2021 #Tech4Wildlife Recap: Birds, Big Cats, Bears, and Biologging

Our 2021 #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge brought us some of our favorite photos and projects.

We saw very different types of bird #Tech4Wildlife in action: a drone surveying huge penguin populations in Antarctica and an actual bird carrying bioacoustics tools through swarms of bats to collect echolocation data!

Surveying thousands of penguins in Antarctica via drone, by Parker Levinson.

Studying bat echolocation with a bird carrying custom technology to collect data, by Laura N. Kloepper.

And we also saw this year's winner Andrew Digby sharing stories about how a multi-tool, comprehensive monitoring program is saving the extremely endangered kakapo population of New Zealand.

A kakapo poses with a drone from the breeding program for this species, by Dr. Andrew Digby

When #kakapo feeding goes wrong: male Tutoko wrecking Lisa's feeding station after he gets locked out by the proximity sensor. #Tech4Wildlife #conservation #fieldworkfail #parrots pic.twitter.com/UNnnGMshNS
— Dr Andrew Digby (@takapodigs) March 1, 2021

Nearly every #kakapo on the breeding islands has its own smart food hopper, which is programmed to open only for that bird. Coupled with scales, this enables us to remotely manage their weight, so they’re in optimal breeding condition. #Tech4Wildlife #conservationtech #parrots pic.twitter.com/pfdsfaiFPV
— Dr Andrew Digby (@takapodigs) February 27, 2021

Underwater, we saw specialized camera systems deployed to capture marine species.

From the skies, we saw satellite monitoring efforts of wetland habitats, showing how remote sensing helps us survey critical regions from a distance.

And on land, we saw camera traps used to study wildlife’s responses to human infrastructure and a fantastic flashback to Myanmar’s first national tiger survey in 1999 with film camera traps.

An underwater camera trap in San Diego's kelp forests, by Camille Pagniello.

Monitoring wetland habitats via satellite imagery, by Jorge Valenzuela.

A camera trap collects data on how wildlife respond to human infrastructure like fences, by Christine Wilkinson.

A film camera trap image from Myanmar’s first national tiger survey, by Tony Lynam.

We saw AI’s evolution continue as BearID showcased their groundbreaking tech for identifying individual bears. Seeing BearID's ongoing updates every year is always a highlight of the #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge, and it has been a privilege seeing their work change and grow over time!

BearID shows off their bear identification AI, by BearID Project.

We use #Tech4Wildlife for our project developing automated methods of individual ID for brown bears and other wildlife. We use a combination of #cameratrapping, visual observations, and #machinelearning with collaborative partnerships to make this happen. @WILDLABSNET 1/ pic.twitter.com/Ro3C5r3nd7
— BearID Project (@bearid_project) March 1, 2021

Our community also showed off their adaptability and ingenuity, like in Ineke Knot’s photo working on eDNA projects from home.

Working with eDNA from home, by Ineke Knot.

Finally, we saw the joy of working in the field, with beautiful entries of community members on the ground collaring Caribou and Muskox.

The first time on a Caribou collaring team, by Alison Forde.

Muskox wearing tracking gear in Greenland, by Lars Holst Hansen.

Tracking tagged Muskox, by Lars Holst Hansen.

Check back all this week for more highlights from past #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenges. Read the full announcement here to find out how you can participate this year:

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article / 20 July 2023