The student at the University of Wisconsin turns to drone technology to stimulate the conservation of aquatic birds

A student graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens uses drones with thermal cameras to transform the way scientists monitor savage populations and protect the habitats from Wisconsin wetlands.

Amanda Griswold recently completed a two -year study examining the effectiveness of air systems not carried out in surveying reproductive savage in the various wetlands of Wisconsin. The project, Supported by a subsidy of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and other conservation organizationsTested how drones could improve detection rates, reduce fauna disturbances and support more precise housing restoration strategies.

Using drones equipped with high -resolution thermal imaging, Griswold and its team identified hundreds of wildlife and breeding pairs, even in dense vegetation where birds often go unnoticed during conventional surveys.

In a conversation with wpring shereen siewert on “Morning edition“Said Griswold said that drone technology can be more efficient and less invasive, allowing researchers to observe wildlife without disturbing natural behavior.

“The simple noise of people walking in the grass or around a boat can make birds act abnormal or to rinse and swim,” said Griswold. “With drones, because we can fly so high in the sky and always zoom in to see them, we see less disturbances.”

Work has implications beyond Wisconsin. Drone surveys are already adopted in certain parts of the United States and abroad to follow species ranging from elephants to marine mammals, the results of Griswold contribute to an increasing corpus of knowledge On how air surveillance can support the management of fauna on a larger scale.

The project illustrates an increasing trend in conservation sciences: using data -based tools to make smarter and faster decisions in the face of environmental change.

The following interview was modified for Brevity and Clarity.

Shereen Siewert: How did you come to pilot drones? Has interest in research on drones or aquatic birds come first?

Amanda Griswold: I was more interested in research on aquatic birds. I love flying in real planes and I also like ducks. These two are combined in a single project, which really interested me. This is what pushed me to apply and participate.

SS: What is the most exciting thing you have discovered?

AG: This technology is really new in fauna research, especially when we started this project in 2022. The fact that we were able to finish this project successfully and count all the ducks is incredible. I didn’t really know what to expect when we started, and it was exciting to see the project work. This does not always happen with the research on wildlife.

SS: What are the advantages that drone surveys offer in relation to traditional or air methods?

AG: These traditional aerial methods are generally carried out in planes or helicopters, and surveys on the ground are on foot or in a boat or other type of motorcycle. And these two options can be quite expensive. Although the initial cost of the drone can be expensive, you will save long -term money by saving time.

With thermal cameras, we are able to count the birds much easier than you could on the ground or in the sky. Birds like to hide in the vegetation, but we can use this thermal camera while locating these birds. This is something that you could not normally see on the ground or so far in the sky. The cameras allow birds to get out on the screen, which can improve the estimates of the population that we have.

This is part of a much wider project, called the Habitat Conservation Strategy of Wisconsin Sauvagine. Essentially, the strategy attributes priority levels to wisconsin watersheds, ranging from one to nine. We wanted to study all the different types of habitats, good and bad, and we wanted to choose sites that had landscapes in highlands and wetlands, which are both important for wild farming.

SS: Do you have the impression that this technology could be extended to monitor other species or be used in different regions of the country?

AG: Absolutely. It is already used to study wild species other than ducks. It is used in other countries to question elephants or other large mammals. It is used in the United States to study deer, marine mammals and many other types of bird species.

SS: How do you see this research influencing the way in which the Ministry of Wisconsin natural resources or other agencies manage the populations of Sauvagine in the future?

AG: To return to traditional survey methods with these air investigations and on the ground, they are generally associated. Currently, the DNR conducts a study of the reproductive population of cascade each spring. They fly in planes through different transects throughout the state.

Then, because you cannot see all the birds with air surveys, they send observers to the ground to some of these same sites to count birds on the ground and use it as a correction factor to determine how many birds are really there. One way in which drones can improve this method is that instead of using soil observers, it is possible to use drones instead and save money and time, while finding more birds.

SS: What types of challenges have you faced the data collection or analysis?

AG: A problem is the battery life. We can only control drones for about 45 minutes before having to land them to replace the battery. If you fly on a site that takes more than three batteries, you need to load your batteries on the ground. We should transport generators with us to load these batteries, and it can take a long time.

Another specific problem with Wisconsin is that we have a lot of trees. When you control a drone, the drone is necessary in sight, so you cannot fly behind the trees. This can limit the area you can investigate while seeing the drone. And if you fly behind the tree, it can disrupt your connection with the drone, which also causes problems. You cannot control the drone if you lose a connection with it. It is certainly easier to use these drones in a more open habitat.

SS: What is the next step to move forward?

AG: We have officially completed the project at the end of February this year. It was a little difficult to work a job in natural resources at the moment, but we are also working on the publication of this research. In the meantime, I simply work to write articles on this subject to try to pass the information.

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