December 2, 2022
Mobile radar for avian conservation in the Great Lakes Basin and Beyond
Dr. Michael Wells
Biologist, US Fish and Wildlife Service
*No recording available*
Abstract
Millions of birds move through the Great Lakes Basin during spring and fall migration, with the airspace, Lakes, and coastal habitat having critical importance for these migrants. Using a mobile radar unit capable of tracking migrants to the individual, the USFWS avian radar team has documented migration across the Great Lakes Basin, and used this data to develop a decision support tool to understand the airspace use during migration in spring and fall. We are also currently using one of the radars on Midway atoll to estimate populations of Bonin Petrels, a nocturnal, burrowing seabird.
Biosketch
Michael Wells is a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Migratory Birds program. He currently works on full annual migration, Kirtland's Warbler Conservation, and modeling of bird populations. He completed his PhD at the University of Minnesota with Prof. Keith Barker investigating the evolution of social behaviors. from 2016-2021, he worked on the USFWS Avian Radar team.