| March Date: Tuesday 3rd, 2026 IN PERSON Social time 7:00 – 7:30 pm, DNS Business 7:30 – 8:00 pm Presentation 8:00 – 9:00 pm Guest Speaker: David Bradley Topic: Using the Motus Wildlife Tracking System to study Tree Swallows at Iona Island |
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus) is a collaborative network of radio telemetry stations that can track the movements of birds over thousands of kilometers. However, Motus can also be used to examine the local-scale movements of birds over much finer scales, such as around nesting sites like at Iona Island. David will present the preliminary findings of a Tree Swallow tracking study that Birds Canada conducted in 2025 to examine the use of Iona Island for breeding, foraging, and roosting. Our aim was to collect data to scientifically inform the re-design of the Wastewater Treatment Plant so that the habitat is maintained for aerial insectivores like swallows and swifts.
Dr. David Bradley has been interested in birds and their conservation for as long as he can remember. Prior to his current role as the BC Director at Birds Canada, he completed a postdoc at the Birds Canada head office in Ontario and the University of Guelph on migration and breeding phenology in Tree Swallows. He conducted his Ph.D. research in New Zealand on the ecology and conservation of an endangered endemic bird, the North Island Kokako. He has also been involved in behavioral studies of Neotropical birds in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia.
Delta Naturalists Society 