Posted on 22 January 2022 by Sam Sulaimanov

The new barn owl monitoring device is almost finished! The latest design is easy to attach right underneath the entrance to the nestbox. We've improved the battery life as well as the measurement accuracy. Overall the system is much more robust and easier to manufacture than the previous prototype.

Rendering of the new barn owl monitoring device attached to the entrance of a nestbox.

Rendering of the new barn owl monitoring device attached to the entrance of a nestbox.

 

The RFID antennas that will be embedded in the wooden perch are also ready and we are working on a platform that will collect every visit and weight measurement of the owls in realtime.

We are getting ready for production of a first series in March and we will be testing the device in the coming season, around May, and hope to have it ready for general availability at the end of this year.

We are really looking forward to see how this new device will help us to better understand the behavior and health of barn owls.

Wooden perches in the factory

Freshly varnished plywood perches in the Estonian factory. The cutout will hold the custom RFID antenna.

CNC machined anodized aluminium electronics housing for the new barn owl monitoring device

CNC machined and anodized aluminium electronics housing for the new barn owl monitoring device.

Owl sitting on the perch of the previous prototype device © Barn owl research group

Owl sitting on the perch of the previous prototype device © Barn owl research group 

 

Read more on the project here...