Ring and transmitter software to solve questions about swan migration

As part of this programme, pelicans are shaved and equipped with GPS/GSM transmitters, both in the Russian breeding grounds and in the Belgian wintering areas.

The data this produces is accessible to the general public. The movements of the tagged swans are displayed online at geographic application. (At the top of the page you should click on the sentence “Track the migration of birds equipped with a GPS transmitter with our geo-app,” there is more explanation about the application in the first blog, “Track the migration of Bewick’s Swans-equipped with a GPS transmitter!)

Currently, one can find here the migration routes of 23 Buick swans that have been flagged in Belgium during the past three winters.

Pelican tracks identified in various places in the Siberian Arctic, Camel and Pechora will be added soon to give a complete picture of the very amazing migrations of these species, the strategies of which are clearly under development.

The data is updated weekly. However, no updates will be made from mid-May to mid-September as pelicans breed or summer in the Russian tundra, when they are outside the GSM network. However, the GPS location data is stored in the transmitter and will be transmitted once the Pelican receives GSM again.