Application of Automated Radio Tracking to Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) Monitoring at Mount Emu Creek in Western Victoria.

Abstract

An automatic listening station suitable for platypus monitoring has been developed. The equipment includes a radio telemetry receiver connected to a data logger capable of sorting up to 160 input items of information. The data Jogger can receive information directly from a programmable flash memory device (FMD). The flash memory device (FMD) is programmed from a computer with the transmitter frequencies to be detected and stored prior to a site visit. For platypus work the radio telemetry receiver is deployed in the field at an appropriate data collection point, such as opposite a burrow opening, where frequency of visit data is required. The field data, which is stored in the data logger, is retrieved by the researcher by transferring information from the data logger to the FMD. In the laboratory the new data can be downloaded on to a personal computer for analysis, thus removing the need for a laptop computer in the field. Whilst recognising that no automated methods of data collection replace first hand observations of animals collected in the field, there are situations when automated data collection is very useful. The application of this technique to platypus monitoring at Mt. Em Creek will be described.