Lesser Flamingo Conservation and Flyway Management, Rift Valley, East Africa 

University of Leicester, International Flamingo Foundation, Darwin Initiative, WWT, WWT Peter Scott Trust for Education and Research in Conservation, Research Centre for Ornithology, Max Planck Society, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, National Museums of Kenya, Earthwatch

Vodafone Group Foundation

Satellite tracking with solar PTTs

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Flamingo

This is part of a pan-African effort to understand and describe the complex movement patterns of the lesser flamingo (classified by the IUCN as a “near-threatened” species), as part of the development of an international flyway management and protection plan. This is being achieved by documenting for the first time the frequency and pattern of their movements, routes taken, stopover places and habitat usage, and relating this information to the local limnological and climatic conditions, food abundance and breeding activity.  Using small (35g-45g) “backpack” satellite transmitters, the project is tracking lesser flamingos as they move amongst their primary feeding and breeding lakes in East Africa and also following their seasonal longer-range migrations.

In this study, battery-powered transmitters (PTTs) and solar-powered PTTs are attached to male lesser flamingos and their movements are then tracked. In addition the data gathered on flamingo movement patterns this project tests:
• the usefulness and viability of using solar-powered transmitters to track the movements of this species (traditional “wisdom” is that they are not suitable for flamingos)
• the viability of solar-power vs. battery power for this species in this geographical area,
• different on-off duty cycles
• the suitability of our harness design and application technique.

Ongoing study.

• During the expected 3-5 year operating life of the five remaining solar PTTs, the researchers plans to:
– Develop a better understanding of the itinerant movements and site usage in wet and dry seasons
– Document movements related to breeding
– Document any flights outside the Rift Valley
– Explore the importance of ephemeral fresh water wetlands
• Add five female birds to the study (only males birds have been tracked to date)

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