Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

A A

Shorebird tracking

The Wadden Sea is an important and unique site for many shorebirds, such as red knots, sanderlings and Bar-tailed godwits. Some species use the Wadden Sea as a staging site, others stay here almost year-round. By tracking shorebirds on their migration and within the Wadden Sea, we will understand why the Wadden Sea is so important to them. Such an understanding will help identify whether and how shorebirds deal with rapid environmental changes, and aid conservation programmes in this UNESCO world heritage site.

WATLAS - tracking regional movements

WATLAS - tracking regional movements

We follow where birds go in the western Dutch Wadden Sea. By investigating where birds go and why, we can identify whether and how they can deal with threats.

Tracking global movements

Tracking global movements

In this work we track several shorebird species during the migrations across the world (red knots, sanderlings, bar-tailed godwits, and whimbrels).

Tracking techniques

WATLAS - technical specifications

WATLAS - technical specifications

Technique | Unique tag-IDs for radio transmitters, ground stations with tower-mounted antennas, and central data-processing and storage servers.

GPS bird tracking

GPS bird tracking

Technique | Bird tracking with loggers and transmitters enable us to study behaviour of mobile animals on large scales in time and place.

Colour-ring programs

Colour-ring programs

Traditional | Along the East-Atlantic Flyway we study shorebirds in the key coastal areas. Colour-ring programs started from 1998.