The Pennsylvania Game Commission wants to make sure you always have information about the animals and birds in the state. Are there new nesting sites? Do certain birds change their diet unexpectedly? What are the migration paths?
All of these can be difficult to answer.
So the idea of a backpack was born.
Not for people, but for ducks.
The Game Commission equips the ducks with backpacks containing GPS transmitters to learn more about their movements and reproduction, as well as their habitat use.
“As for the transmitter, we've only been working on it for a few years, but we're teaming up with a lot of different researchers that we've worked with before. This is a new project,” said Penn State Game said Marcy Mello, the commission's North Central Regional Environmental Education Specialist. “The North Central region had 15 cases, but in every region we had she had 15 cases. So the total for the six regions is about 75 cases for her.”
However, GPS transmitters are not only used in Pennsylvania. Mello noted that New York, Delaware and New Jersey use similar transmitters to collect data, which is then used to share with Pennsylvania and other states.
“We know the ducks spend their entire lives here in Pennsylvania, but most of the mallards will end up going to Quebec and Ontario to breed,” Mello said. “Thanks to the transmitters, we can see where they go and survive throughout the year.”
And Melo and the Game Commission believe the information gathered will be extremely valuable and useful.
“This is going to be extremely valuable just because it lays the foundation for what we know about these ducks from a research perspective. …If we keep bird biology in mind, It's invaluable that we're making these decisions, and of course we try to manage wildlife with birds in mind.”
For decades, people have seen ducks with small aluminum bands on their legs. Observing flocks of ducks is not new, and is how the bureau has been collecting data on people reporting when they see bands.
The Game Commission aims to band 600 ducks across the state, working with other state agencies in the Atlantic Flyway that are also doing the same. Each band has a unique 10-12 digit number and is recorded in a national database along with information such as band location and duck health reports.
When hunters capture a striped duck, they can report the number to a database to find out where the stripe was. This information allows government agencies to know where the birds go throughout their lives.
A GPS transmitter helps gather additional information.
Every few hours, GPS sends out a signal with your location that is sent to Game Commission biologists who record your exact location. Simply put, just like a car uses your phone's GPS to plan your trip, the backpack provides the game commission with a roadmap for where the bird will travel and spend his time. To do.
Mello pointed out that they use two different trapping methods to trap ducks.
One is a cage with a funnel that the duck can only go through in one direction. This cage is equipped with a game camera that alerts Melo and the Game Commission to any movement so they can arrive at the location, band and transmitter and release the duck. Masu.
Is there another way to catch ducks? It involves, well…Rocket Net Launcher.
“It’s as cool as it looks,” Mello said with a laugh.
This includes spraying corn in areas where the Game Commission knows ducks hang out, such as the Montoursville Indian Park. The Game Commission then clicks a button and a net is activated from the box to capture the duck.
Melo said the Game Commission has been taking measurements recently and is also testing for avian influenza.
“We swab them all and test for antibodies and the disease itself. So it's just a few swabs and the band is put on,” Melo said.
Melo noted that attaching a transmitter to a duck takes several more minutes than attaching a stripe.
“Backpacks are mostly made of stretchy material with straps that look like they're being carried on your back, because they build up muscle when they move around, and they don't build up as much muscle during breeding season,” Melo says. . “I put a little strap on it and put some superglue on it to keep it from coming undone.”
Projects using GPS transmitters are collaborative and geographically widespread. The researchers are based at the University of Saskatchewan, and others are affiliated with various research institutes at the State University of New York and the University of Delaware.
“All of our data goes directly to those students, and they analyze the data, put it all together, and send it to us at the state agency. We provide a report on what the ducks are doing. “But ducks can't see borders, so it's important to look at things like what New York ducks are doing,” Melo said. “Having a network of many people collecting data is invaluable. We couldn't do it all in Pennsylvania. We need to know what's happening on a larger scale. ”
This data also extends to studies of duck habitat quality in Pennsylvania.
“The transmitter gives you the exact coordinates of where the ducks are spending their time, so you know exactly where the ducks are nesting. It could be sitting,” Melo said. “All of our transmitters are on the hens. So we primarily think of habitat in terms of nesting sites. We can know the coordinates of where these birds are hanging out, and if that's on public land. “We can tell you if they are spending their time and forward it to management staff about where they are spending their time.”
This expansive project allows Mello and the Gaming Commission to assist in management project decisions.
“Of course, ducks come down here in the winter at different times in their life cycle, and we can tell which areas they use the most. If it's public land, we can set up a management project. We can raise it,” Melo said. “We're just trying to identify where they are, whether it's in the northern tier or in good cover habitat further south in Pennsylvania, so we're not just managing without knowing. .”