Tracking Sea Birds

Apparently GPS style Tracker device are being fitted to some UK sea birds as part of a Europe-wide project called Future of the Atlantic Marine Environment(Fame).

The project aims to provide better understanding of Sea Birds and their behaviour.

According to Dr Ellie Owen:

We know more about the journeys of albatrosses in the Southern Ocean than we do about some of the seabirds around our own shores.

For example, we know how many kittiwakes there are in the UK, and we know they've declined by 30% between 2000 and 2010.

But we don't know where these ocean travellers are going to fish for their chicks' suppers. But now, just when these birds need our help, we're on the cusp of filling this information void with vitally-important data.

The devices take a reading every 100 seconds. This allows scientists to pinpoint birds' movements between nesting colonies and the areas of sea the birds use to find food. The devices are accurate to within a few metres according to the RSPB