How drones and AI are being used to monitor Alderney's gannet population

  • ITV Channel's Luke Keohane explains more about the technology being used to track the gannets.

Alderney's gannet colonies have become some of the first in the world to be fully surveyed using drones and artificial intelligence (AI). The survey aims to understand how well the seabird population is coping in the island after the 2022 avian flu outbreak. This study is being carrying out by the Alderney Wildlife Trust in collaboration with the Seabird Watch Project run by Oxford Brookes University. Over one percent of the world's northern gannet population nests within Alderney's Ramsar site, so the survey represents a key indicator of how well gannet populations can recover from avian flu outbreaks. Alderney's northern gannets saw a dramatic 29% decline in numbers during the 2022 epidemic, setting the colonies back to the levels they were at in the 1980s.Hundreds of millions of birds have died globally as a result of avian flu since the 2022 outbreak.

Alderney Wildlife Trust believes more regular censuses are needed to understand exactly how well the gannets are bouncing back which is why they explored the option of using drones to help. The drone used in the survey flies far above where the colonies were nesting, capturing high-resolution images in as little as 30 minutes. These images are then stitched together to create both two dimensional and three dimensional maps of the nesting sites before AI software helps count the numbers of birds present without anyone having to spend hours doing it manually. The Trust says this method of surveying is more 'cost-effective and less logistically constrained' than flying a manned aircraft above the colonies to count them.

Alderney Wildlife Trust says using the latest technology to monitor the seabirds is less invasive, timesaving and more cost-effective. Credit: Alderney Wildlife Trust

The drone's exact flightpath can also be saved and replicated in future surveys so data collection can remain consistent across breeding seasons. Results from the study at both Les Etacs and Ortac will be published in the Alderney Ramsar Annual Review.Dr Tara Cox, an ecologist at the Alderney Wildlife Trust, said: "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to update Alderney’s monitoring methods and contribute to international research efforts."This innovative approach allows us to gather finer spatial and temporal data on Alderney’s gannet populations in a cost-effective and non-invasive manner."We are incredibly grateful to the States of Alderney, States of Guernsey Vet, as well as Guernsey and Alderney Air Traffic Control for their support in facilitating this project."

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