First year post-construction monitoring of bats and birds at Wind Turbine Test Centre Østerild

• Other Authors: Therkildsen, Ole Roland, Elmeros, Morten
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Aarhus University, DCE - Danish Centre for Environment and Energy 2015
• Subjects: Bats; Birds; wind turbines; temporal activity pattern; flight altitude; collision risk; test centre; post-construction; impact assessment; Østerild; Denmark; Brent goose; Pink-footed Goose; taiga; White-tailed eagle; Whooper Swan
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/47b72456-bedd-49cc-a73d-59272c3bcd7a; https://pure.au.dk/ws/files/84471557/SR133.pdf; http://dce2.au.dk/pub/SR133.pdf

The Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University was commissioned by the Danish Nature Agency to undertake a bat and bird monitoring programme of a national test centre for wind turbines near Østerild in Thy, Denmark. Here we present the results from the first year of the post-construction studies. Bats were recorded in August, September and October 2013. A total of nine species were recorded. Species composition and occurrence were comparable to the results during summer and autumn 2011. Bats were recorded on 67-85% of survey nights at turbine sites and on every survey night at all ponds and lakes. High activities were recorded throughout the monitoring period at ponds and lakes. Overall, the bat activity level was higher in 2013 than in 2011 at ponds and lakes. Bat activity was higher near the wind turbines than at nearby forest edges. These differences suggest that bats exploit the food resources that accumulate on the turbine towers some nights. Whooper swan, taiga bean goose, pink-footed goose, common crane, light-bellied brent goose, white-tailed eagle and nightjar were included as focal species in the ornithological investigations. In addition, species specific data on all bird species occurring regularly in the study area were collected. On the basis of an intermediate assessment of collision risk, the potential impacts of the combined structures on the bird species occurring in the study area were considered unlikely to be significant. However, given the uncertainties in the assessment, the post-construction programme will continue to investigate potential impacts on bats and birds. The Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University was commissioned by the Danish Nature Agency to undertake a bat and bird monitoring programme of a national test centre for wind turbines near Østerild in Thy, Denmark. Here we present the results from the first year of the post-construction studies. Bats were recorded in August, September and October 2013. A total of nine species were recorded. Species composition and ...