WATLAS - tracking regional movements
With WATLAS (Wadden Sea Advanced Tracking and Localisation of Animals in real life Systems), we follow where birds go in the western Dutch Wadden Sea. By investigating where birds go and why, we can identify whether and how they can deal with threats such as sea level rise and habitat destruction. So far, we have tracked red knots, sanderling, bar-tailed godwits, and common terns.
General information
Millions of birds depend on the Wadden Sea that offers relative safety and an abundance of food, such as the shellfish, worms, and shrimp. Some bird species use the Wadden Sea temporarily for breeding or for fuelling long-distance migrations, and others are resident nearly year-round. With WATLAS, we study how birds move with the tide, how individuals differ in where they feed, what they feed on and why, and how long they stay in the Wadden Sea on their migratory journeys.
Project news
Big Brother, maar dan met wadvogels
19 December 2022
Lees het interview met NIOZ onderzoeker Allert Bijleveld over observeren vanachter een bureau op Omrop Fryslan.Artikel over persoonlijkheden Kanoeten in Telegraaf
7 December 2022
Lees hier een recent artikel in de Telegraaf over het onderzoek van Selin Ersoy.22 November 2022
NIOZ PhD candidate Selin Ersoy has successfully defended her thesis on Red Knot behaviour. Read the news article on her research and how she managed to prove experimental observations on the Wadden tidal flats.
Allert Bijleveld
Anne Dekinga
Evy Gobbens
Roeland Bom
