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| Since the early 1990s, marine wind farms have become a reality, with at least 13 000 offshore
wind turbines currently proposed in European waters. There are public concerns that these
man-made structures will have a significant negative impact on the many bird populations
migrating and wintering at sea. We assess the degree of usefulness and the limitations of
different remote technologies for studying bird behaviour in relation to bird–turbine collisions
at offshore wind farms. Radar is one of the more powerful tools available to describe the
movement of birds in three-dimensional space. Although radar cannot measure bird–turbine
collisions directly, it offers the opportunity to quantify input data for collision models. Thermal
Animal Detection System (TADS) is an infra red-based technology developed as a
means of gathering highly specific information about actual collision rates, and also for
parameterizing predictive collision models. TADS can provide information on avoidance
behaviour of birds in close proximity to turbine rotor-blades, flock size and flight altitude.
This review also assesses the potential of other (some as yet undeveloped) techniques for
collecting information on bird flight and behaviour, both pre- and post-construction of the
offshore wind farms. These include the use of ordinary video surveillance equipment, microphone
systems, laser range finder, ceilometers and pressure sensors. | |
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