Motus Wildlife Tracking System
What is Motus?
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a global, collaborative research network established by Birds Canada that uses automated radio telemetry to study the movements of birds, bats and large insects. Tiny, digitally encoded tags are safely attached to an animal, and are detected by receiving stations across the landscape.
To learn more, please visit the official website here:
The Birds Canada van arrives at the Cobourg boat storage site on a snowy November morning.
The intrepid Motus installation crew braved snow and high winds.
WBFN brings Motus to Cobourg
Exciting news for nature lovers in Northumberland! A new Motus Wildlife Tracking Station has been installed at the Cobourg Harbour inside the safety of the boat storage enclosure. Completed in November 2025, this project was initiated by WBFN and follows 2 years of careful planning by volunteers. We are thrilled to join the Global Motus Network to aid in the support of migratory wildlife conservation.
What's next for the Cobourg Motus station?
We look forward to the coming migration seasons in the hopes that a number of tagged animals will “ping” the new tower. Any data captured by the station will be made publicly available by Motus on their website. We will keep our eyes on site activity and inform club members when there is news to share.
A White-crowned Sparrow with a new motus tag attached to its back.
Photo by Margaret Eng; compliments of Motus.
Special thanks to our partners
