Proceedings of National Avian - Wind Power Planning Meeting III, San Diego, California, May 1998 Sponsored by Avian Subcommittee of the National Wind Coordinating Committee Meeting Facilitated by RESOLVE Inc. Washington, DC Proceedings Prepared by LGL Ltd., environmental research associates King City, Ontario Canada June 2000 Suggested Citation Format: This volume: PNAWPPM-ITr. 2000. Proceedings of National Avian - Wind Power Planning Meeting ill, San Diego, California, May 1998. Prepared for the Avian Subcommittee of the National Wind Coordinating Committee by LGL Ltd., King City, Ont. 202 p. Preceding volumes: PNAWPPM-IT. 1996. Proceedings of National Avian - Wind Power Planning Meeting IT, Palm Springs, California, September 1995. Prepared for the Avian Subcommittee of the National Wind Coordinating Committee by RESOLVE Inc., Washington, D.C., and LGL Ltd., King City, Ont. 152 p. PNAWPPM. 1995. Proceedings of National Avian - Wind Power Planning Meeting, Denver, Colorado, July 1994. Report DE95-004090. RESOLVE Inc., Washington, D.C., and LGL Ltd., King City, Ont. 145 p. Ordering Information: This volume is available, while the initial stock lasts, from Avian Subcommittee of the National Wind Coordinating Committee, c/o RESOLVE Inc., 1255 23rd St. NW, Suite 275, Washington, D.C. 20037 (phone 202-944-2300; fax 202-338-1264). Preceding volumes are available on the World Wide Web at www.nationalwind.org/pubs/default.htm All three volumes are (or will be) available from National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, Virginia 22161 (phone 703-487-4600; fax 703-321-8547) 11 d TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 1 REVIEW OF CURRENT AND PLANNED RESEARCH ............................................................. 3 Bird Risk Behaviors and Fatalities at the Altamont Wind Resource Area, by C. G. Thelander and L. Rugge ............................................................................................................................................... .5 A Population Study of Golden Eagles in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area: Population Trend Analysis 1994-1997-Executive Summary, by WG. Hunt et al. ......................................... 15 Avian Mitigation Plan: Kenetech Model Wind Turbines, Altamont Pass WRA, California, by R. C. Curry and P. Kerlinger ........................................................................................................ 18 The Role of Visual Acuity in Bird-Wind Turbine Interactions, by ML. Morrison ................................ 28 Avian Monitoring and Risk Assessment at Tehachapi Pass and San Gorgonio Pass Wind Resource Areas, California: Phase 1 Preliminary Results, by R.L. Anderson et al. ...................................... 31 Effects of Bird Deterrent Methods Applied to Wind Turbines at the CARES Wind Power Site in Washington State, by MD. Strickland et al. ........................................................................ .47 Wildlife Monitoring Studies for the SeaWest Wind Power Development, Carbon County, Wyoming, by MD. Strickland et al. ................................................................................................................. 55 Impacts of a Small Wind Power Facility in Weld County, Colorado on Breeding, Migrating, and Wintering Birds: Preliminary Results and Conclusions, by P. Kerlinger and R. C. Curry ........ 64 Avian Use, Flight Behavior, and Mortality on the Buffalo Ridge, Minnesota, Wind Resource Area, by MD. Strickland et al. ................................................................................................................. 70 Avian Issues in the Development of Wind Energy in Western Minnesota, by J.M Hanowski and R. Y. Hawrot ....................................................................................................................................... 80 WindlBird Interaction Studies in Wisconsin, by S. Ugoretz et al. ........................................................ 88 An Assessment of the Impacts of Green Mountain Power Corporation's Searsburg, Vermont, Wind Power Facility on Breeding and Migrating Birds, by P. Kerlinger ......................................... 90 Studies on Nocturnal Flight Paths and Altitudes of Waterbirds in Relation to Wind Turbines: A Review of Current Research in The Netherlands, by S. Dirksen et al. ............................................ 97 Bird Behavior In and Near a Wind Farm at Tarifa, Spain: Management Considerations, by G. Janss ...................................................................................................................................... 110 The European Perspective: Some Lessons from Case Studies, by S. Lowther .................................... 115 A Review of Recent Developments in Wind Energy and Bird Research in Western Europe, by S. Dirksen et al. ......................................................................................................................... 124 TECHNOLOGY AND METHODS FOR THE FUTURE .......................................................... 125 Studying Wind EnergylBird Interactions: A Guidance Document-Executive Summary, by R.L. Anderson et al. ................................................................................................................... 126 Bird Migration and Wind Turbines: Migration Timing, Flight Behavior, and Collision Risk, by WJ. Richardson ......................................................................................................................... 132 Applications of Acoustic Bird Monitoring for the Wind Power Industry, by WR. Evans ................... 141 Radar, Remote Sensing and Risk Management, by T.A. Kelly .............................................................. 152 The Use of Radar in Evaluations of Avian-Wind Development Projects: Norris Hill Wind Resource Area, Montana, by A.R. Harmata et al. .......................................................................... 162 Night Vision and Thermal Imaging Equipment, by B.A. Cooper and T.A. Kelly .................................. 164 Using GPS to Study Avian Interactions Associated with Wind Turbines, by M Dedon ...................... 166 Examples of Statistical Methods to Assess Risk of Impacts to Birds from Wind Plants, by WP. Erickson et al. ................................................................................................................... 172 Development of a Practical Modeling Framework for Estimating the Impact of Wind Technology on Bird Populations, by ML. Morrison and K.H Pollock .......................................... 183 iii RESEARCH PRIORITIES AND DATA GAPS ..................................................................... 188 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................ :........................... 194 APPENDICES ....................................................................................................................................... 195 Appendix 1. Meeting Participants ....................................................... '" .............................................. 195 Appendix 2. Meeting Agenda ......................................................................... :..................................... 199 iv r INTRODUCTION Government regulators, scientists, and other stakeholders met in May 1998 to discuss research and regulatory approaches that could be helpful in predicting, measuring, and reducing the numbers of birds killed by collisions with wind turbines. This meeting was the third in a series that the Avian Subcommit­ tee of the National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC) has convened as part of the Subcommittee's efforts to address and build consensus on issues of public policy, scientific research, and stakeholder/ public involvement related to avian/wind power interactions. The Proceedings of the first two meetings, held in 1994 and 1995, were published in 1995 and 1996, respectively. They can be accessed on the NWCC's website, as described on page (ii) of this volume. Meeting I: The first meeting, held in the Denver area in July 1994, occurred at a time when there was much controversy about bird/wind power interactions, especially in California. That meeting was convened to focus on the research aspects, particularly to (1) identify and prioritize key issues, (2) define a research agenda to resolve scientific and technical issues, while (3) insuring transferability of results, (4) avoiding duplication and inadequate science, and (5) building consensus on approaches to the research needed to address the issues. The meeting was organized by groups with many perspectives, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Department of Energy (DoE), American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), National Audubon Society (NAS) , Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Union of Concerned Scientists (DCS). The first meeting was attended by about 57 individuals representing those and other groups, plus various independent scientists with relevant expertise. They reviewed the status of wind power in the U.S.A., developed lists of research questions, reviewed past and ongoing avian research at wind plants in the U.S.A. and Europe, discussed design concepts for this type of research (including Adaptive Resource Management), discussed desirable components of an integrated national research program, and identified a