Guillemots lay eggs on cliff ledges 40 meters above sea level on Stora Karlsö, according to multiple reports. At three weeks old, the chicks leave the nest even though they cannot fly, jumping from the cliffs to their fathers waiting at sea. The chicks survive the fall due to their soft skeleton and extra belly fat.
Before jumping, chicks are ringed so researchers can track which ones return. After the chick and father swim out to sea, the mother stays behind to guard her territory for a few more days. A result from previous years' citizen science is that specific individuals often return to the same cliff ledge.
Sound recorders have been set up this year to study the guillemots' language. Researchers suspect that guillemots recognize each other through their calls. AI models are being trained to identify and group different guillemot sounds.
The acoustic monitoring system uses three Raspberry Pi-based components and professional-grade microphones. The goal is to use automated bioacoustic analysis with machine learning to uncover hidden behavioral patterns. Researchers have over 12,000 hours of audio recordings.
A master's student at Blekinge Institute of Technology is building an AI system to detect anomalous guillemot calls. The acoustic monitoring is a collaboration between RISE, SLU, and Stockholm University. The AukLab artificial breeding shelf was built in 2008 with funds from WWF.
It is a 12-meter-long steel and wood construction that hangs over the cliff edge. As of 2024, around 100 pairs of guillemots and about ten pairs of razorbills breed on the AukLab shelves. The AukLab includes built-in scales that weigh the birds and thermal cameras to study climate impact.
This year, researchers are zooming in on artificial cliffs with built-in scales. Guillemots are considered an indicator species for the health of the Baltic Sea ecosystem, according to research. The guillemot research is part of a long-term seabird project that also studies other species.
The behavior is monitored with 67 cameras around the clock. The long-term vision includes a digital 3D representation of the artificial cliff incorporating multiple sensory data.