Motus is an international collaborative research network that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry to help us understand and conserve migratory animals, such as birds. Motus combines individual research projects into a hemispheric network of VHF nanotag receiver stations, allowing researchers to track the movements of flying animals. Since 2017, the Northeast Motus Collaboration has been working to create a Motus array that covers much of New England and the central Appalachians—allowing tracking of any animal wearing a nanotag that passes through this major migration corridor.
We are thrilled that a Motus receiver station was installed in the Jug End Valley—well within range of our banding station—on November 15th, 2022. This tower will automatically detect any nano-tagged birds moving through our area, sending data to a repository that can be accessed by anyone online. This also opens up opportunities for BBO to deploy Motus tags in support of movement ecology research projects.
Click here to see birds detected by the Motus tower at Jug End.
