Successful Montagu’s harrier protection with thermal imaging drone in Brandenburg
This is how the POISuite helps to implement Montagu’s harrier protection efficiently and on a large scale
The POISuite enables the association Wiesenweihen- und Naturschutz Nordostdeutschland e.V. to optimize the identification of nest sites and the erection of protective fences with the help of drones and a smartphone app and to share the information between the actors in real time.
With thermal DRONES we were able to greatly reduce the time required to locate nests, especially the POIApp has helped us. We have been successfully cooperating in the use of drones in species protection projects since 2018. Since 2023 we have been flying our own drone and benefit greatly from the continuous development and service.
Dr. Simone Müller
Wiesenweihen- und Naturschutz Nordostdeutschland e.V. &
Board member of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Berlin-Brandenburgischer Ornithologen
The Montagu’s harrier
The Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus) is a ground breeder that, due to the loss of its natural habitats such as meadows and moors, now breeds mainly in cereal fields, but also in alfalfa and grass stands, where it is endangered by early harvesting and predation.
The diet of the smallest harrier species in Germany (body length 39-50 cm) includes small mammals, young birds, lizards or insects. It mainly hibernates in Africa, south of the Sahara.
Scientific name
Circus pygargus
Size
Body length 39-50 cm
Endangerment
Red List 2 (highly endangered)
Occurrence in Brandenburg
23 confirmed breeding pairs (2024)
Breeding and rearing of young birds
The Montagu’s harrier usually lays 3-5 eggs. The incubation period is around 28 days, usually starting in May and ending in June. The female incubates alone, while the male provides the food.
The young are nestlings and are exclusively cared for by the female for the first ~14 days. The nestling period is 35-40 days. The young birds often leave the nest before they can fly. They are fledged after 35-40 days, but can only feed themselves after about 50 days.
Endangerment and Protection
For several decades, the bird of prey has been listed on the Red List of endangered breeding birds in category 2 (highly endangered). There are currently 23 confirmed breeding pairs in Brandenburg (as of 2024). The causes of the endangerment include:
In order to save the brood, protective measures – such as the creation of areas where harvesting is waived and the fencing of nests – are taken, often as part of nature conservation programs in cooperation with farmers. These measures are crucial to protect the Montagu’s harrier.
The rescuers of the Montagu’s harrier
In Brandenburg and southern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the association Wiesenweihen- und Naturschutz Nordostdeutschland e.V., under the leadership of ornithologist Dr. Simone Müller, is committed to the endangered Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus). The activities for the protection of the Montagu’s harrier include mapping, nest protection, search operations and field observation as well as public relations for the rare and endangered bird of prey.
Since the beginning of the 2000s, the committed members have been working continuously to secure the population of these rare breeding birds in northeastern Germany and have made the decisive contribution to the fact that Montagu’s harriers are still native to Brandenburg at all.
The association was founded in 2022. Since then, donations can be raised to finance the important work. The work and expertise of the association is recognized nationwide and the Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung and the Hochschule für Nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde are among the cooperation partners.
Challenge and original approach
The small number of breeding pairs spread over a large area (several 100 km²) poses a challenge in Brandenburg when searching for nests. The search for the breeding pairs is based on the evaluation of observations by association members, the examination of information from outsiders and reports via www.ornitho.de.
The breeding suspicion areas identified in this way are checked by volunteer helpers. These prove breeding pairs via field observations and identify the place of food transfer between males to the female.
Originally, the flight of the female to the nest was then followed from several perspectives in order to determine the nest location. This process was time-consuming and could take several hours to days per nest.
After the nest site was identified, it was searched for on foot, measured using GPS and the number of eggs in the nest was checked. In the case of a full clutch, the association protects the nest with the help of a fence and regularly checks the status of the clutch.
Objective
Reduce time
when locating the nests.
Record & bundle
of sightings from different sources.
Optimize coordination
during search, protection measures and controls.
Increase impact
to reduce the high number of unreported mowed clutches.
Reduce disturbance
when checking the nests.
The high amount of time required to identify nest sites was the central bottleneck: it limited the search and the ability to find more breeding pairs and nests. The result was a high number of undiscovered and therefore unprotected Montagu’s harrier nests.
POISuite with networked thermal imaging drone as a solution
Tobias from thermal DRONES has been supporting Dr. Simone Müller and her team in protecting the Montagu’s harrier in Brandenburg since 2017. Initially with the Flying Wildlife Rescuer. In the years of cooperation, drone technology and software have developed every year and today enable the association Wiesenweihen- und Naturschutz Nordostdeutschland to make the protection of the Montagu’s harrier as efficient as never before with state-of-the-art drones and specially adapted software with cloud connection, artificial intelligence and precise location.
Modern thermal imaging drones for breeding bird protection
The association has been working with drones from DJI Enterprise since 2023. The Mavic 3T and Matrice 4TD models are used. The drones have a high-resolution thermal imaging camera that enables the detection of nests even under vegetation. The 7x telecamera enables low-interference control of the nest.
POISuite – Functional extension especially for breeding bird protection
The connection of the drones to the thermal DRONES POICloud enables the targeted approach to the locations of suspected breeding and the precise measurement of the coordinates with the drone as well as the re-approach for the control of the nests. The recorded information can be exported directly from the POICloud into GIS programs for further processing.
DJI Enterprise Mavic 3T
Compact Thermal Drone
with POICloud Connectivity
Location from the air
The POICloud connection and the georeferencing function enable the transfer of the nest position directly and in real time to the smartphones of the Montagu’s harrier protectors.
DJI Enterprise Matrice 4TD
Weather-Resistant High-tech Drone with Cloud Connectivity
Precise, Low-Interference Localization
The laser rangefinder, in conjunction with the device’s RTK-GPS, enables precise nest measurement from over 100 m distance and reduces disturbance.
Efficiency through digitization – a place for all work steps
The POISuite supports the work of the volunteer Montagu’s harrier protectors by bringing together all work steps in one place. This enables the association to map all the steps necessary for the successful use of the thermal imaging drone in breeding bird protection in one software solution.
Recording and bundling of Montagu’s harrier sightings
The search for the breeding pairs is based on the evaluation of the observations of association members, the examination of information from outsiders and reports via www.ornitho.de. The POICloud offers the possibility to record and bundle all this information in one place:
Thanks to the POICloud and the POIApp, all members are always informed in real time about the current status of the sightings and can quickly and easily verify information from outsiders and add new findings. The POIApp guides the association members to the locations of the information and enables the coordination of the work via the assignment of audit orders to verify them.
Precise localization of the nests with the thermal imaging drone
The POICloud transfers the locations of the suspected breeding directly to the drone and makes it possible to approach them quickly and accurately. The estimated location is projected directly into the live image of the camera – in many cases, the location of the nest can be located within minutes. For more complex cases, the POICloud automatically creates flight plans with which the drone can systematically search the area. After the nest has been located, it can be measured from the air with the drone.
Centimeter-accurate measurement of the nest location
In the case of the Matrice models of the DJI Enterprise series, the laser rangefinder enables the centimeter-accurate localization of the nest locations. A single press of a button on the remote control of the DJI Matrice 4TD is sufficient for this. POIConnect transmits the set marker in real time directly to the POICloud and to the POIApp on the smartphone of the conservationists.
Documentation of breeding status, creation of conservation areas and data export
After recording the nest location, the POIApp enables the documentation of the breeding status and image data recorded with the drone can be transferred directly to the POICloud. The POICloud automatically creates a protected area for the nest location to protect the young birds, which can be exported together with the nest location for use in GIS and on agricultural machinery.
The nest locations and boundaries of the protected areas transferred to the POICloud can be approached with the smartphones of the helpers with the help of the POIApp in order to implement protective measures and set markings.
Coordinate and track the measures
The POICloud enables the tracking and coordination of protective measures via an order system. The progress of the protective measures can be documented via the POIApp. The POICloud provides central and clear information about the current status of all finds and thus significantly reduces the effort required to coordinate the Montagu’s harrier protection.
Low-interference nest and success control with the drone
The original procedure for controlling the breeding status involved approaching the nest and thus a potential risk and disturbance for it. By using the thermal imaging drone and the POICloud for the Montagu’s harrier protection, the approach to the nest can be replaced by a short drone flight.
No traces are left on the ground and the telephoto lens enables a control of the nest from a great height. This enables efficient monitoring and significantly reduces the time required for nest control.
The drone also provides insights into the breeding process, hatching and the development of the young birds, which have not been possible before. The protection of the young birds during mowing and harvesting is also facilitated by the technology.
POICloud data as a basis for statistical evaluations
Due to the central recording of all data on the Montagu’s harrier sightings, the nest locations and the breeding process, data for later statistical evaluations are recorded in the POICloud without additional effort. Over several years, an extensive data set is collected, which can help to better protect the Montagu’s harriers.
Conclusion and outlook
On the day of delivery of the first drone, four previously unknown Montagu’s harrier nests could be additionally identified during the training on Montagu’s harrier protection with the thermal imaging drone. In the first year of drone use, 30% more nests were identified than in the previous year.
The use of drones has proven itself in Brandenburg for years. In the meantime, the association has a total of three drones in use for the protection of Montagu’s harriers. The POISuite makes these a networked tool tailored to the protection of Montagu’s harriers. This enables the association Wiesenweihen- und Naturschutz Nordostdeutschland to locate and protect the nests of the endangered ground breeder more quickly and effectively.
Since the association began its work more than 20 years ago, a weak positive trend has been observed in the Montagu’s harrier population. However, this is no reason for a breather. In view of the progressive climate change, the species faces major challenges.
Innovative solutions can effectively support the work of the volunteers and significantly increase their impact. Drones, thermal imaging technology and digital mapping make it possible to identify nests early and implement protective measures in a targeted manner.
But technology alone is not enough. It is only one component in a comprehensive protection concept. Crucial are the cooperation with agriculture, an adapted management and the design of suitable habitats. And the protection of the Montagu’s harrier needs funding and cannot rest solely on the shoulders of volunteers.
The Montagu’s harrier desperately needs every help – its survival depends on the interaction of commitment, knowledge and modern technology.
Species conservation only thanks to volunteer commitment
The fact that the Montagu’s harrier is still native to Brandenburg is mainly thanks to the commitment of the association and its members. Would you like to learn more about the work of the association? Then visit its website here!
Use the POISuite for your mission
If you would like to learn more about the POISuite and its applications, simply follow this link!
Get the POISuite for free with a DJI drone
Are you looking for a new drone? POIStudio, POIConnect and POICloud/POIApp including updates and new functions are permanently free of charge when you buy a thermal imaging drone in our shop.
Already have a drone? Upgrade now!
The POISuite is also available separately. The POISuite with the applications POIStudio, POIConnect and POICloud/POIApp can also be purchased for existing drones. Just have a look in our shop!