SATELLITE TELEMETRY
MAPS
The satellite transmitters send location data to orbiting NOAA satellites for 6 hours every 3-7 days. The data is then downloaded from the satellites and interpreted by Service ARGOS, and is available online immediately. Due to various factors some positions are inaccurate and need to be removed so as to not mislead researchers about the actual position of a duck. We use an accuracy filter provided by Dave Douglas (USGS, PC-SAS Argos_Filter V7.02), and then plot locations using ArcGIS.
King Eiders were equipped with satellite transmitters in June 2002-2005 and August 2006 and 2007, and tracked by satellites until the battery life of the transmitter ended (approximately 13 months after deployment). All maps on this site show the accumulated records of all King Eiders starting from June 2002 until December 2007.
All King Eider locations (red dots) recorded by satellite transmitters between June 2002 and December 2007. Capture sites are marked by blue stars.
The following detailed maps will give you an impression of where ducks are going. The seasonal distribution maps display all records of all birds (n=80) equipped with a transmitter between 2002 and 2005, and indicate areas that are most frequently used by King Eiders at certain times of the year. The individual maps allow you to track the movements of single King Eiders.
Seasonal maps Female King Eiders in June-July Female King Eiders in August-November Male King Eiders in August-November Female King Eiders in December-March Male King Eiders in December-March |
Individual maps (You need GoogleEarth installed on your computer to view these maps. Click here to get Google Earth free.) KNG08, male [locations] [track] KNG12, female [locations] [track] KNG15, male [locations] [track] KNG24, female [locations] [track] KNG27, female [locations] [track] KNG50, male [locations] [track] Locations shown in these files are filtered for plausibility and show the date of the transmission, as well as the accuracy of the position according to ARGOS. Accuracy declines in the following order: 3>2>1>0>A>B. Locations of class "3" are very good and have an estimated error of only a few hundred meters. |
Annual migration movie
Here you can download a QuickTime movie sequence displaying the movements of male and female King Eiders. This is a compilation of several individuals followed from June over a 12-month period. The marking site is indicated with a yellow star, and you can watch males (blue symbols) and females (red symbols) dispersing along the coasts of Alaska and Russia as the season progresses. The movie ends in June the following year, when all females return to their previous breeding site, whereas males end up half-way around the world.
| [The movie file is 6MB in size and can be downloaded here] |  |
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