Use of avian GPS tracking to mitigate human fatalities from bird strikes caused by large soaring birds
Not provided.
Biodiversity & Conservation↗
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Coastal songbird condition on migratory stopover varies by geographical location and bird age
Abstract The period of migration can pose significant energetic challenges as birds attempt to reach their destinations. Suitable stopover habitat is, therefore, important to the success of migrating individuals, especially as they move along major migration corridors and geographic features, like coastlines. In this study, we used metrics of individual body condition (i.e. fat score, size-corrected body mass, and refueling rate) of fall migrants as they moved across the Gulf of Maine region, a complex coastal landscape. We investigated the extent to which these body condition indices varied by stopover site geography (island vs. mainland) and how these spatial patterns varied with species-specific characteristics such as migratory distance, foraging guild, and age. Geography was an important factor explaining variation in all 3 condition indices, and age explained additional variance in 2 of the 3. In general, individuals captured on islands exhibited significantly lower energetic condition than individuals on the mainland, and this pattern held true across all migratory strategies and foraging guilds. Immature individuals had, on average, lower energy reserves, with less fat and lower size-corrected mass than adults among all stopover sites. We also found that at all sites, size-corrected body mass, on average, significantly increased over the capture day, providing evidence that both island and mainland sites provided energetically beneficial stopover habitat. Our finding that birds offshore are in lower body condition at capture than those along the coast is suggestive that birds use mainland sites for longer stopover bouts than island sites, or that poorer condition birds reorient to land during over-water movements disproportionately use off-shore islands as their initial landing area. Decreases in either island or mainland stopover site availability or quality may affect individual fitness, with population-level consequences, but through different ways.
Zoology↗
Large birds travel farther in homogeneous environments
Not provided.
Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗
Assessment of Bird Strike Likelihood to Refine Bird Strike Risk Models
In its most basic form, bird strike risk is comprised of a frequency component that reflects the likelihood of a collision and a severity component that reflects the cost (monetary or otherwise) of the incident. The bird strike risk model currently used by United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services to evaluate the risk posed by individual bird species at airports and establish priorities for management was developed in 2018. The model uses airport-specific data on the number of reported strikes for a species recorded in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s National Wildlife Strike Database as a measure of frequency and the species’ relative hazard score as a measure of severity. The model was tested against independent data, found to perform well overall, and is being implemented widely across the United States. However, the model has limitations, including that species known to pose risk to aircraft locally, but not present in the strike record database, are not reflected as a major component of risk. Standard bird survey methodology commonly used at airports (e.g. point counts or transects) potentially can be used to complement wildlife strike records to calculate frequency or relative abundance of species. However, these methods generally focus on airport-wide population estimation and often ignore vital information that contributes to the true likelihood of a strike, such as use of runway protection zones and other critical areas, and spatial and temporal overlap with departing or approaching aircraft. As such, a more detailed understanding of space use by birds across landcovers and population fluctuations across the year is needed to accurately estimate the likelihood of bird strikes at airports. In this manuscript, we will review the extant risk model, including a discussion on its limitations. We then discuss approaches for refining our understanding of strike likelihood and briefly touch on needs for estimating probability of strike severity (cost).
bird strike, aircraft collision, damage by wildlif↗
Detoured flight direction responses along the southwest coast of Lake Erie by night-migrating birds
Abstract Migratory birds encounter the Great Lakes while moving through eastern North America toward breeding grounds to the North, which offers a good opportunity to study variation in migratory behavior as birds face a potentially influencing topographical feature. Using passive infrared technology, we documented the direction of relatively low-flying, nocturnal, mostly passerine migration in spring along the southern coast of Lake Erie’s western basin. We examined the extent to which spring migrants flew across Lake Erie as a continuation of the inland, northeasterly broad front migratory direction, as determined by weather radar and infrared observations, or displayed a tendency to deviate to more closely follow the direction of the coastline. We found that an estimated 62% of all low-flying migrants deviated their flight directions toward the coast of Lake Erie at 2 coastal sites, Cedar Point and Ottawa, which were characterized by northwest–southeast oriented coastlines. Migrants at a third coastal location, Maumee Bay, which has a more east–west oriented coastline, did not display similarly deviated flight directions. We found that even when winds were energetically favorable for a lake crossing, many migrants still routinely displayed deviated flight directions that approached paralleling the coastline. Further, the mean flight direction at one site, Ottawa, shifted more in the direction of the coastline as the night progressed, suggesting that time of night could influence the shift to a more coastal flight direction. The data indicate that the western basin of Lake Erie acts as a salient topographical feature influencing the flight directions of nocturnal migrants. The data further suggest that birds are making active decisions while in flight, based on current environmental and physiological conditions, about whether to continue to cross Lake Erie or take a coastal detour.
Zoology↗
Bird Species Use of Bioenergy Croplands in Illinois, USA—Can Advanced Switchgrass Cultivars Provide Suitable Habitats for Breeding Grassland Birds?
Grassland birds have sustained significant population declines in the United States through habitat loss, and replacing lost grasslands with bioenergy production areas could benefit these species and the ecological services they provide. Point count surveys and autonomous acoustic monitoring were used at two field sites in Illinois, USA, to determine if an advanced switchgrass cultivar that is being used for bioenergy feedstock production could provide suitable habitats for grassland and other bird species. At the Brighton site, the bird use of switchgrass plots was compared to that of corn plots during the breeding seasons of 2020–2022. At the Urbana site, the bird use of restored prairie, switchgrass, and Miscanthus × giganteus was studied in the 2022 breeding season. At Brighton, Common Yellowthroat, Dickcissel, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Sedge Wren occurred on switchgrass plots more often than on corn; Common Yellowthroat and Dickcissel increased on experimental plots as the perennial switchgrass increased in height and density over the study period; and the other two species declined over the same period. At Urbana, Dickcissel was most frequent in prairie and switchgrass; Common Yellowthroat was most frequent in miscanthus and switchgrass. These findings suggest that advanced switchgrass cultivars could provide suitable habitats for grassland birds, replace lost habitats, and contribute to the recovery of these vulnerable species.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Evaluating habitat, prey, and mesopredator associations in a community of marine birds
Not provided.
Fisheries↗
State-space modelling of the flight behaviour of a soaring bird provides new insights to migratory strategies
Not provided.
Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗
2013 Presidential Migratory Bird Stewardship Award Submittal to the Council on the Conservation of Migratory Birds
DOE/LLNL understands its environmental stewardship role and responsibilities, including the protection of migratory birds. Strengthening migratory bird conservation activities onsite, following and creating opportunities to exceed avian protection law provisions, and enhancing collaboration between DOE and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), has been a goal at DOE/LLNL. Using an environmental management system approach that conforms to the ISO 14001:2004 International Standard, DOE/LLNL incorporates all applicable environmental laws and regulations into its mission activities.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
Anthropogenic disturbance favours generalist over specialist parasites in bird communities: Implications for risk of disease emergence
Not provided.
Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗
Incubation temperature influences the behavioral traits of a young precocial bird
Abstract The environment in which animals develop can have important consequences for their phenotype. In reptiles, incubation temperature is a critical aspect of the early developmental environment. Incubation temperature influences morphology, physiology, and behavior of non‐avian reptiles, however, little is known about how incubation temperature influences offspring phenotype and behaviors important to avian survival. To investigate whether incubation temperature influences avian behaviors, we collected wood duck ( Aix sponsa ) eggs from the field and incubated them at three naturally occurring incubation temperatures (35.0, 35.8, and 37.0°C). We conducted multiple repeated behavioral trials on individual ducklings between 5 and 15 days post‐hatch to assess activity, exploratory, and boldness behaviors, classified along a proactive‐reactive continuum. We measured growth rates and circulating levels of baseline and stress‐induced corticosterone levels to investigate possible physiological correlates of behavior. Ducklings incubated at the lowest temperature displayed more proactive behaviors than those incubated at the two higher temperatures. We also found that younger ducklings exhibited more proactive behavior than older ducklings and males exhibited more proactive behavior than females. Further, duckling behaviors were repeatable across time and contexts, indicative of a proactive–reactive continuum of behavioral tendencies. However, neither corticosterone levels nor growth rates were related to behavior. This provides some of the first evidence that incubation temperature, a critical parental effect, influences avian offspring behaviors that may be important for survival. Our results identify incubation temperature as a mechanism that contributes to the development of behavioral traits and, in part, explains how multiple behavioral types may be maintained within populations.
Hope, Sydney F.↗
Radiocesium in migratory aquatic game birds using contaminated U.S. Department of Energy reactor-cooling reservoirs: A long-term perspective
Not provided.
Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗
Grassland Bird Distribution and Raptor Flight Patterns in the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones of the Texas Panhandle [Thesis]
The consistent wind resource in the Great Plains of North America has encouraged the development of wind energy facilities across this region. In the Texas Panhandle, a high quality wind resource is only one factor that has led to the expansion of wind energy development. Other factors include federal tax incentives and the availability of subsidies. Moreover, the State Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), mandating production of 10,000 mega-watts of renewable energy in the state by 2025, has contributed to an amicable regulatory and permitting environment (State Energy Conservation Office 2010). Considering the current rate of development, the RPS will be met in coming years (American Wind Energy Association 2011) and the rate of development is likely to continue. To meet increased energy demands in the face of a chronically constrained transmission grid, Texas has developed a comprehensive plan that organizes and prioritizes new transmission systems in high quality wind resource areas called Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ). The CREZ plan provides developers a solution to transmission constraints and unlocks large areas of undeveloped wind resource areas. In the northern Texas panhandle, there are two CREZs that are classified Class 3 wind (Class 5 is the highest) and range from 862,725 to 1,772,328 ha in size (Public Utility Commission of Texas 2008). Grassland bird populations have declined more than any other bird group in North America (Peterjohn and Sauer 1999, Sauer et al. 2004). Loss of grassland habitat from agricultural development has been the greatest contributor to the decline of grassland bird populations, but development of non-renewable (i.e., oil, coal, and gas) and renewable energy (i.e., wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal) sources have contributed to the decline as well (Pimentel et al. 2002, Maybe and Paul 2007). The effects of wind energy development on declining grassland bird populations has become an area of extensive research, as we attempt to understand and minimize potential impacts of a growing energy sector on declining bird populations. Based on data from post-construction fatality surveys, two grassland bird groups have been the specific focus of research, passerines (songbird guild) and raptors (birds of prey). The effects of wind energy development on these two groups of birds, both of conservation concern, have been examined over the last decade. The primary focus of this research has been on mortality resulting from collision with wind turbines (Kuvlesky et al. 2007). Most studies just quantify post-construction fatality levels (e.g., Erickson et al. 2002) while very few studies provide a comparison of bird populations prior to development through a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study design. Before-After-Control-Impact studies provide powerful evidence of avian/wind energy relationships (Anderson et al. 1999). Despite repeated urgency on conducting these types of studies (Anderson et al. 1999, Madders and Whitfield 2006, Kuvelsky et al. 2007), few have been conducted in North America. Although several European researchers (Larsson 1994, de Lucas et al. 2007) have used BACI designs to examine whether wind facilities modified raptor behavior, there is a scarcity of BACI data relating to North America grassland ecosystems that examine avian-wind energy relationships. There are less than a handful of studies in the entire United States, let alone the southern short grass prairie ecosystem, that incorporate preconstruction data to form the baseline for post-construction impact estimates (Johnson et al. 2000, Erickson et al. 2002). Although declines in grassland bird populations are well-documented (Peterjohn and Sauer 1999, Sauer et al. 2004), the causal mechanisms affecting the decline of grassland birds with increasing wind energy development in the southern short grass prairie are not well-understood (Kuvlesky et al. 2007, Maybe and Paul 2007). Several factors may potentially affect the bird population when wind turbines are constructed in areas with high bird densities (de Lucas et al. 2007). Habitat fragmentation, noise from turbines, physical movement of turbine blades, and increased vehicle traffic have been suggested as causes of decreased density of nesting grassland birds in Minnesota (Leddy et al. 1999), Oklahoma (O’Connell and Piorkowski 2006), and South Dakota (Shaffer and Johnson 2008). Similarly, constructing turbines in areas where bird flight patterns place them at similar heights of turbine blades increases the potential for bird collisions (Johnson et al. 2000, Hoover 2002). Raptor fatalities have been associated with topographic features such as ridges, saddles and rims where birds use updrafts from prevailing winds (Erickson et al. 2000, Johnson et al. 2000, Barrios and Rodriquez 2004, Hoover and Morrison 2005). Thus, wind energy development can result in indirect (e.g., habitat avoidance, decreased nest success) and direct (e.g., collision fatalities) impacts to bird populations (Anderson et al. 1999). Directly quantifying the level of potential impacts (e.g., estimated fatalities/mega-watthour) from wind energy development is beyond the scope of this study. Instead, I aim to quantify density, occupancy and flight behavior for the two bird groups mentioned earlier: obligate grassland songbirds and raptors, respectively, predict where impacts may occur, and provide management recommendations to minimize potential impacts. The United States Department of Energy (DOE), through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Allocation, contracted Texas Tech University to investigate grassland bird patterns of occurrence in the anticipated CREZ in support of DOE’s 20% Wind Energy by 2030 initiative. In cooperation with Iberdrola Renewables, Inc., studies initiated by Wulff (2010) at Texas Tech University were continued at an area proposed for wind energy development and a separate reference site unassociated with wind energy development. I focused on four primary objectives and this thesis is accordingly organized in four separate chapters that address grassland bird density, grassland bird occupancy, raptor flight patterns, and finally I summarize species diversity and composition. The following chapters use formatting from the Journal of Wildlife Management guidelines (Block et al. 2011) with modifications as required by the Texas Tech University Graduate School. 1) I estimate pre-construction bird density patterns using methods that adjust for imperfect detection. I used a distance sampling protocol that effectively accounts for incomplete detection in the field where birds are present but not detected (Buckland et al. 2001). I improved density estimates with hierarchical distance sampling models, a modeling technique that effectively incorporates the detection process with environmental covariates that further influence bird density (Royle et al. 2004, Royle and Dorazio 2008). Covariates included road density and current oil and gas infrastructure to determine the relationship between existing energy development and bird density patterns. Further, I used remote sensing techniques and vegetation field data to investigate how landcover characteristics influenced bird density patterns. I focused species-specific analyses on obligate grassland birds with >70 detections per season namely grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) and horned lark (Eremophila alpestris). Chapter II focuses on hierarchical models that model and describe relationships between grassland bird density and anthropogenic and landscape features. 2) A large number of bird detections (>70) are needed to estimate density using distance sampling and collection of such quantity are often not feasible, particularly for cryptic species or species that naturally occur at low densities (Buckland et al. 2001). Occupancy models operate with far fewer data and are often used as a surrogate for bird abundance when there are fewer detections (MacKenzie and Nichols 2004). I used occupancy models that allow for the possibility of imperfect detection and species abundance to improve estimates of occurrence probability (Royal 2004). I focused species-specific analyses on grassland birds with few detections: Cassin’s sparrow (Peucaea cassinii), eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna), and upland sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda). Chapter III uses a multi-season dynamic site occupancy model that incorporates bird abundance to better estimate occurrence probability. 3) When I considered the topographic relief of the study sites, the proposed design of the wind facility and its location within the central U.S. migratory corridor, I expanded the study to investigate raptor abundance and flight behavior (Hoover 2002, Miller 2008). I developed a new survey technique that improved the accuracy of raptor flight height estimates and compared seasonal counts and flight heights at the plateau rim and areas further inland. I used counts and flight behaviors to calculate species-specific collision risk indices for raptors based on topographic features. I focused species-specific analyses on raptors with the highest counts: American kestrel (Falco sparverius), northern harrier (Circus cyaneus), red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsoni), and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura). Chapter IV describes patterns of seasonal raptor abundance and flight behavior and how topography modulates collision risk with proposed wind energy turbines. 4) Finally, for completeness, in Chapter V I summarize morning point count data for all species and provide estimates of relative composition and species diversity with the Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (Shannon and Weaver 1949).
17 WIND ENERGY↗
A Multi-Sensor Approach for Measuring Bird and Bat Collisions with Offshore Wind Turbines (Final Technical Report)
Collision of birds and bats with wind turbines is a conservation concern for both land-based and offshore wind projects. The fatality rates of birds and bats at land-based turbines are well documented. The measurement strategies on land focus on finding carcasses following collision, estimating the number of carcasses missed through searcher efficiency, carcass persistence trials and carcass fall distributions, and modeling statistically robust fatality rates. Few technologies have been developed to monitor offshore bird and bat collisions, and many that have been developed focused on detecting collisions with large birds. The few studies that have attempted to document collisions at offshore turbines do not account for smaller bodied animals or for collisions that might be missed, which prevents the calculation of statistically robust fatality rates. The overall goal of this report, A Multi-Sensor Approach for Measuring Bird and Bat Collisions with Offshore Wind Turbines (Project), was to develop an effective multi-sensor system for quantifying bird and bat collision rates, specifically for offshore wind facilities. The Project goal and resulting automated collision detection system was achieved through two major technological advancements: 1) refining The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research’s (TNO’s) existing WT-Bird® vibration sensing system, that had successfully detected large bird collisions during daytime, to allow for improved detection of smaller birds and bats during both daytime and nighttime hours and 2) improving image processing systems and developing and integrating machine learning algorithms to automatically detect and classify small and large bird and bat collisions with offshore turbines. This final technical report (FTR) summarizes Methods , Results , Conclusions , and Lessons Learned during each of the five Tasks identified for this research and development effort. This FTR includes summaries of the following: Task 1. Initial Engineering Tests to Improve WT-Bird® Task 2. Installation of WT‐Bird® on a Utility-scale Turbine at the National Wind Technology Center – National Renewable Energy Laboratory Task 3. Field Tests and Refinement of the Object Detection System Task 4. Validation of WT-Bird® on a Land-based Turbine Task 5. Preparation for the Implementation of WT-Bird® on an Offshore Turbine. This research and development effort documented successful improvement of the WT Bird® collision detection system to detect small birds and bats, and WT-Bird® is the first collision detection system to validate results compared to land-based post-construction monitoring. The collision trials provide estimates of missed targets that can be used to estimate fatality rates, a significant improvement relative to other offshore collision monitoring systems. Advances were made in developing an edge-processing solution to reduce data storage requirements, which is important if the system is deployed for long periods of time at offshore turbines. The improved WT-Bird® system also provides an important option for wind operators on land or offshore who need to document specific details about when collisions occur, particularly efforts to further research on bat impact minimization, or when standard fatality searches are impractical (e.g. offshore) or inadequate (e.g. challenging locations on land).
17 WIND ENERGY↗
Evaluating the potential for bird‐habitat models to support biodiversity‐friendly urban planning
Abstract Urban expansion poses a major threat to wildlife populations. Biodiversity‐friendly urban landscapes could deliver benefits for both wildlife and people, by incorporating conservation and ecosystem services objectives. Well‐designed urban developments could also soften the ecological impacts of urbanization. However, delivering urban landscapes that integrate biodiversity requirements effectively remains challenging. Ecological models, designed to predict wildlife population responses to alternative urban designs, could prove effective in supporting the creation of biodiversity‐friendly urban landscapes. Here, we combine national‐scale bird abundance data with high resolution, spatially explicit habitat data to characterize relationships between bird densities and urban landscape form in Britain. From these analyses and cross validation, we evaluate the potential for well‐parameterized, species‐specific models to be used to predict bird densities in novel or modified urban areas. Our analyses indicate that responses of bird abundance to urban habitat are species‐specific and complex, with few variables consistently affecting a large proportion of species. However, contiguous areas of greenspace within urban sites are preferential for accommodating breeding birds, compared to a more fragmented arrangement of multiple, small greenspace patches. In combination, the bird‐habitat relationships identified could successfully predict observed variation in abundance for most bird species considered. Further evaluation of habitat descriptor variables, spatial scales of species' habitat use and analytical modelling approaches may be needed to improve the predictive ability of bird‐habitat models for certain species, particularly waterbirds and those observed less frequently in urban areas. Synthesis and applications . We modelled breeding bird abundance in built‐up areas with respect to the characteristics and contexts of urban environments. While most variables were important for multiple species, responses overall were species‐specific, so simple assemblage metrics, like diversity, will not describe the variation in bird communities well. However, the results illustrate the potential of an evidence‐based, spatially explicit evaluation of urban development impacts on biodiversity, by predicting the consequences for bird numbers. Subject to verification of predictive ability, practitioners can apply the models to compare, for example, land‐sparing and sharing within developments, or to quantify the biodiversity requirements for effective offsetting. This would be facilitated by incorporation into an online tool allowing user‐determined input scenarios.
Plummer, Kate E.↗
Patterns of bird and bat migration along Lake Michigan and Lake Huron coastal areas
Wind energy is becoming a more important and common source of renewable energy. Coastal areas produce high winds and as a result more wind farms are being established along coastlines. These same coastal areas are also potentially migration corridors, as birds and bats avoid the risks of crossing open water (e.g. encountering inclement weather or predators without adequate cover in close proximity). Bats and birds that migrate along shorelines developed with wind turbines are at risk for turbine collisions and related fatalities (i.e., barotrauma). We examined the fall migration of bats and night flying birds at 5 sites along the Great Lakes shorelines. After standardizing habitat types, we specifically compared species use at 5 shoreline plots versus 5 plots 3 miles inland. We used an acoustic-radar sampling system between sunset and sunrise to capture species flight patterns, bird calls, and echolocative activity of bats. The radar sampling unit covered a 2-km radius, whereas the volume recorded by the acoustic unit varied by the frequency of the call. Our results showed that the flight activity of both bats and birds was highest at inland sites consistently across all sites. Acoustic activity of both bats and birds decreased over the fall migration period. Our data did not support the alternative hypothesis that the shoreline provides more intensely used fall migration corridors than inland areas for bats and night migrant birds. Our data suggest that shoreline areas may be less important as a travel corridor to bats and night-flying birds than more inland areas. Further studies should be conducted to determine if this pattern is consistent among temporal and spatial variables and consistent for further offshore. Future conservation efforts may need to critically consider inland areas in efforts to reduce risk from wind turbine fatalities. By learning the migratory habits of bats and birds, specifically whether they are using the coastline, inland pathways, or offshore routes, wind energy developers can significantly reduce negative impacts to bats and birds by siting wind turbines in non-migratory areas.
17 WIND ENERGY↗