An improved night-lighting technique for the selective capture of sandgrouse and other steppe birds

The night-lighting technique is routinely used to catch birds. We improved this technique using a thermal infrared camera to catch steppe birds such as the sandgrouse. Target birds were located by an observer using the thermal camera, and approached and dazzled by another observer carrying a spotlight attached to a helmet and a hand-held net together with a playback noise to camouflage the footsteps of the observer. Using this improved technique, we caught on average 1. 14 individuals per 3-h capture session (N = 81) and a total of 92 sandgrouse in 2007-2010 (86 pin-tailed sandgrouse Pterocles alchata and six black-bellied sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis). Capture rate and success were negatively influenced by moonlight (lowest during full moon nights). Our night-lighting technique is a highly selective and harmless method to capture sandgrouse and can be used for other small/medium-sized open-land birds or mammals.
Funding came from the Dirección General de Investigación (projects CGL2007-66322/BOS and CGL2008-04282/BOS), Consejería de Educación y Ciencia de Castilla-La Mancha (projects PAI08-0171-9582 and PAC06-137) and Bardenas Reales Natural Park (project CTR09-0268).