Motus 

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus), a program of Birds Canada, is an international collaborative research network using automated radio telemetry to enable cost-effective research and education on migratory animal ecology and conservation.

In 2023, the Uihlein Foundation joined Motus by installing a tracking station at Uihlein Farm in Lake Placid—one of 2,435 receiver stations across 34 countries. The station monitors birds, bats, and insects, tracking local species such as the Chestnut-sided Warbler (pictured above, photo courtesy of Larry Master), Northern Saw-whet Owl, Evening Grosbeak, Short-billed Dowitcher, Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Chimney Swift, and Bicknell’s Thrush.

Worldwide, Motus stations pick up pings from VHF Nanotag transmitters to monitor species often too small for traditional tracking. As of July 2026, the network has tracked 65,810 animals across more than 497 species—including songbirds, raptors, seabirds, bats, butterflies, and dragonflies. Collected data feeds into a shared database, supporting public education, species-at-risk conservation, environmental assessments, and continental mitigation planning.