Allerton is proud to be a member of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, a collaborative network of researchers that uses radio telemetry to track various species of birds, bats and even insects.
Allerton has three Motus towers: one in the prairie on the south side of the park, another on top of its water tower and a third near the Music Barn. Over the most recent year-long reporting period, seven northern saw-whet owls were fitted with transmitters locally and can now be tracked throughout the international system, giving researchers migratory data at their fingertips.
“Having Motus makes the Allerton natural areas more likely to attract new avian research projects. Additionally, Allerton has become part of the worldwide network of towers. Data collected by the towers at Allerton show how important our island of forested habitat is to birds that migrate through agricultural landscapes and for those that nest or overwinter here,” Allerton Natural Areas Manager Nate Beccue said.
Data helps determine avian activity, how often birds nest in the same area and how long they stay at various locations (overwintering vs. migratory stopover).
Allerton typically purchases four transmitters per year for tagged owls, but last year was given three additional ones at no cost and was able to outfit a total of seven birds.
There are currently 44 stations in the Midwest, according to the most recent Illinois Motus newsletter. Some of the most recent stations were installed in Kane County Forest Preserve’s Needham Woods, the Illinois Raptor Center in Decatur and in Buffalo, Illinois.
Worldwide there are currently 2,219 Motus stations. You can see them all on a map here.
Why is the system called Motus? It is not an acronym, rather it borrows the Latin word for “movement”.
Allerton Park has participated in the banding of saw whet owls since 2021. You can learn more about these fascinating creatures at the annual Owl Night on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Music Barn. Get more information and register here.
You can also learn about research at the Park here.
