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Sound management of flying-foxes is reliant on accurate and precise monitoring information. Traditional counting methods have limited accuracy and precision, and are subject to errors that are not well-defined (McCarthy et al., 2022; Westcott et al., 2012). While data collected quarterly under the National Flying-Fox Monitoring Program (NFFMP; Westcott et al., 2015) do not provide accurate estimates of abundance, they are meaningful indicators of long-term population trends. Nevertheless, limited precision, combined with the low quarterly survey rates, means that population trends can only be established with significance after (many) years of monitoring (e.g., Westcott et al., 2015).
Our team has demonstrated that drone-based thermal remote sensing provides a highly accurate and precise new tool for monitoring the abundance of vulnerable grey-headed flying-foxes in their roosts (McCarthy et al., 2021, 2022). In addition, we have recently shown that thermal drone-based observations of crèched young in roosts at night can give meaningful quantification of recruitment (Meade et al., in prep).
Drone-based thermal remote sensing of flying-fox roosts thus holds great promise for improving the accuracy and precision of current monitoring practices, thereby greatly enhancing the capacity for the NFFMP to detect significant population trends over shorter timeframes, allowing management to respond more quickly and proactively to threats.
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AIM: The aim of this project is to maximise the utility of drones for monitoring flying-foxes in their roosts.
CURRENT RESEARCH:
- Testing the utility of drones under a range of environmental conditions, including at times of the year (ie. summer) and in locations (e.g., Christmas Island) where thermal contrast is minimal and so hampers detection.
- Fusing thermal roost surveys with surveys obtained from other drone-mounted sensors for improved accuracy and species identification.
TEAM: Prof Justin Welbergen, Dr Jessica Meade, A/Prof Chris Turbill, Prof Matthias Boer, Dr John Martin; Annabel Dorrestein; Samantha Yabsley; Eliane McCarthy
FUNDING: Regional Bushfire Recovery for Multiregional Species and Strategic Projects Program; Western Sydney University (ongoing).
References
- MCCARTHY, E. D., MARTIN, J. M., BOER, M. M. & WELBERGEN (2022). Ground-based counting methods underestimate true numbers of a threatened colonial mammal: an evaluation using drone-based thermal surveys as a reference. Wildlife Research, doi: 10.1071/WR21120
- MCCARTHY, E. D., MARTIN, J. M., BOER, M. M. & WELBERGEN (2021). Drone-based thermal remote sensing provides an effective new tool for monitoring the abundance of roosting fruit bats. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 7: 461-474
- YABSLEY, S. H., MEADE, J., HIBBURT, T., MARTIN, J. M., BOARDMAN, W. S. J., NICOLLE, D., WALKER, M., TURBILL, C & WELBERGEN, J. A. (2022). Variety is the spice of life: flying-foxes exploit a variety of native and exotic food plants in an urban landscape mosaic. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10:907966
- MEADE, J., MARTIN, J. M., & WELBERGEN, J. A. (2021). Fast food in the city? Nomadic flying-foxes commute less and hang around for longer in urban areas. Behavioral Ecology, 32: 1151-1162
- YABSLEY, S. H., MEADE, J., MARTIN, J. M., & WELBERGEN, J. A. (2021). Human-modified landscapes provide key foraging areas for a threatened flying mammal: The grey-headed flying-fox. Plos One, 16: e0259395.
- WELBERGEN, J. A., MEADE, J., FIELD, H., EDSON, D., McMICHAEL, L., SHOO, L. P., PRASZCZALEK, J., SMITH, C., MARTIN, J. (2020) Extreme mobility of the world's largest flying mammals creates key challenges for management and conservation. BMC Biology, 18: 101
- MEADE, J., VAN DER REE, R., STEPANIAN, P. M., WESTCOTT, D. A. & WELBERGEN, J. A., 2019. Using weather radar to monitor the number, timing and directions of flying-foxes emerging from their roosts. Scientific Reports, 9(1):10222.