https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4nnpqdj3p1o
'Drones have been buzzing over Welsh wetlands this year as researchers try to
find curlew nests and save the upland wader from extinction.
The Eurasian curlew could be gone in Wales as a "viable breeding species" by
2033 if a 6% annual decline continues, experts warn.
The thermal imagine drones spot heat from nests hidden in deep grass and bogs.
Electric fencing, as well as fox and crow culls, can then be used to protect
the curlew's chicks.
"If we don't start doing it now, it's going to be too late," said Tony Cross,
an ornithology consultant working with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) on a
curlew recovery plan.
It cites habitat loss, farming practices and predation as the main pressures on
an estimated breeding population of between 400 and 1,700 birds, down by up to
90% in the past three decades.
He said it would be "horrifying" to lose "that evocative, bubbling call up in
the hills", describing it as a "symbol of wilderness".
Mr Cross added technology was helping, including a "massive advance" in GPS
trackers, which are now small enough to "strap on the back of a curlew".'
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
