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Monitoring spoonbill colonies using drone

Spoonbills colonies in Croatia are situated in hard-to-reach areas such as oxbows or large fishponds. They are built in extensive reedbeds or on the lower parts of willow trees in a way that their nests are inaccessible for the ground-dwelling predators and not visible for scientists from the ground or observation posts. Regular monitoring of the breeding success was possible only by entering the colony on foot that would cause certain disturbance for breeding birds, particularly in the mixed species heron and spoonbill colonies. Since 2010 we are using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, in order to assess the breeding population of spoonbills and other colonial nesting waterbirds. For this purpose we use octocopter – a multirotor helicopter that is lifted and propelled by eight rotors – that is carrying HD camera with ability to record continuous video and taking separate photographs of the colony. Octocopter is operated by two-man crew – one controlling remote pilot and second taking photographs. Technical details of the used equipment, results and quality of monitoring data, impact of disturbance on breeding birds and other tips and tricks would be presented.

spoonbill colonies; monitoring; drone

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