YOLO: A FUSION APPROACH TO GEOLOCATING NATURAL RESOURCES
Advancing near real-time AI and drone technology to improve wildlife monitoring and conservation in hard-to-reach landscapes.
Golden Eagle Monitoring
As one of the largest raptors in North America with distinctive gold feathers on the back of its head and neck, the Golden Eagle is an iconic species across the western United States and Canada . While populations are thought to be stable, current numbers likely represent a decline from historic levels . Threats such as habitat loss, electrocution, persecution, and declining prey numbers have all contributed to declines across their range . These threats, in combination with legislation such as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, have spurred efforts to monitor and assess Golden Eagle populations across the West.
Monitoring individuals during the nesting season is one of the most effective means of assessing populations, as it can provide details on both territory occupancy and nestling survival. The onset of nesting varies across their range, but typically occurs between December and March with hatching occurring between January and May . Eagles will typically lay between 1 and 3 eggs and in the western United States their nests can most commonly be found on cliff ledges, though in some areas they will also nest in large trees or artificial structures . Golden Eagles occupy territories that almost always consist of several nests that are used in different years, or a pair may construct a new nest within the territory . Nests are typically constructed with sticks and lined with materials such as leaves, grasses, forbs, or shrubs . Eagles will decorate and add fresh material to the nest they use that year .
Example of setup to observe golden eagle nest occupancy using traditional ground-based monitoring methods
Observers typically survey the territory during the breeding season to determine territory occupancy, search for new nest sites, age nestlings, and determine breeding outcomes. Historically, these surveys have been conducted either on foot or in the air via fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter. Unfortunately, both approaches to monitoring can be challenging. Ground survey often involve hiking to distant observation points to gain a vantage point of the elevated nests. Due to the distance from the nest, adult birds occupying the nest may be difficult to identify, behaviors may be hard to discern, and nestlings may be hard to count and age. To better assess nestling status, surveyors may decide to rappel or climb into the nest to collect these data. However, nest entry can be a time-intensive and potentially hazardous endeavor that can disturb birds and may reduce nest success . Crewed aircraft are effective at surveying large or inaccessible areas; however, these survey methods are often prohibitively expensive, time-consuming, and dangerous for surveyors . Despite challenges associated with ground and aerial survey methods, ongoing, long-term monitoring efforts have allowed researchers to track territory occupancy and breeding success, sometimes over decades, to understand population trends and inform management actions to protect these individuals and their habitats .
Advances in technologies have the potential to improve how we monitor Golden Eagles through the integration of drones and artificial intelligence (AI) into the survey process. This technology has the potential to allow us to more accurately determine breeding status during a critical part of their life history, all while reducing the time, cost, and risk of injury to surveyors.