Potential for Interactions Between Endangered and Candidate Bird Species with Wind Facility Operations on the Atlantic OCS
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE)
Pandion is conducting a three-year study to assess potential interactions of the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii), and Red Knot (Calidris canutus) with wind facilities anticipated for development off the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. This study will provide assistance to BOEMRE in developing regulations, guidelines, and proposed assessment methodologies for offshore wind development in the U.S.
Remote Acoustic/Thermographic Monitoring Device (Pilot Study #1)
Species-specific information, which is vital for characterizing risk and/or impacts to federally protected species, has been unattainable to date because other current monitoring technologies do not reliably discriminate between species. Our device will solve this problem by recording sound and thermographic imagery.
We are currently designing, developing, and deploying a self-powered, remote operating device to produce species-specific occurrence data in the offshore environment. The focal species each make unique and distinctive vocalizations more or less continuously during flight. These vocalizations can be reliably used for identification. We are collaborating with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology to develop acoustic identification algorithms.
By simultaneously recording thermographic imagery, our device will detect most birds that fly through silently. This works during the day or night and in clear or foggy conditions.
Our device will produce definitive evidence of the absence of birds, which is likely to be a common observation, as overall bird density is known to be generally low in offshore marine environments.
Tracking Red Knot Migration With Light-Sensitive Geolocators (Pilot Study #2)
The distribution and abundance of birds in marine environments is very poorly known, even for relatively well-known species such as our focal species. We are working with Dr. Larry Niles (Conserve Wildlife Foundation) and Dr. Joanna Burger (Rutgers University) to address this problem by tracking the migratory paths of Red Knots using light-sensitive geolocators. These tiny devices weigh less than 5% of a Red Knot’s body weight and can be attached to its leg with minimal impact.
The device tracks time and ambient light level for up to two years as the bird goes about its normal business, including its semiannual migratory movements between the high Arctic and either southern South America (certain populations) or the coast of the southeastern United States (other populations).
Data can be downloaded from the devices on recaptured birds. We then compare these data with known sunrise and sunset times across different longitudes and latitudes to reconstruct the movements of the bird during the period when it was carrying the device.
Behavior of Flying Terns Within and Around Wind Turbine Airspace (Pilot Study #3)
The risk posed by turbines to birds that occur near them depends on the birds’ behavior. Some birds spend more time than others flying at rotor swept altitudes (~ 30 to130 m asl) and some are more adept at avoiding collisions with turbines.
To understand this risk for terns, we are collaborating with Dr. Lucy Vlietestra (U.S. Coast Guard Academy) and Dr. William Warren-Hicks (EcoStat, Inc.) to develop statistical models that will describe collision risk as a function of tern flight behavior under a variety of weather conditions. The models are based on data collected at a coastal wind turbine in Massachusetts, including observations of tern flight behavior within and around wind turbines and mortality monitoring corrected for searcher efficiency and scavenging rate.
Resources
Webinar with Dr. Mark Desholm, 2009: Bird Impacts from Offshore Wind Facilities: Lessons from Europe (video)
Poster Presentation at WINDPOWER 2009: Evaluating Risk to Federally Listed Birds From Offshore Wind Facilities in the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. (PDF)
Presentation at the AWEA 2010 North American Offshore Wind Conference and Exhibition, New Jersey: Evaluating piping plover and red knot use of the AOCS during migration using the Avian Knowledge Network. (PDF)
Presentation at the NWCC 2010 Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VIII, Colorado: Evaluating piping plover and red knot use of the AOCS during migration using the Avian Knowledge Network. (PDF)
Pandion Team
Key Personnel
Sub-Contractors
- William Warren-Hicks, PhD, EcoStat, Inc
- Andrew Farnsworth, PhD, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
- Steve Kelling, MS, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
- Joanna Burger, PhD, Rutgers University
- Lawrence Niles, PhD, Conserve Wildlife Foundation
- Lucy Vlietstra, PhD, Coast Guard Academy
- Edward Zillioux, PhD, Environmental Bioindicators Foundation, Inc.
- Mark Desholm, PhD, Danish National Environmental Research Institute
- David Mizrahi, PhD, New Jersey Audubon Society
- Eric Smith, PhD, Virginia Technical University
- Kenneth Rosenberg, PhD, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
- Richard Podolsky, PhD
Period of Performance
2008 to 2011
Location
Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf
