V for Vulture

I have recently returned from a field trip to Swazliand where I was working with my long-time collaborator Prof Ara Monadjem to tag two African White-backed Vultures with high-spec trackers. These devices were purchased with a $20,000 grant from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and are currently sending their locations every minute via the mobile phone network. Up to now we have no idea where the Swazi population of this species forages and this is something the tracking data will reveal. With only a few weeks of tracking data we can see the birds have already ventured into Mozambique and South Africa.

Preparing some bait
Preparing some bait
Ara looking relaxed
Ara looking relaxed
Fitting the transmitter
Fitting the transmitter
Adam looking less relaxed
Adam looking less relaxed
Releasing the bird
Releasing the bird
Where the birds are now
Where the birds are now

 

Author

Adam Kane, kanead[at]tcd.ie

Photo credit

Andre Botha

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