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Monitoring trekking pattern of Svalbard rock ptarmigan
can be a difficult task. Researchers have equipped 8 birds with small
satellite senders and are able to track the moving patterns also during the
polar night.
Scientists from NPI and University of Tromsų started a
new monitoring project in May this year. They want to gather more
information about Svalbard ptarmigan and its mobility during winter months.
Therefore, eight birds got tiny satellite senders attached to their bodies.
The sender allows constant monitoring of location of the bird. All summer
the birds were seen in the areas where they established nests. However, in
early September many of them have "vanished". Satellite tracking showed that
a few of ptarmigans migrated quite far away. One of them was found along
west cost of Wijdefjorden, another one flew to Hornsund (both routes ~ 100
km long), a third went to Sassendalen.
These new data show that Svalbard ptarmigan migrates for
winter. The data from 7 satellite senders are still working and the routes
of the marked birds can be seen on the NPI website:
Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan - Migrations and wintering grounds
Source & contact: Eva Fuglei, NPI
(eva.fuglei@npolar.no)
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Svalbard rock ptarmigan (photo: Marzena Kaczmarska)
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