Cutting-edge technologies have been deployed to precisely monitor migratory bird populations in nature reserves across China.
One of such technologies is a research and monitoring platform that has been deployed in the Nandagang wetland in Cangzhou, north China's Hebei Province.
As the first one in the province, the platform not only identifies bird species, but also captures and records their unique chirps, along with precise timestamps of their appearances.
"The bird calls were collected by devices including two boat-shaped voiceprint collectors and a pole-like collection device. The collected bird calls are matched against the calls of 1,569 bird species in our AI database. By doing so, we can identify the calls accurately. Right now, we've gathered 190,000 bird sound samples and identified 197 bird species," said Zhang Jingxing, staffer of the Nandagang Wetland and Bird Nature Reserve Management Office.
In addition, the reserve is equipped with 11 sets of intelligent wildlife video monitoring devices that automatically identify bird species and track their numbers in real-time footage.
"If we look at the footage, we can see that birds are framed, with their species and numbers attached above. The number represents the precise of identification. Birds are identified after images of birds are transmitted to our AI database, which is a huge database, and are cross-referenced with those in database. The monitoring system can overcome the shortcomings in manual patrols by expanding patrol coverage and extending patrol duration. With this platform, we can achieve non-intrusive bird monitoring, avoiding disturbances that might startle the birds and revolutionizing our understanding of birds," said Zhang.
State-of-art technologies have changed bird monitoring at the Poyang Lake wetland in east China's Jiangxi Province, allowing for the precise tracking of early comers.
One of such technologies is an intelligent management platform of the Poyang Lake Natural Reserve that was put into operation in December last year.
The system primarily monitors more than 70 species of common migratory bird species at the Poyang Lake, and ensures an efficient count and summarization of bird populations when flocks arrive.
Smart drones are used for bird observation in deep parts of the Poyang Lake wetland. These drones, unlike traditional ones requiring manual piloting, can be remotely programmed to patrol and monitor, and are programmed to maintain a safe distance of around 120 meters from the birds to minimize disturbances to the birds.
Coupled with the AI bird identification system, these drones enable a full monitoring and counting of migratory birds in the wetland's central areas.
As the Poyang Lake enters its dry season during autumn and winter, vast grass marsh wetlands form, providing an ideal habitat for migratory birds and serving as a wintering ground for numerous species.
The wetlands of Poyang Lake are now hosting a growing number of wintering migratory birds. The vanguard of the migratory bird influx starts to arrive at the lake. More than 37,000 migratory birds of 46 species have arrived at the lake, mostly common cranes, hooded cranes, and Eurasian spoonbills.
Experts predict a significant increase in wintering migratory birds arriving at the Poyang Lake by early November.
Advanced technology revolutionizes monitoring of migratory bird populations
