BluSeries Receiver and Antenna
Connecting Wildlife to New Technology for Conservation:
A Partnership between Butterfly Enthusiasts of Northern Arizona and the Northern Arizona Audubon Society
Butterfly Enthusiasts of Northern Arizona (BENA) and Northern Arizona Audubon Society (NAAS) have partnered to track small wildlife’s migrations. Birds and butterflies, that is!
Have you heard of Motus? Motus is part technology and part collaboration – and has a huge impact! It is the largest international collaboration between researchers and organizations, using radio-tracking technology to track small wildlife.
Motus Stations (antennas and receivers) track radio-tagged birds. In 2024, NAAS installed two Motus Stations, one in Flagstaff and one in Camp Verde. Fast-forward a year and another new technology is available; something called BluMorpho (radio tag) and BluSeries (receiver and antenna). The BluSeries receivers and antennas are retrofitted to a Motus Station and track BluMorpho radio-tagged, migrating monarchs. You heard that right! The radio tag is a lighweight, solar-powered radio tag, weighing a mere 0.06 grams and is smaller than a grain of rice. It is attached to the body of a monarch butterfly.
When a radio-tagged monarch flies within a 2km (1.24 miles) range, it pings the BluSeries receiver, capturing the date, the temperature of the tag, the direction the monarch first pinged and how long the monarch stays in the area. This is critical, game-changing data for researchers and organizations to help determine where to focus habitat restoration and milkweed planting projects.
During this summer, thanks to a generous offer from NAAS, BENA installed two BluSeries Receivers and Antennas onto NAAS’s existing Motus Stations in Northern Arizona.
Both NAAS and BENA are poised to make huge impacts on bird and butterfly conservation decisions! BENA never could have made this project happen this quickly and without NAAS’s help. We cannot thank NAAS enough for believing in our mission and making this partnership a reality!
Now all we need is you! You can help by donating to BENA to fund the BluSeries Receiver equipment and BluMorpho Radio Tags. There are two ways to donate:
Send a check payable to:
Butterfly Enthusiasts of Northern Arizona
P.O. Box 3034
Sedona, AZ 86340