Project partners

Project duration: 01.09.2021 bis 31.12.2023

Project manager: BioConsult SH GmbH & Co. KG.

BioConsult SH is leading the DiverLog project (project manager Dr. Claudia Burger, doctoral student Svenja Neumann) in cooperation with partners from the Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology of Animals group at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU; Prof. Dr. Petra Quillfeldt). A close cooperation also takes place with the company Ornitela – Ornithology and Telemetry Applications (Vilnius, Lithuania; Dr. Ramūnas Žydelis) as well as with Novia University (Vaasa, Finland; Dr. Stefan Heinänen).

German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH)

The project ``DiverLog, Impact of offshore wind farms on divers - Development of basics for the approval and optimization of logistic processes of offshore wind farms`` is funded by the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH).

BioConsult SH

The field of activity of BioConsult SH is currently characterized by applied environmental research, the preparation of environmental impact studies and FFH impact assessments and the expert opinions on which they are based. BioConsult SH has extensive experience in all areas of ecological environmental research in the marine sector and has carried out numerous projects ranging from the collection of basic biological data to the development of protection concepts. BioConsult SH has further developed and standardized important methods for offshore research in close cooperation with scientists from Germany and abroad and has participated in the development and updating of the BSH's standard Investigation concept. The team has many years of experience in conducting telemetry studies on sea ducks and other species as well as the expertise and experience in catching and handling birds for ringing and other marking techniques.

Justus Liebig University of Giessen - Animal Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Research Group.

The working group has many years of experience in conducting and evaluating bird surveys as part of research projects on feeding ecology, breeding biology, and behaviour, especially of non-songbirds (seabirds, waterfowl, parakeets). The project team has an in-depth knowledge of bird biology and marine ecology and has been involved in the designation of Important Bird Areas (Falkland Islands and Argentina). The working group has relevant experience in recording migration routes of pelagic seabirds using geolocators in GPS logger studies on different diving bird species (penguins, cormorants) and shorebird species (gulls), in data analysis of position and diving data of different formats, modelling at different spatial resolutions for different bird species in different marine ecosystems, habitat modelling and publication in scientific journals.

Ornitela - Ornithology and telemetry applications

The company Ornitela specializes in advanced telemetry applications for the study of birds. The team consists of biologists with many years of experience in bird tracking who, in close collaboration with experienced microelectronics engineers, develop trackers that combine the latest technological achievements. In addition, the team led by Dr. Ramūnas Žydelis has several years of experience in catching, ringing and tagging waterbirds. Ornitela data loggers have already been used in several telemetry projects with sea and water birds (including sea ducks and divers), including the previous project DIVER.

Novia University

At Novia University, we have a close collaboration with Dr. Stefan Heinänen, who has in-depth knowledge of species distribution modelling, applied ecology and marine ornithology. He also has several years of experience in catching and handling seabirds.

Wildlife veterinarian - Dr. Julius Morkūnas

Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Julius Morkūnas will perform the surgeries of the red-throated divers on board the vessel. Julius Morkūnas is an experienced and licensed wildlife veterinarian who has completed specialized training in satellite transmitter implantation at the USGS-Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Maryland, USA) and has already successfully performed implantations as part of the previous project DIVER as well as several times in projects in the USA and Lithuania.