Applying Remote Sensing to

Avian Research
Using NEXRAD Technology to
Study Neotropical Bird Migration
By: Amanda Turek
Andrew Walton

Facts About Neotropical Bird

Migration
What is a neotropical bird?
Why do these birds migrate?

Why do we care about their

migration?
Placement of cell towers, wind
turbines, and most appropriate
airplane routes
High cost of bird strikes
to aviation industry

Protection of key
stopover sites

Major North American Flightways

The common
highways that different
bird species use for
their unique migration
routes
4 major flightways:

Atlantic
Mississippi
Central
Pacific

Using Radar to Detect Migration

Radar: Radio Detection And Ranging
Uses microwave part of electromagnetic spectrum
(1cm-100cm)
Active sensor (allowing data collection at night- birds
fly at night during migration!)

Doppler Radar
Doppler Effect discovered by
Austrian scientist Christian
Doppler in 1842
Doppler Effect = the physical
phenomenon marked by
change in frequency
dependent on the motion of
an object toward or away from
a point

Doppler Radar (contd)

Is primarily a weather radar
Projects radio waves from
an antenna
Objects in the air scatter
the waves back

Rain, snow, hail

Dust & particulates
Insects, bats, BIRDS

Measures change in
frequency of scattered
waves

NEXRAD
Next Generation Weather Radars
A.k.a. 88D

NEXRAD (contd)
Maximum range: 143 miles
2 modes
Precipitation Mode
Clear Air Mode

Using NEXRAD to Detect Birds

How to tell birds from precipitation (in Clear Air
Mode):
Frequency

Light rain 5-10 dBZ

Birds <30 dBZ
(Severe Thunderstorm 45-50 dBZ Precipitation Mode only)

Velocity
Direction

Precipitation Mode

Clear Air Mode

Detecting
Velocity

Conclusion
NEXRAD and GIS have been
successfully combined to
produce maps of key stopover
sites in need of protection.
"One man's meat is another
man's poison"
paraphrased
One scientist's contamination is
another scientist's data.

Acknowledgements
Airforce Link website: http://www.af.mil/news/airman/1298/birds2.htm
Aviation Safety Division website: http://www.afsafety.af.mil/AFC/Bash/home.html
Bird Migration: http://www.birdnature.com/migration.html
College of Dupage; Next Generation Weather Lab, Understanding Velocity Data
webpage: http://weather.cod.edu/notes/radar/velocity.mainpage.html
Dr. Nancy French, Intro to Imaging Radar Basics, lecture 16: 2004
Smithsonian National Zoological Park website:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Fact_Sheets/defau
lt.cfm?fxsht=9
The Nutty Birdwatcher, North American Migration Flyways,
http://www.birdnature.com/flyways.html
The New Jersey Audubon Society website: http://www.njaudubon.org
Willams, Jack. The USA Today Weather Book
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wdoppler.htm