Photo by Lori Gould

We deployed 20 NANO’s (you know the details) on Latham’s Snipe in Canberra Australia, and received data from 18 birds, with 16 of these over 3 months before the birds migrated back to Japan (totalling around 14000 useful data points once the data was cleaned up to remove test data and the like). The data was very accurate (within 5m) and generally would connect with 3-9 satellites. Even the data with 3 satellites was within 10m, whereas 5 satellites or more was less than 5m. 

Photo by David Cunningham

The devices were a good shape for Latham’s Snipe and we used leg loop harnesses to attach them. I have attached photos of the trackers on the birds to show placement (in the hand and in flight). The devices charged reasonably well in general even though Snipe are often under vegetation. There were some days when device charges were low but because we were collecting so much data this was manageable. The Ecotopia software was fantastic and very easy to use. Many of our volunteers were registered as sub-users which meant they could go and scan for the birds without high tech equipment. We felt that the hub was important to extend the range of the Bluetooth, because we picked up 3 extra birds when compared with hand held scanning on our phones. 

The other image attached – Bird 58, is the projection of the data after it has been analysed using R, to separate behaviour into foraging and roosting. You can see that this bird has very clear behavioural patterns. We are doing this for all 18 birds before we start to look at distances between foraging and roosting and then habitat use (using Maxent modelling) to see if we can predict Snipe habitat and look at how they move around the landscape in response to nutrients. I am only half way through my PhD but we are getting some great preliminary information.

I would also like to mention that your customer service throughout the project has been outstanding. You are responsive and helpful even when things can be a bit difficult at times. I think the project would not be so successful without your ongoing support.

The Red-tailed Hawk Project has been working with Interrex for four years now, and our experience with the 4G Lego with the honeycomb style elevated solar panel has been excellent. The units fit perfectly on the hawks, are durable, and the performance has been superb. These devices come at an excellent price point and are very reliable. On top of all of that, the customer service has also been excellent. All issues and questions have been addressed quickly and with care.
I highly recommend working with Interrex and Druid units.

For a few years I have been tagging 20-25 individuals annually with Interrex GPS loggers in the Centre of Poland in the colonies in Vistula river. Mainly breading birds of Caspian, Yellow-legged and Mediterranean Gulls as well as Common Terns. Some GPS loggers have been providing high quality data continuously for more then 3 years. During the breeding season, summer months or on migration in more sunny locations, GPS loggers with activated boost functionality provides amazing volumes of data up to 600 data points generated even every 40 s. I have gathered absolutely fantastic history of number of breeding pairs and cases of tracking migration of Gulls to Western and South of Europe as well as Terns reaching south of Africa.

The Interrex MINI 5 grams and Interrex 21 9.2 grams transmitters I’ve worked with perform superbly!

The parameter consultation is easy and intuitive. In addition, the technical service is extremely attentive and efficient.

Highly recommended!

We have been very satisfied with using GPS-GSM MINI 6g tags from INTERREX for our trans-continental project with lapwings. The performance of the tags is great and fits well the needs of the project. Communication, tags delivery and troubleshooting with INTERREX company has been always very swift, helpful and flexible, exactly as it is needed for effective fieldwork.

We are happy with the service provided by Interrex. Especially when the team expanded. It made the communication become more fluid and quick. The Ecotopia Web App is intuitive and easy to follow. Devices work well and they have designs with low weight and internal antenna that were suitable for our target species. Devices are equipped with a BOOST function to optimize data storage when battery is well charged. There is a possibility to purchase Renewal Plan for the devices, which allows to obtain a replacement for a very competitive price.