A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns (Sterna Hirundo)Jennifer Lynn Wall *1, Paul R. Marbán *2, David F. Brinker 3, Jeffery D. Sullivan 4, Mia Zimnik 5, Jennifer L. Murrow 6, Peter C. McGowan 7, Carl R. Callahan 7, Diann J. Prosser 8
1Chesapeake Conservation Corps, Chesapeake Bay Trust, 2Department of Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Science, University of Maryland, 3Natural Heritage Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 4Natural Systems Analyst, 5Department of Biology, Hood College, 6Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, 7U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office, 8U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
This paper describes a protocol that uses a remote video monitoring surveillance system to continuously monitor breeding colonies of ground-nesting waterbirds. The system includes five cameras monitoring individual nests and one camera monitoring the colony as a whole, and is powered by car batteries that are recharged via solar panels.
