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Gullen Range Baseline Bird and Bat Surveys

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Gullen Range Baseline Bird and Bat Surveys GULLEN RANGE WIND FARM BIRD AND BAT ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM New Gullen Range Wind Farm Pty Ltd Suite 5 61 - 63 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn, VIC 3123 P.O. Box 337, Camberwell, VIC 3124 Ph. (03) 9815 2111 Fax. (03) 9815 2685 May 2016 Report No. 14182 (4.7) Gullen Range Wind Farm – Bird and Bat Adaptive Management Program Report 14182 (4.7) CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. BBAMP Objectives .................................................................................................... 2 1.2. Compliance Summary .............................................................................................. 6 1.3. Site Description ........................................................................................................ 7 1.4. Pre-construction investigations of birds and bats at Gullen Range wind farm ... 7 1.5. Initial post-operations bird and bat studies at Gullen Range wind farm ............. 7 1.6. Powerful Owl studies at Gullen Range wind farm .................................................. 8 1.7. Additional Risk Assessment .................................................................................... 9 2. PRE-CONSTRUCTION BIRD AND BAT INFORMATION ................................................... 10 2.1. Bird Utilisation Surveys (BUS) ............................................................................... 10 2.1.1. Species Composition ..................................................................................... 11 2.1.2. Notable observations on special groups from the BUS ............................... 12 2.2. Bat Utilisation studies ............................................................................................ 12 2.2.1. Species composition ...................................................................................... 13 2.2.2. Threatened species ....................................................................................... 13 2.3. Conclusions from the pre-construction BUS and bat surveys ............................. 14 3. INITIAL OPERATIONAL BIRD AND BAT INFORMATION .................................................. 15 3.1. Bird Utilisation Survey ............................................................................................ 15 3.1.1. Methodology ................................................................................................... 15 3.1.2. Species composition ...................................................................................... 18 3.2. Raptor surveys ....................................................................................................... 18 3.2.1. Methodology ................................................................................................... 18 3.2.2. Results ............................................................................................................ 19 3.3. Avoidance behaviour surveys ................................................................................ 19 3.3.1. Methodology ................................................................................................... 19 3.3.2. Results ............................................................................................................ 19 3.4. Bat Activity Surveys ................................................................................................ 19 3.4.1. Methodology ................................................................................................... 19 1.1.1. Results ............................................................................................................ 20 3.5. Bird and bat carcass searches ............................................................................. 20 3.5.1. Methodology ................................................................................................... 20 3.5.2. Results ............................................................................................................ 21 4. RISK ASSESSMENT FOR GULLEN RANGE WIND FARM ............................................... 25 Page | i Gullen Range Wind Farm – Bird and Bat Adaptive Management Program Report 14182 (4.7) 4.1. Introduction to the Risk Assessment for Gullen Range Wind Farm ................... 25 4.2. Risk Assessment Process ...................................................................................... 25 4.3. Risk Assessment Results ...................................................................................... 27 4.4. Conclusions from the Risk Assessment for Gullen Range Wind Farm ............... 32 5. FUTURE OPERATIONAL SURVEYS.................................................................................. 33 5.1. Overview of changes to the BBAMP ...................................................................... 33 5.2. Bird Surveys ............................................................................................................ 35 5.2.1. Point Count Bird Utilisation Surveys (BUS) ................................................... 35 5.2.2. Wedge-tailed Eagle and other raptor surveys .............................................. 36 5.3. Bat Migration Surveys ............................................................................................ 36 5.4. Carcass searches ................................................................................................... 37 5.4.1. Turbine Selection ........................................................................................... 42 5.4.2. Search protocol .............................................................................................. 42 5.4.3. Scavenger rates and trials ............................................................................ 45 5.4.4. Detectability trials .......................................................................................... 48 5.4.5. Incidental Carcass Protocol ........................................................................... 49 5.4.6. Analysis of results and mortality estimation ................................................ 49 5.5. Personnel Involved ................................................................................................. 50 5.6. Injured Bird and Bat Protocol ................................................................................ 51 5.7. Routine Reporting and Review Meetings ............................................................. 51 5.7.1. Comparison of pre and post construction BUS ............................................ 52 5.7.2. Review of BBAMP and adjustment of monitoring regimes ......................... 52 6. MITIGATION MEASURES TO REDUCE RISK .................................................................. 54 6.1. Carrion removal program and stock forage control ............................................. 54 6.2. Lighting on turbines and buildings ....................................................................... 55 6.3. Marking of power lines .......................................................................................... 56 7. IMPACT TRIGGERS AND DECISION-MAKING FRAMEWORK ........................................ 57 7.1. Threatened Species ............................................................................................... 57 7.1.1. Definition of Impact Trigger and Unacceptable Impact ............................... 57 7.1.2. Decision Making Framework and Reporting ................................................ 57 7.2. Non-threatened Species ........................................................................................ 60 7.2.1. Definition of Impact Trigger and Unacceptable Impact ............................... 60 7.2.2. Decision Making Framework ......................................................................... 60 Page | ii Gullen Range Wind Farm – Bird and Bat Adaptive Management Program Report 14182 (4.7) 7.3. Supplementary Mitigation Measures ................................................................... 63 7.4. Specific management objectives, activities, timing and performance criteria .. 63 8. REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 66 TABLES Table 1: Sections within the BBAMP that respond to Condition of Approval 3.1 for Gullen Range Wind Farm. ................................................................................................... 6 Table 2: Bird utilisation survey sites (nghenvironmental 2012d) ...................................... 11 Table 3: Microbat (Anabat) survey sites (nghenvironmental 2012d) ................................ 13 Table 4: Number of species recorded during the BUS each month ................................... 18 Table 5: Summary of monthly carcass results ..................................................................... 22 Table 6: Wind farm carcass per turbine search comparison .............................................. 23 Table 7: Likelihood Criteria ................................................................................................... 26 Table 8: Consequence Criteria .............................................................................................. 26 Table 9: Risk matrix defining risk level based on likelihood and consequence ................ 26 Table 10: Bird and Bat Risk Assessment – Gullen Range Wind Farm ............................... 28 Table 11: Comparison of initial BBAMP methodology
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