A protocol for the aerial survey of penguin colonies using UAVs
- 1 September 2015
- journal article
- Published by Canadian Science Publishing in Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems
- Vol. 3 (3), 95-101
- https://doi.org/10.1139/juvs-2015-0006
Abstract
Penguins, and many other seabirds, often nest in the open in large colonies, and so are amenable to aerial survey. UAVs offer a flexible and inexpensive method of achieving this but, to date, few published examples are available. We present a protocol for acquiring aerial images of penguin colonies using UAVs and describe simple, open-source tools for processing these into counts. Our approach is demonstrated using a case study for a penguin colony in the Falkland Islands. We discuss the advantages and limitations of UAVs for penguin surveys and make recommendations for their wider application.Keywords
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