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Release & Satellite Tracking of Eaglets Destiny & Thunderbird

Aug. 10, 2013

DESTINY & THUNDERBIRD “GRADUATE” TO HACK TOWER

THE PROJECT

This project of tracking 2 eaglets with GPS telemetry was extensively researched, consideration was taken when selecting and securing the equipment necessary for this project. In addition, the harnesses needed to be fabricated to fit each eaglet, and protocols were developed for collecting data.

AEF also organized rescue operations to search for the eaglets when the transmitters stopped sending information.

Two tranmitters.

Tranmitter and harness.

American Eagle Foundation staff  with John Stokes place wing marker tag and secure the satellite tracking transmitter on bald eaglet produced by AEF breeding pair Independence and Franklin (7-30-13).

Two tranmitters.

DESTINY & THUNDERBIRD ARE RELEASED FROM HACK TOWER

HOW THE SATELLITE WORKED


How satellite tracking works.

  1. The sun charges the solar-powered satellite transmitter so it never runs out of juice! The fancy name for this particular transmitter is a Solar GPS/ARGOS Platform Transmitter Terminal, but we’re just going to keep it simple and call it a “PTT.”
  2. The PTT talks to GPS satellites several times a day and they exchange very accurate pieces of information like longitude, latitude, speed, course, direction, and altitude.
  3. The PTT then sends all those pieces of information to an ARGOS satellite. What is ARGOS? It’s a satellite-based system which collects, processes and disseminates data all types of fixed and mobile PTTs around the globe!
  4. The ARGOS satellite sends that information back down to earth to ARGOS processing centers.
  5. We collect the data from the ARGOS processing center, run it through some software, analyze the data, and then create maps to share with you!

For a while, both transmitters worked perfectly, but not nearly as long as we had hoped.

Destiny
Destiny has been seen many times since, identified by her Patagial tag.

Our last recorded point for Destiny confirmed she was in a very good eagle location near water (and therefore, food) close to Cincinnati, Ohio. After the transmitter failed, she was sighted, photographed, and identification-confirmed by Patagial tag L3. The last recorded sighting (with pictures) was August 2015.

Reports of any subsequent sightings of Destiny would be most welcome. Please send photos with location and date to webmaster@eagles.org.

Thunderbird
Thunderbird (Patagial tag K3) traveled in a straight line to Saginaw Bay off Lake Huron in Michigan. His transmitter’s last valid reading was September 15, 2013 and placed him in a reed-filled swampy area that extended across acres and acres. He had successfully survived in the wild for over 6 weeks before we lost contact. Any reports of Thunderbird (K3) would be most welcome. Please send dates and photo to webmaster@eagles.org.

REPORTED SIGHTINGS AND MORE INFORMATION

More information and reported sightings can be accessed here.

Tracking Destiny (pink marker) & Thunderbird (blue marker)
Tracking Destiny (pink marker) & Thunderbird (blue marker) 

Our sincere thanks and appreciation to Mike Baker, an eagle nest cam moderator and zoomer for the AEF-sponsored Northeast Florida Eagle Nest, and to Kyle Bagnall, Grant Clarkson, Steve Frisbee, and Sherry Clarkson from the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, Michigan—all volunteers who conducted a thorough search for the eaglet Thunderbird.

Our sincere thanks and appreciation to Mike Baker, an eagle nest cam moderator and zoomer for the AEF-sponsored Northeast Florida Eagle Nest, and to Kyle Bagnall, Grant Clarkson, Steve Frisbee, and Sherry Clarkson from the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, Michigan—all volunteers who conducted a thorough search for the eaglet Thunderbird.