Radar Technology Applied to Migratory Conservation & Management

Understanding the factors affecting migratory bird and bat populations during all three phases of their life cycle -- breeding, non breeding, and migration -- is critical to species conservation planning. This includes the need for information about these species' responses to natural challenges, as well as information about the effects of human activities and structures. Habitats and other resources critical to migrants during passage and stopover are being destroyed, degraded, and threatened by human activities. Birds and bats are also uniquely susceptible to human use of the airspace. Wind turbines, communication and power transmission towers, and other tall structures, known to cause bird and bat mortality, are being erected or proposed in increasing numbers across the country. In addition, the potential for bird/aircraft collisions poses human safety threats. Management and regulatory agencies, conservation organisations, and industry currently lack the information they need to meet their missions and statutory responsibilities. The biological data available from various radar technologies offer a unique opportunity to learn more about the spatiotemporal distribution patterns, flight characteristics, and habitat use of "aero-fauna".

Table of Contents:
Preface; Workshop Attendees; Workshop Planning Committee; Workshop Agenda; Executive Summary; Introductory Presentations; History of the USGS-USFWS "Radar Collaborative" and Goals and Focus of the Workshop; Radar as a Tool to Fulfill Information Needs -- Partnering with Stakeholders; Acknowledgments; Abstracts of Workshop Research Presentations; Primer on Radar Biology and Applications to Conservation Issues; Broad-Scale Habitat Relations for Birds; Nocturnal Migration through the Central Appalachians, with Stopovers on Lower Delmarva; Regional Structure in Migratory Patterns across the Southwest; Comment on a New Approach to Modeling Migratory Behavior; Can Artificial Intelligence be used to detect birds in NEXRAD data?; Incorporating NEXRAD Weather Radar into Migration Studies in the Upper Mississippi River System; The Use of Thermal Imaging and Vertically-Pointing Fixed-Beam Radar to Quantify Bird Movements Displayed on Radar; Applications of Pencil-Beam and Tracking Radar to Understanding Flying Biota; Adapting a Military Tracking Radar for Ornithological Research -- The Case of the "Superfledermaus"; Application of WSR-88D (NEXRAD) to Quantify Bird Distributions during Migratory Stopover; Characterizing Bird and Bat Movement Patterns by Using Portable X-Band Radar; Wildlife Radar Research and Development; Past, Present, and Future Uses of Radar for Studying Bats; NEXRAD Program Update; Detection of Birds and Insects with a Polarimetric WSR-88D Radar; Radar Ornithology -- The Past, Present, and Future: A Personal Viewpoint; Radar Workshop -- Key Issues, Themes, and Questions; Agency Needs and Challenges; Radar Technology and Applications -- Technical Questions and Issues; Tools and Resources for Managers and Researchers; Standardization of Protocols; Collaborative Opportunities; Action Items Endorsed by Workshop Participants; Summary Observations from the Workshop; A Research Perspective of the 2006 Radar Biology Workshop; Some Reflections on the Albuquerque Radar Ornithology Workshop; References Cited; Web Sites that Provide Additional Information; Contact Information -- Workshop Participants and(or) Invitees; Index.