE documentary entitled "Europa, Kontinent im Umbruch", episode: 'Die Natur und wir.
Wat piepkleine vogelzenders ons vertellen
24 February 2022
NIOZ-bioloog Allert Bijleveld vertelt meer over de verschillende technieken die bij het zenderen worden gebruikt op BNR Wetenschap Vandaag.Strip van "De Rechter"
23 February 2022
Bekijk hier de strip van "De Rechter" waar ons onderzoek in naar voren komt! Deze strip heeft in verschillende regionale kranten gestaan!
Zenders meten steeds beter waar de dieren uithangen
21 February 2022
Verplaatsingen van dieren zijn steeds beter te volgen door de combinatie van technieken en de inzet van big data-analyse. Het geeft biologen een beter inzicht in dierengedrag .Miniscule zendertjes houden Waddenvogels in de gaten
20 February 2022
Nog meer vogels in de Waddenzee moeten worden voorzien van kleine zendertjes. Dat willen de onderzoekers van het NIOZop Texel.
Tiny transmitters reveal animal behavior
17 February 2022
Tracking birds and other animals using miniature transmitters, has become extremely accurate in recent years. Literally every second, the positions of animals can be recorded automatically on the meter scale.How can we best protect the knot if sea levels rise
1 October 2021
Interview with Allert Bijleveld on these little birds who will get in trouble if the bottom of the mudflats sinks and sea levels rise. BNNVARA (in Dutch).Aileen Roncoroni winner of the ASAB video contest
21 April 2021
Former student Aileen Roncoroni (MSc at UU) has won a prize for her video on the WATLAS fieldwork 2020. She participated in the ASAB congress competition.177 Personality test on birds on the Island of Griend
17 November 2020
Interview with Allert Bijleveld on Omrop Fryslân on personality test on birds to find out their reaction to changes, like climate change. Photo: Benjamin GnepPermit salt extraction based on inadequate monitoring
30 October 2020
Interview with Allert Bijleveld and Frank Petersen (Waddenvereniging) on the consequences of soil subsidence. BNN Vara - Vroege Vogels. Photo: Rob BuiterWATLAS fieldwork 2020 on the island of Griend
28 September 2020
An overview of the 2020 fieldwork season. From birdwatching and ring reading, catching red knots at night to processing the birds. Video: Aileen RoncoroniProcess of behavioural assays of captured wild Knots
24 - 28 September 2020
An amazing total of behavioural assays. In each assay the exploratory behaviour of the captured Knots was measured. Video: Aileen Roncoroni (NIOZ)
Taking the biometric measures of the birds
23 September 2020
Everyone was feeling tired. The last three days we have only slept for a few hours every night. But we are delighted, as we caught 116 Red Knots!
Guiding an international film crew from ARTE
21 September 2020
They will make a documentary about bird migration, and how these birds connect different people from different countries all around the world.
Timelaps of building holding tents for the birds
21 September 2020
Aileen, Selin and Allert set up five tents to host the birds for a couple of days until their personality assay (behavioural measurements).
An efficient assembly line for a hectical day
21 September 2020
After only five hours sleep, we arranged an efficient 'assembly line' to process the 49 Knots that we caught the previous night. Within a few hours all birds were processed.
More countings and reading rings
19 September 2020
Still no birds caught. It seemed a good time for colour-ring reading. From the height of the hut we saw plenty of Red Knots on the mudflats north of the island.
Setting up the mist nets for catching birds in the evening
17 September 2020
To get an idea of where there are high chances of catching the Knots, we consult the WATLAS tracking data of the night before. The south of the Island!
Third attempt at catching and tagging red knots
17 September 2020
It is finally time for our third (and hopefully successful) catching attempt of the year! Once again, we travelled in two separate groups, because of corona regulations.
Testing, colour-ringing and tagging the birds
27 August 2020
At the end of the day, the adult birds were colour-ringed and released with a WATLAS tag. Some younger birds will be retested the following day.
The behavioural assays has started
27 August 2020
One at a time, the birds are taking out of their aviary and brought into a crate for two hours before testing. This is to acclamaties them to being alone (briefly).
Holding the birds in their temporarily at Griend
25 August 2020
Knots in their temporarily home on Griend awaiting for the test in the experimental arena for assaying their behaviour of knots (their personality)
Building the experimental unit for personality assay
25 August 2020
We built the lower half of the arena, a 2m x 2m pool and then collected several containers of sea water from the gulley to the west of the island.
Processing the birds, Job and Anne are in charge
25 August 2020
Job takes various biometric measurements of the birds, such as bill length, wing length and body mass and a small blood sample to extract DNA.
Getting us savely back to the NIOZ harbour
25 August 2020
A large storm was on its way and since another night of catching looked impossible, it was better to get the Navicula safely back to the NIOZ harbour.
Validating track with WATLAS test tag against GPS
24 August 2020
Testing the accuracy of WATLAS localizations at some of the further points on the mudflat. Unfortunately, strong winds made it a very rough ride.
Constantly checking the weather
23 August 2020
The weather was not pleasant and heavy showers and wind made the work challenging. High wind speeds, blown one of the solar panels upside down.
Second attempt at catching and tagging red knots
19 August 2020
When we arrived at Griend, we unloaded the equipment and luggage onto a rubber boat to take to shore. Because of low-tide, a 2km walk to the island.
Catching birds and providing them with WATLAS tags
26 July 2020
The knots are equipped with WATLAS tags, enabling us to follow them out there in the Wadden Sea and link their personality with foraging movements in the field.Tracking birds in the Dutch Wadden Sea
23 July 2020
Interview with the WATLAS fieldwork crew on tracking birds in the Wadden Sea in NEMO Kennislink. Why are birds tagged and what do we want to find out?
Done! Every receiver is now up and working
20 July 2020
The receivers are ready to detect red knot locations. The only thing left is to tag the birds with the lightweight tags which we will begin next week.
A big surprise for the WATLAS Team. We got t-shirts!
15 July 2020
After PhD student, Misha Zhemchuzhnikov, had designed a wonderful WATLAS logo, Allert ordered a batch of WATLAS t-shirts to celebrate the occasion.Constructing the temporary receivers on the mudflats
14 July 2020
Fieldwork 2020. Team 'Canutus' building the majority of the scaffold for receiver number 2, before the tide pushed them back to their ship for the night.A more efficient management of the Wadden Sea
6 December 2019
For more efficient management of the Wadden Sea, applied questions should be embedded into long-term scientific research programs Friesch Dagblad (in Dutch).
Vacancy for position Postdoc in Movement Ecology
10 October 2019
A postdoctoral position of max 3 years on movement and spatial ecology of shorebirds under the supervision of Allert Bijleveld. Closing date: 5 December 2019Big Brother in Wadden Sea watching the birds
29 September 2019
You can already sea that the shorebirds in the Wadden Sea have to fly far to get food. It is sometimes about distances of about 80 kilometers Omrop Fryslan.Transmitter system follows individual bird movements
10 March 2019
Following in real time Red Knots in the western Dutch Wadden Sea. An interview with Allert Bijleveld in magazine 'De Ingenieur' (in Dutch).
Veni grant for further research on shorebirds
16 July 2019
How social networks facilitate social learning in the wild is largely unknown. Allert Bijleveld investigates this by tracking knots in the wild with the WATLAS system.
First results of the monitoring experiment
28 September 2018
Sanderlings weighing only 50 grams fly long distances in the Wadden Sea with every change of tide. This is evident from the first results of the monitoring experiment.
Monitoring experiment in the Wadden Sea
18 July 2018
By tracking shorebirds on their migration and within the Wadden Sea, we will understand why the Wadden Sea is so important to them.