Evaluation of an unmanned rotorcraft to monitor wintering waterbirds and coastal habitats in British Columbia, Canada

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 256-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Drever ◽  
Dominique Chabot ◽  
Patrick D. O'Hara ◽  
Jeffrey D. Thomas ◽  
André Breault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Coastal Habitats ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Duck Species ◽  
Sufficient Detail ◽  
Reliable Monitoring

The effective protection of coastal and estuarine habitats requires reliable monitoring information on their use by waterbirds, and the use of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) may provide access to these habitats without disturbing birds. We evaluated the use of a rotary-wing UAS with a high-end consumer camera to identify and count wintering waterbirds at two coastal sites in British Columbia, Canada, in January 2015, and to map mudflat and marsh habitats. Photos of shorebirds, waterfowl, and seabird species were taken at varying altitudes, and disturbance of birds appeared minimal when the UAS was flown at heights ≥61 m. A ground resolution of ~1 cm/pixel was needed to discern plumage characteristics necessary to reliably identify birds. For some duck species, identification of females relied on body size or close association with a nearby male. Photographs were also used to derive accurate counts of shorebirds. For diving birds, accurate counts from photographs will require information on the proportion of birds on the water surface. Orthomosaics of coastal habitats were constructed with sufficient detail to assess ecological and geomorphological features. The UAS can therefore assist with bird species identification, population assessment, and characterization of habitat types.

scholarly journals Bird Species Identification Using Spectrogram Based on Multi-Channel Fusion of DCNNs

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 1507
Author(s):  
Feiyu Zhang ◽  
Luyang Zhang ◽  
Hongxiang Chen ◽  
Jiangjian Xie
Keyword(s):  
Species Identification ◽  
Feature Fusion ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
The Other ◽  
Identification Accuracy ◽  
Mean Average Precision ◽  
Training Dataset ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Average Precision ◽  
Fusion Mode

Deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) have achieved breakthrough performance on bird species identification using a spectrogram of bird vocalization. Aiming at the imbalance of the bird vocalization dataset, a single feature identification model (SFIM) with residual blocks and modified, weighted, cross-entropy function was proposed. To further improve the identification accuracy, two multi-channel fusion methods were built with three SFIMs. One of these fused the outputs of the feature extraction parts of three SFIMs (feature fusion mode), the other fused the outputs of the classifiers of three SFIMs (result fusion mode). The SFIMs were trained with three different kinds of spectrograms, which were calculated through short-time Fourier transform, mel-frequency cepstrum transform and chirplet transform, respectively. To overcome the shortage of the huge number of trainable model parameters, transfer learning was used in the multi-channel models. Using our own vocalization dataset as a sample set, it is found that the result fusion mode model outperforms the other proposed models, the best mean average precision (MAP) reaches 0.914. Choosing three durations of spectrograms, 100 ms, 300 ms and 500 ms for comparison, the results reveal that the 300 ms duration is the best for our own dataset. The duration is suggested to be determined based on the duration distribution of bird syllables. As for the performance with the training dataset of BirdCLEF2019, the highest classification mean average precision (cmAP) reached 0.135, which means the proposed model has certain generalization ability.

scholarly journals Nest Survival Patterns in Willow Ptarmigan: Influence of Time, Nesting Stage, and Female Characteristics

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Wilson ◽  
Kathy Martin ◽  
Susan J. Hannon
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Nest Survival ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Willow Ptarmigan ◽  
Female Age ◽  
Daily Nest Survival ◽  
Survival Patterns

Abstract Nest predation is the most important factor limiting reproductive success of Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus), as it is for many bird species. Using program MARK, we examined patterns of daily nest survival in two widely separated populations of Willow Ptarmigan in Manitoba and British Columbia, Canada, by examining variation among years, over the course of the breeding season or in relation to the age of the nest, or age and condition of the female. At La Pérouse Bay, Manitoba, daily nest survival increased linearly throughout the season, with moderate annual variation. Nests also had higher daily survival during laying and late in incubation, and lower survival early in incubation. At Chilkat Pass, British Columbia, daily nest survival varied strongly by year and nests had higher survival early and late in the season, but survival was not affected by the age of the nest. At both sites, but especially at Chilkat Pass, periods of lower nest survival tended to coincide with peak breeding periods, suggesting predators may adjust their search effort based on the likelihood of locating nests. Neither female age nor condition were included in the best models. Thus, in both ptarmigan populations, nest survival patterns appeared to be influenced more by ecological factors than by individual characteristics of breeding females. The extent of annual variation and seasonal patterns may have differed between sites due to the different predator and alternative prey communities.

scholarly journals Oxygen supersaturation protects coastal marine fauna from ocean warming

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. eaax1814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Folco Giomi ◽  
Alberto Barausse ◽  
Carlos M. Duarte ◽  
Jenny Booth ◽  
Susana Agusti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Close Association ◽  
Ocean Warming ◽  
Metabolic Demand ◽  
Coastal Habitats ◽  
Marine Fauna ◽  
Sea Temperature ◽  
Diel Cycles ◽  
Coastal Marine ◽  
Mechanistic Basis ◽  
Animal Metabolism

Ocean warming affects the life history and fitness of marine organisms by, among others, increasing animal metabolism and reducing oxygen availability. In coastal habitats, animals live in close association with photosynthetic organisms whose oxygen supply supports metabolic demands and may compensate for acute warming. Using a unique high-frequency monitoring dataset, we show that oxygen supersaturation resulting from photosynthesis closely parallels sea temperature rise during diel cycles in Red Sea coastal habitats. We experimentally demonstrate that oxygen supersaturation extends the survival to more extreme temperatures of six species from four phyla. We clarify the mechanistic basis of the extended thermal tolerance by showing that hyperoxia fulfills the increased metabolic demand at high temperatures. By modeling 1 year of water temperatures and oxygen concentrations, we predict that oxygen supersaturation from photosynthetic activity invariably fuels peak animal metabolic demand, representing an underestimated factor of resistance and resilience to ocean warming in ectotherms.

scholarly journals Nest site characteristics of cavity-nesting birds on a small island, in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
pp. 352-363
Author(s):  
Neil G. Pilgrim ◽  
Joanna L. Smith ◽  
Keith Moore ◽  
Anthony J. Gaston
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Haida Gwaii ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Brown Creeper

Many studies of cavity-nesting birds in North America are conducted in large continental forests and much less is known about them in island ecosystems. We describe a 29-year study of tree species, nest site characteristics, and fledge dates of cavity-nesting birds on a small island in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia (BC). Seven cavity-nesting bird species were documented on East Limestone Island and 463 nests were found in 173 different trees. Nest trees were significantly taller and had a greater diameter than a random sample of snags. Tree height did not differ among bird species but diameter at breast height was larger for trees used by Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) than for other species. Cavity-nesters selected tree decay classes 2–7 (all dead/near dead [snags]), with 85% in decay class 4 (35%) or 5 (50%), similar to the random snag sample (class 4, 32%; class 5, 42%). Cavity height ranged from 2.6 to 44.9 m and for all species, except Brown Creeper, the mean nest height was >60% of the mean tree height. Nest heights were generally greater than observed elsewhere in BC. Nest cavity orientation was random except for Red-breasted Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus ruber), for which only 13% of the cavity entrances faced southeast. Median fledging dates ranged from 7 June (Chestnut-backed Chickadee [Poecile rufescens]) to 28 June (Northern Flicker [Colaptes auratus]). Estimated median dates of clutch completion were similar for all species. Our results show that large snags provide habitat for a high diversity of cavity-nesting birds on Haida Gwaii.

scholarly journals Local compressed convex spectral embedding for bird species identification

2018 ◽  
Vol 143 (6) ◽  
pp. 3819-3828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anshul Thakur ◽  
Vinayak Abrol ◽  
Pulkit Sharma ◽  
Padmanabhan Rajan
Keyword(s):  
Species Identification ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Spectral Embedding

Serological evidence for the circulation of flaviviruses in seabird populations of the western Indian Ocean

2015 ◽  
Vol 144 (3) ◽  
pp. 652-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. JAEGER ◽  
S. LECOLLINET ◽  
C. BECK ◽  
M. BASTIEN ◽  
M. LE CORRE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Chain Reactions ◽  
Bird Colonies

SUMMARYBirds play a central role in the epidemiology of several flaviviruses of concern for public and veterinary health. Seabirds represent the most abundant and widespread avifauna in the western Indian Ocean and may play an important role as host reservoirs and spreaders of arthropod-borne pathogens such as flaviviruses. We report the results of a serological investigation based on blood samples collected from nine seabird species from seven islands in the Indian Ocean. Using a commercial competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay directed against the prototypic West Nile flavivirus, antibodies against flaviviruses were detected in the serum of 47 of the 855 seabirds tested. They were detected in bird samples from three islands and from four bird species. Seroneutralization tests on adults and chicks suggested that great frigatebirds (Fregata minor) from Europa were infected by West Nile virus during their non-breeding period, and that Usutu virus probably circulated within bird colonies on Tromelin and on Juan de Nova. Real-time polymerase chain reactions performed on bird blood samples did not yield positive results precluding the genetic characterization of flavivirus using RNA sequencing. Our findings stress the need to further investigate flavivirus infections in arthropod vectors present in seabird colonies.

scholarly journals The study of the summer avifauna of Mary, Republic of Turkmenistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-65
Author(s):  
Irina Aleksandrovna Leontyeva
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Summer Period ◽  
Southeastern Part ◽  
Sufficient Detail ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The City

The Republic of Turkmenistan is located in the western part of Central Asia and is characterized by a variety of natural conditions. The property of any republic is the preservation of biological diversity of flora and fauna as the main condition for the sustainability of natural ecosystems. However, in recent years, anthropogenic human activity has led to a decrease in this indicator due to the elimination of species. The fauna of Turkmenistan is quite diverse and birds are of particular importance, according to many scientists. The paper analyzes the species diversity of birds in the urbanized landscapes of the Republic of Turkmenistan using the example of the city of Mary, located in the southeastern part of the Turan lowland, in the delta of the Murgab River. During the summer period of 2020, 30 bird species were registered, belonging to 13 orders in 19 families. For the study, a route method was chosen, during which four areas were identified, in which the studies were carried out in sufficient detail: the Bagtyyaarlyk Seilgakhi park, the Murgab river embankment, residential areas of the city (residential area) and the historical settlement Ancient Merv. The ecological and biological characteristics of birds in the study area were studied: according to the feeding habits, according to the degree of attachment to the territory.

RoBINN: Robust Bird Species Identification using Neural Network

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chirag Samal ◽  
Prince Yadav ◽  
Sakshi Singh ◽  
Satyanarayana Vollala ◽  
Amrita Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Bird Species
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