(IVAR) - Final Report - Strategic Environmental Research and ...

The VT Recorder enters “Y” for “Yes” in the Confirmed column on the VT field data
form, as well as the time on the team’s digital watch when the confirmation was made.
The RT receives the confirmation broadcast from the pVT, the RT Recorder enters a “Y”
under the Confirmed column on the RT field data form for that RFC, and acknowledges
the confirmation:
RT: “Radar acknowledges Team 2-Alpha confirms Target 23”
Once the confirmation is acknowledged, the Radar Operator begins looking for the next
target.
As noted above, the VT Observer must make a mental note of the bird’s position when it
was observed and confirmed, as the bird continues to fly off in whatever direction it was
headed. Keeping his/her eye on that spot, the Observer uses the compass to get a bearing
(degrees, magnetic 38 ) to that position, and then the inclinometer to get the angle of that
position above the horizontal plane. Next the Observer counts (or estimates) the number
of birds in the flock and identifies the birds to the lowest possible taxonomic level, usually
by common name (e.g., “Canvasback Duck”, “Duck”, “Unknown Waterfowl”). For mixed
flocks of two or more types of birds, the Observer should enumerate each type separately.
To save time and space, the four-character USGS Bird Banding Lab codes (e.g., TUVU
for Turkey Vulture) can be used to record the bird identifications.
If another VT (secondary, or sVT) observes the target, they follow the same procedures
as the pVT for recording the confirmation. An sVT does not, however, broadcast the
confirmation to the RT unless the pVT did not confirm the target. In the case where an
sVT confirms the target but the primary does not, the RT should enter on their field data
form which sVT(s) confirmed the target.
If an sVT cannot confirm a target, they make no entry for that target on their field data
form.
A “Y” under the Confirmed column of the RT field data form, with no further notation as
to which VT confirmed the target, means the target was confirmed by the pVT. A note
should added a Note to the RT field data form if a secondary team, or teams, confirmed
the target, whether the confirmation was instead of (“Confirmed by Team [team name]”)
or in addition to (“Also confirmed by Team [team name]”) the pVT.
As noted above, on occasion birds will enter the radar beam near the target being tracked, after
the RT has broadcast the RFC. In these cases the RT Operator should have the RT Recorder
record these additional Track IDs to the Notes field.
No new RFCs should be broadcast by the RT until the current RFC is closed (i.e., confirmed, nonconfirmed
(cancelled) or aborted). The time between the broadcast of an RFC and a confirmation
is typically 30-45 seconds, but could last several minutes if the target remains in the
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The DRP, which uses the GPS for it coordinate information, calculates the targets’ azimuth in degrees true. The
compass readings by the VTs have to be converted from degrees magnetic to degrees true by applying the published
magnetic declination for the study location.
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