Wildlife and Windmill
Windmills and Impact on Wildlife
Introduction
Please find included in this document three separate references. The first reference is an excerpt from a report to the U.S.
Congress. This report acknowledges that birds can get killed when they roost on the
horizontal cross bars of a latticed tower and then fly through the wind turbine's rotor.
This information mainly comes from California where huge windfarms were built along
migratory bird routes. The recommendation to reduce bird kill impact is to use solid pole
towers such as that proposed for 1460 Marchner Road. This keeps birds from roosting on the
tower.
The second document is entitled "Avian Collision and Electrocution: An Annotated Bibliography". It deals with bird mortality due to towers, electric wires, and wind turbines. Many of the wind turbine references deal with Altamont Pass in California or other large wind farms in California. The Altamont wind farm is composed of 7,000 industrial-sized turbines built in a migratory bird route. The one reference pertaining to lone, residential-type wind turbines is reference #259. Reference #60 addresses guy wire risks to wildlife. Below is a list of all references that refer to wind turbines. It may be helpful to read some of the references that deal with the impact of towers and electrical wires on birds. These suggest that whenever humans build any structure, be it windows, cars, towers, or wires, bird mortality will increase. From my reading of the bibliographies, it appears a lone residential windmill will have no more adverse effect on birds than would any other man-made structure (e.g. house, car, radio tower, utility pole, etc.).
The third reference is an article from Home Power magazine that was written by wind
turbine guru Mick Sangrillo. You can download the entire
article as a pdf file.
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1998
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 1997.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
WITNESSES
HON. FEDERICO PENÁ, SECRETARY OF ENERGY
THOMAS P. GRUMBLY, UNDER SECRETARY
Mr. HOFFMAN. The fact of the matter is that birds get killed when they roost on the
towers that support the wind machines, and their vision is so acute that they see their
prey and don't see the rotating blades which are moving very fast, and so they take off
after prey and fly through the blades without even realizing the blades are there. So the
real problem is, how do you keep the birds from roosting on that wind support structure
before they ever go off after their prey? And we're learning that there are certain
sounds, there are certain colors, and there are certain kinds of support structures that
don't allow birds to roost.
For example, if you look at some of the older wind machines, they're on flat
structures. The birds like to roost on those horizontal struts. If you put in a
cylindrical support tower, they don't do it, and you can really reduce the number of birds
that are killed.
Part of the problem also is the kind of birds you're killing in California are golden
eagles, and if you kill one eagle in this country, it's a serious problem. We're trying to
reduce that mortality rate, so there won't be an environmental or any other opposition to
wind, which is a very important energy resource for this country. We can open up the wind
resource in this country with the advanced wind turbines we're developing and basically
supply all the electricity in the United States, if you tapped all the potential that was
there.
Avian Collision and
Electrocution:
An Annotated Bibliography
see web page: http://www.energy.ca.gov/reports/avian_bibliography.html
for full document
California Energy Commission, October 1995
Publication Number: P700-95-001
Elaine Hebert, Erin Reese, Principal Authors
Lauren Mark, Contributing Author
Richard Anderson, Project Manager
James A. Brownell, Supervisor, Biology, Water and Soils Unit
Robert B. Haussler, Manager, Environmental Protection Office
Robert L. Therkelsen, Deputy Director, Energy Facilities Siting & Environmental
Protection Division
This document is available from the Energy Commission's publications unit. Please
contact them directly for the cost; ask about publication number P700-95-001.
California Energy Commission
Publications Unit
1516 Ninth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-654-5200
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The work on this annotated bibliography started in 1986 and progressed to completion with
the assistance of several hard-working persons. We would like to acknowledge and thank
these people for their efforts.
We are grateful to James Estep for the initial literature collection efforts. Over the
years, Joan Humphrey, Martin Scheel, Katherine Bodeman-Wadsworth, and Dick Anderson
continued the literature search. We could not have gathered such a diversity of books,
reports, and articles without the dedicated and professional assistance of Diana Watkins
and Mary Chilcote in the California Energy Commission's in-house library. We thank you all
for your untiring efforts.
We also extend thanks to Tino Flores and Sue Foster of the California Energy
Commission's Graphic Arts section for the cover design and final report format. We thank
Julie Dinsdale for the cover artwork.
Finally, we thank Robert Haussler, James Brownell, Dave Maul and Dick Anderson for
their editing assistance and for their support and encouragement throughout this project.
PREFACE
This annotated bibliography was initiated as a result of rising concern throughout the
world about the losses of birds due to collisions with power lines and other wires,
towers, wind turbines, and other structures, and from electrocution by power lines. We
hope that the information contained in this bibliography will help reduce these
unnecessary losses. This information can be used to improve the planning, structure
configuration and design, siting location, and mitigation measures for new projects and
for potential retrofit efforts where appropriate. These considerations would result in
benefits to world bird populations and assist in avoiding costly delays and maintenance
efforts resulting from bird collision and electrocution mortality. As the world's human
population grows and development expands into rural and other undeveloped areas, the
impact of engineered structures on bird populations becomes increasingly critical. I hope
this annotated list will provide assistance to both those involved in the design and
siting of these structures and those concerned about bird populations world-wide.
Richard L. Anderson
Wildlife Biologist
California Energy Commission
Sacramento, CA
September 20, 1995
Reference Numbers dealing with windmills
Wind turbines, wind energy development 3, 4, 8, 22, 65, 191, 206, 207, 226, 227, 237, 259,
280, 287, 295, 297, 298,330, 331, 332, 346, 351, 366, 433, 438, 461, 462, 463, 464, 465
AVIAN COLLISION AND ELECTROCUTION:
AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION
This project was initiated in response to numerous inquiries regarding avian collisions
and electrocution mortalities at human-made structures. Problems caused by avian
electrocution and collision with power lines include costly power outages and wildlands
fires. These problems can result in expensive maintenance and repair efforts,
inconvenience for rate payers, and unnecessary losses of birds. Public concern over these
issues can also delay permitting and affect the routing of new facilities. Several state
and federal laws may be enforced which could result in costly structural modifications of
existing and new facilities.
Concerns regarding the causes and extent of avian mortality, locations of recurring
incidents, and potential solutions have not always been adequately considered in the past.
This compilation of literature on avian mortality will assist those industry and agency
planners and researchers concerned with avoiding and resolving existing and future impacts
of projects on avian species.
This bibliography contains entries mainly from 1876 to 1992, and the majority are from
the United States. Most entries are taken from journals or periodicals, conference
proceedings, government documents, private publications, utility company reports, books,
academic theses, and newspaper articles. Copies of all items included in this bibliography
are on file in the California Energy Commission's Environmental Protection Office.
Unless other wise noted, each item was read and annotated. Special attention was given
to the following aspects of the reports: numbers of individual birds and species killed or
injured, contributing factors, habitat and other locational characteristics, and design
features of the structures which resulted in injuries or death.
Other annotated bibliographies on the subject of avian mortality at human-made
structures are currently available. Two such documents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service were used extensively for this publication; entries originating therefrom are
noted by asterisks ("*" denotes Avery et al. 1978; "**" denotes Avery
et al. 1980). The intent for this bibliography is to present an up-to-date compilation of
the most significant articles available on the subject; periodic updates and reprinting of
this report are planned. Please send notification of additional references and errors to
"Avian Collision and Electrocution: An Annotated Bibliography" to the California
Energy Commission, MS #40, 1516 9th Street, Sacramento, California 95814, USA. Suggestions
to improve the format are also welcome.
USE OF INDICES
This annotated bibliography contains 468 citations of literature from the United States
and other countries. Much of the literature selected discusses avian collision mortality
with power lines, wind turbines, towers, or other structures. Other literature was
selected for its discussion of avian species affected by electrocution.
Non-English-language reports are included when an English summary was available.
This bibliography's format, modeled after Avery et al. (1978, 1980), is designed to be
as efficient and as user-friendly as possible. Citations are other wise by subject matter,
kinds of birds, locations, and authors; subject categories are broad and include the type
of structures involved and the major topics discussed in the articles. The types of birds
(taxonomic) are other wise according to family (e.g., warblers) or group (e.g.,
shorebirds). United States incidents are other wise by state within U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service regional boundaries, and incidents outside the United States are other wise under
Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Europe, Pacific Isles, and South America
and the West Indies.
ALPHABETICAL LISTING BY AUTHOR
1. Able, K.P. 1966. Television tower mortality near Louisville. Kentucky Warbler
42(2):27-28.
Five kills totaling 25 birds of 16 species occurred at a 973-foot tower in
Kentucky during fall 1965 in association with low
pressure systems and frontal activity.
2. *Able, K.P. 1973. The changing seasons. American Birds 27(1):19-23.
In fall 1972, single night kills exceeding 1,000 birds occurred at TV towers in
Tennessee and Florida, and two events occurred
at the floodlit chimneys of the Lanais, Ontario, Canada, power plant.
3. Airola, D. 1987. Bird abundance and movements at the Potrero Hills wind turbine
site, Solano County, California. Prepared for the Solano County Department of
Environmental Management, Fairfield, California. Prepared by Jones and Stokes Associates,
Sacramento, California. 43 pp.
"The proposed wind turbine site at the Potrero Hills, Solano County
[California], was studied to determine use of the area by
waterfowl, other waterbirds, raptors, and songbirds, and to assess potential for
project-related impacts." Primary flight altitudes
for the various bird groups were estimated through observations. Birds, especially
raptors, songbirds, and gulls, often flew
below the 30 m height of the proposed turbines, and collisions were determined likely for
some species. The author finds the
sites adequate as experimental and control sites for future monitoring if turbines are
installed.
4. Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano Counties, California. 1988. Request for
proposals: a study of wind turbine
effects on avian activity and habitat use. 17 pp.
This request for proposal represents a joint effort by Alameda, Contra Costa, and
Solano Counties (California) "to provide
information necessary for predicting and mitigating the potential impact to avifauna
resulting from wind turbine construction and
operation in wind resource areas." A summary of a California Energy Commission (CEC)
workshop on wind turbine effects on
avian activity and habitat use is included.
5. *Alsop, F.J., III and G.O. Wallace. 1969. Spring tower-kill in Knox County.
Migrant 40(3):57-58.
Twenty casualties (ten species) were collected at the WTKV tower in Tennessee
following the night of 7-8 May, 1969. A list
of the losses is given including measurements of weight, length, tail, bill, tarsus, and
gonad size. Weather data are also included.
6. *Andersen-Harild, P. and D. Block. 1972. Birds killed by overhead wires in some
localities in Denmark. Dansk
orn. Foren. Tidsskr. 67:15-23. (In Danish; English summary.)
During October 1971, bird losses were monitored along 13.1 km of power lines (60
kV, 150 kV, and smaller overhead wires)
at four locations in Denmark. Most of the lines crossed reed beds or shallow water areas.
Of the 105 casualties, 80 percent
were found directly beneath the wires. The most lethal of the four sites had a "wall
of wires" configuration (twelve wires at eight
different levels) and averaged nine recovered birds per 24 hours per ten km of power line.
About 60 percent of the total losses
were of species nesting in the area (herons, ducks, shorebirds, gulls) and 40 percent were
migrants (moorhens, owls, thrushes,
starlings, songbirds). Swans, gulls, and certain shorebirds were particularly vulnerable
but ducks were killed in relatively low
numbers. One species of bittern that was involved, Botarus stellaris, is close to
extinction in Denmark. Overhead wire systems
should be regarded "as part of the correlation of the environmental factors which
have a negative effect on bird populations."
7. Anderson, A.H. 1933. Electrocution of purple martins. Condor 35(1):204.
This article is an account of one male and one female purple martin found
electrocuted by a power line at an irrigation reservoir
near Tucson, Arizona.
8. Anderson, R.L., and J.A. Estep. 1988. Wind energy development in California:
impacts, mitigation, monitoring,
and planning. California Energy Commission, Sacramento. 12 pp.
Of 147 documented avian collision and electrocution incidents at California wind
energy facilities from 1985 to 1988, 101 have
been raptors. Of these, 34 were eagles and 58 were hawks. In the Altamont Pass, an average
of 11 eagle and 17 hawk
incidents occurred annually. Ninety-one percent of all documented avian mortality
incidents resulted in mortality. This mortality
information identified the need for further studies to better understand and resolve
biological effects of wind projects.
9. Anderson, S.H., K. Mann, and H.H. Shugart, Jr. 1977. The effect of
transmission-line corridors on bird
populations. American Midland Naturalist 97(1):216-221.
"Observations of bird populations were made along transmission-line
corridors of four different widths (12, 30.5, 61, 91.5 m)
in areas in which the transmission line rights-of-way traversed typical eastern Tennessee
deciduous forest." Detailed
grid-mapping of individual bird sightings was done. The 12-meter corridors showed reduced
species diversity while the 30.5-m
corridor had high bird density and diversity. Wider corridors "were less diverse but
attracted several open country bird species
not characteristic of surrounding forest." The forest habitat had the highest species
diversity.
10. *Anderson, W.L. 1978. Waterfowl collisions with power lines at a coal-fired
power plant. Wildlife Society
Bulletin 6(2):77-83.
An estimated 400 birds per fall season (0.4 percent of the peak number present)
were killed by colliding with overhead power
lines at the Lake Sangchris/Kincaid, Illinois, power plant during 1973-75. Blue-winged
teal were the most vulnerable and
mallards the least vulnerable to collisions. Factors believed to be responsible for losses
include the number and species of birds
present, lack of visibility of the lines, disturbances that startle birds into flight, and
the degree of familiarity of the birds with the
area. To reduce waterfowl losses in general, it is recommended that lines not be built
over water, that lines not cross places
where waterfowl are known to congregate, that the visibility of lines be enhanced, and
that waterfowl not be disturbed in the
vicinity of existing lines.
11. Anderson, W.W. 1975. Pole changes keep eagles flying. Transmission and
Distribution 27:28-31.
Proliferation across the United States of high voltage transmission lines is
considered a significant cause for the dwindling eagle
population due to electrocution. In 1973, an estimated 300 golden eagles died on the
country's power lines; 98 percent were
young birds just learning to fly. "It was found that electrocution occurred
exclusively on a single pole crossarm type construction
where the conductors were nearly horizontal and had insufficient spacing." Golden
eagles preferred poles where the crossarm
was perpendicular to the prevailing wind and in a commanding topographical position. This
can be taken into account by the
power company to reduce the number of poles requiring modification. Tower nesting sites
are a benefit of power lines to eagles
in areas where other natural nest sites do not occur. Rather than destroying tower eyries,
line workers can trim long sticks used
in nest-building to clear the conductor and prevent outages.
12. Anonymous. 1954. Disaster in migration. Chat 18(4):104-105.
On 7 October 1954, a "rain" of small birds at several spots in the
Southeast occurred. In Charleston, South Carolina, about
100 dead birds of 24 species were identified, and in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 190
birds of 21 species were collected
from near the respective airport ceilometers. Most of these birds were warblers. The
catastrophe was attributed to a
combination of "tumbling temperatures, overcast skies, ... stabbing beacons,"
and a cross-wind associated with a cold front.
13. *Anonymous. 1961. Large bird kills at TV towers. Bluebird 28(1):9.
A brief summary of two kills in Missouri is given: 658 birds (41 species) and one
red bat at Columbia, on 24 September 1960,
and about 100 birds (at least 16 species) at Cape Girardeau on 27 September 1960.
14. Anonymous. 1973. Eagle electrocution study underway. Idaho Wildlife Review
(Sept./Oct.):16.
A collaborative study by six Western state utility companies looked at power
lines and eagle electrocutions. The research
indicated that some eagle deaths were from being shot then electrocuted; in one area,
"15 of 17 apparent electrocutions turned
out to be shootings." Recommended measures for preventing electrocution include
shortening the ground wires that run down
utility poles to earth, covering transformers and other energized parts, replacing steel
crossarm braces with wood braces, and
lowering or lengthening a crossarm.
15. Anonymous. 1978. Management recommendations - raptors. Unpublished in-house
document, California
Energy Commission, Sacramento. 37 pp.
This series of three annotated bibliographies lists documents dealing with
electrocution and collision deaths of raptors, siting of
power lines, and mitigation measures. Raptor mortality is cited as an impact to be
considered in siting power lines; particularly
problematic are lines on migration routes and near wintering grounds, resting areas, and
communal roosts. Mitigation and
management considerations are cited from various studies including environmental documents
for power line and power plant
construction. Recommendations include identifying utility pole structures causing the most
electrocutions and increasing line
visibility by attaching highly visible markers.
16. Anonymous. 1981. 500-kV towers are for the birds. Electrical World 195(7):27.
Large platforms were installed on Pacific Power and Light Company's 500-kV
Oregon-Idaho AC line to prevent birds from
nesting on the crossarm lattice members of utility poles and to protect insulators from
excrement contamination and flashovers.
The platforms became preferred nest sites for eagles.
17. *Arend, P.H. 1970. The ecological impact of transmission lines on the wildlife
of San Francisco Bay. Prepared
by Wildlife Associates for Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), San Ramon, California.
24 pp.
This study of selected Pacific Gas and Electric steel tower transmission lines
was conducted during June, July, and August
1970. While observing that "a few ducks obviously did occasionally hit the power
lines," the author concludes, "...there can be
no doubt that, qualitatively, the steel tower transmission line ecologically enhances
rather than detracts from the wildlife
environment."
18. Armbruster, M.J. 1990. Characterization of habitat used by whooping cranes
during migration. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Report 90(4).
Power lines were identified as influencing whooping cranes in their selection of
roosting sites near rivers and wetlands in
Nebraska. Participants in a workshop on this topic felt that power lines should be treated
as a potential mortality factor for
cranes with the minimum width of affected area at no less than 100 m.
19. *Arnold, J.R. 1960. Black rail in San Joaquin Valley of California. Condor
62(5):405.
A black rail was found dead on 26 August 1959 near Stockton, California, having
apparently struck a fence or an overhead
wire.
20. *Aronoff, A. 1949. The September migration tragedy. Linnaean Newsletter
3(1):1-2.
Mortality at the Empire State Building (over 200 birds, 30 species) on the night
of 10 September 1948 is discussed, and a
species list is provided. Also discussed are kills at a Nashville, Tennessee, airport
ceilometer involving 248 birds of 35 species;
at a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, building (at least 11 species); and at a 450-foot tower
in Baltimore, Maryland. A list of
casualties from the Nashville incident is included.
21. Asplundh Environmental Services. 1979. Right-of-way ecological effects
bibliography. Prepared for the Electric
Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, California. EA-1080. Research Project 855-1. 246 pp.
This annotated bibliography contains 824 citations of documents describing
ecological effects of overhead transmission line
rights-of-way. The citations are other ed according to author, subject, and ecological
region. Forty documents on bird mortality
are included.
22. Association of Bay Area Governments. 1987. Small but powerful: a review guide
to small alternative energy
projects for California local decisions. Oakland, California. 66 pp.
Bird collisions and electrocutions with wind turbines and associated wires are
cited as wind energy development impacts.
"Although bird mortality rates are relatively low, even these rates may be
significant for endangered raptors," notably the
California condor, peregrine falcon, and bald eagle. Power lines near water have been
found to be more hazardous than in
other areas. Appropriate mitigation measures are discussed and techniques for protecting
birds are given. Special attention is
given to the California condor as a major source of conflict with wind farm development.
23. *Avery, M. and T. Clement. 1972. Bird mortality at four towers in eastern
North Dakota: Fall 1972. Prairie
Naturalist 4(3/4):87-95.
During fall 1972, 561 dead birds (88 species) and five red bats were collected at
four towers in North Dakota, two of which
exceed 2,000 feet and are reportedly the tallest in the world. (The species most
frequently killed at the Omega tower, farther
south and west than the other three towers, were characteristic of marsh and prairie
grassland areas. Species killed near the
other three towers were characteristic of forest and forest edge habitats.) Species lists
of the casualties are given and scavenger
activity at the sites is discussed.
24. *Avery, M., P.F. Springer, and J.F. Cassel. 1977. Weather influences on
nocturnal bird mortality at a North
Dakota tower. Wilson Bulletin 89(2):291-299.
Mortality at the 366-meter Omega tower in North Dakota in 1972 and 1973 is
examined relative to nightly cloud and wind
conditions. Most fall losses occurred under overcast skies associated with the passage of
cold fronts as migrant species milled
about the tower. However, 58 percent of the spring losses took place on non-overcast
nights, mainly through collisions with
outlying guy wires: rails and fringillids were killed mostly on non-overcast nights, while
warblers died in greater numbers on
overcast nights; warblers tended to be killed much closer to the central, lighted
structure than were fringillids; and
non-passerines suffered substantially greater losses far from the tower than did
passerines, especially on non-overcast nights.
Behavioral differences noted by other investigators are included as well.
25. Avery, M.L., ed. 1978. Impacts of transmission lines on birds in flight:
proceedings of a workshop. Oak Ridge
Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. 31 January - 2 February 1978. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service,
Biological Services Program. FWS/OBS-78/48. 151 pp.
Three major issues regarding the impact of transmission lines on birds are
addressed: the magnitude of the problem, possible
short-term solutions, and future (long-term) approaches. The proceedings include papers on
migratory behavior and flight
patterns, mitigation through engineering and design modification, studies of Bonneville
Power Administration lines, impacts on
waterfowl and eagles, transmission line engineering and its relationship to migratory
birds, transmission line routes through water
habitats, and a case study of the Klamath Basin. References, summaries, and a list of
participants are included.
26. Avery, M.L., P.F. Springer, and N.S. Dailey. 1978. Avian mortality at man-made
structures: an annotated
bibliography. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Services Program, National Power
Plant Team.
FWS/OBS-78/58. 108 pp.
This bibliography on avian mortality and human-made structures contains 853
international entries. Citations are other ed
according to subjects, kinds of birds, and locations. "The majority of the reports
include the number of individuals and species
killed, with some observations of weather conditions at the time of the incident, bird
behavior near the structure, or comments
on the attraction of birds to lights."
27. Avery, M.L., P.F. Springer, and N.S. Dailey. 1980. Avian mortality at man-made
structures: an annotated
bibliography (revised). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Services Program,
National Power Plant Team.
FWS/OBS-80/54. 152 pp.
This revised version of the 1978 bibliography contains 189 new international
annotations for a total of 1,042 entries. Citations
are other ed according to subjects, kinds of birds, and locations. "The majority of
the reports include the number of individuals
and species killed, with some observations of weather conditions at the time of the
incident, bird behavior near the structure, or
comments on the attraction of birds to lights."
28. *Bagg, A.M. 1957. The changing seasons. Audubon Field Notes 11(4):312-325.
Avian mortality in spring at towers in Jacksonville (300 birds) and Leon County
(46 birds, 14 species), Florida, are mentioned.
29. *Bagg, A.M. 1965. The changing seasons; spring migrants: the few and the many.
Audubon Field Notes
19(4):438-446.
On the night of 26 April 1965, in thick fog, 150-175 birds landed on the deck of
a tanker off the New Jersey coast. The only
casualties were 23 Cape May warblers that apparently struck the ship's superstructure.
30. *Bagg, A.M. 1969. The changing seasons. Audubon Field Notes 23(1):4-12.
During September and October 1968, kills were reported from towers in Manitoba,
Canada, and the states of Wisconsin,
New York, Ohio, Tennessee (1,800 ovenbirds among the casualties at Nashville), and Florida
(853 birds of 80 species at
WCTV near Tallahassee).
31. *Bagg, A.M. 1971. The changing seasons. American Birds 25(1):16-23.
Lists are given for 55 species killed during late September at the Empire State
Building and eight towers in the eastern U.S.
32. *Bagg, A.M. and R.P. Emery. 1964. The fall migration: northeastern maritime
region. Audubon Field Notes
18(1):7-17.
The casualties (over 488 birds, mostly warblers) and weather at a lighthouse in
the Bay of Fundy during fall 1963 are discussed
at length.
33. Baglien, J.W. 1975. Biology and habitat requirements of the nesting golden
eagle in southwestern Montana.
Thesis. Montana State University, Bozeman. 53 pp.
During the study (1972-1974), one bald eagle and one golden eagle were
electrocuted during spring at power poles along the
Madison Valley floor. The power poles may be considered preferred perching sites only
during the wintering and spring
seasons. Artificial perches were not found to be attractive to birds in mountainous areas
where natural perches such as trees or
rock outcroppings were readily available.
34. *Bailey, A.M. 1929. Bird casualties. Wilson Bulletin 41(2):106-107.
Two female woodcocks died from collisions, one against a building and the other
with an overhead wire. A black-footed
albatross on Laysan Island struck a wire and broke its leg.
35. *Baird, J. 1962. The changing seasons: a summary of the fall migration.
Audubon Field Notes 16(1):4-6.
Over 10,000 collision casualties were reported from around the country during
fall 1961. A tower in Eau Claire, Wisconsin,
caused 5,097 of these casualties while two TV towers in Boston, Massachusetts, caused very
few. Reports of negative findings
are urged.
36. *Baird, J. 1964. The changing seasons. Audubon Field Notes 18(1):4-6.
During fall 1963, 33,406 birds were reported killed at towers and 488 at
lighthouses in the United States and Canada. Most
losses resulted from a single cold front that passed through Minnesota and southern
Ontario during 18-21 September.
37. *Baird, J., R.I. Emery, and R. Emery. 1959. Fall migration: northeastern
maritime region. Audubon Field Notes
13(1):11-13.
In Massachusetts, on the night of 19 September 1958, over 300 birds (mostly
warblers and vireos) were killed at two Boston
TV towers and over 200 (mostly warblers and flycatchers) died at a Springfield
searchlight.
38. *Ball, R.E. 1973. Bird mortality at towers in Marysville, Missouri: Fall 1972.
Transactions, Missouri Academy of Science 7/8:294.
Three small towers (250, 400, and 408 feet tall) were checked for dead birds from
5 September to 16 November 1972. No
large single-night kills were recorded, and altogether 71 birds of 33 species, mostly
sparrows, were recovered. Most were
believed to have collided with guy wires rather than the towers themselves. (Abstr.)
39. *Bamberg, J.B., R. Warriner, H.O. Todd, and H.C. Monk. 1935. Nocturnal
migration in stormy weather.
Migrant 6(4):77-80.
Birds heard and seen at an illuminated 100-foot water tower while migrating
through Tennessee in poor weather are discussed.
About 50 birds (10 species) were found dead in this late October incident.
40. *Banko, W.E. 1960. The trumpeter swan: its history, habits, and population in
the United States. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. 214 pp.
Known trumpeter swan accidents seemed to be confined largely to striking power,
telephone, or fence wires in flight. Most
swan collisions with overhead cables and fences occurred during winter fogs. Five
instances of wire collisions in Montana are
mentioned; four out of five strikes were fatal.
41. Banks, R.C. 1979. Human related mortality of birds in the United States. U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Washington, D.C. Special Scientific Report: Wildlife No. 215. 16 pp.
Reports of mass mortality at radio and TV towers usually occur as a result of a
particular weather pattern affecting a
geographic area. Most reports of avian mortality at towers are based on single incidents
of mass death, or at best, recoveries of
dead birds over a short period of time. These are considered of little value in
establishing an estimate of the number of birds that may be killed on an annual basis
under "normal" conditions (i.e., "a single instance of spectacular mass
mortality may far exceed the normal annual mortality"). Several studies cited support
an annual mortality rate of 2,500 birds per tower on average.
42. *Barbour, R.W. 1961. An unusual bird mortality at Lexington. Kentucky Warbler
37(3):55.
Following the stormy night of 7 May 1961, 82 dead birds (21 species) were
collected at a 670-foot tower in Lexington,
Kentucky.
43. Batten, L.A. 1978. The seasonal distribution of recoveries and causes of
blackbird mortality. Bird Study
25(1):23-31.
"Miscellaneous accidents" -- including "flew into power cables or
telephone wires" -- were reported for 12,885 adult blackbird
recoveries from 1909 to 1970 in Great Britain. Fewer birds were found dead during winter
months.
44. *Baumgartner, F.M. 1959. Fall migration: southern Great Plains region. Audubon
Field Notes 13(1):43-45.
On 11 October 1958, "a large box of birds" including marsh and sedge
wrens was picked up at a TV tower in Dallas, Texas.
45. *Baumgartner, F.M. 1961. Fall migration: southern Great Plains region. Audubon
Field Notes 15(1):54-56.
On 22 October 1960, of eleven yellow rails found beneath a Dallas, Texas, TV
tower, eight were dead and three were injured.
46. *Baumgartner, F.M. 1963. Fall migration: southern Great Plains region. Audubon
Field Notes 17(1):45-46.
An unspecified number of birds were killed at an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, TV
tower in September 1962.
47. Beaulaurier, D.L. 1981. Mitigation of bird collisions with transmission lines.
Bonneville Power Administration,
Portland, Oregon. 83 pp.
"In this study removal of overhead groundwires was evaluated as a technique
for mitigating bird collisions with transmission
lines." Two sites were utilized: Lower Crab Creek, Washington (a 500-kV single
circuit line), and Bybee Lake in Portland,
Oregon (a 230-kV double circuit line). "Earlier studies at these sites had documented
small but measurable collision rates (i.e.,
number of collisions per number of flights) attributed primarily to collisions with
groundwires." From fieldwork conducted
October 1980 through March 1981, a total of seven dead birds and eight feather spots were
found after groundwire removal;
species included green-winged teal, northern pintail, greater scaup, American wigeon,
glaucous-winged gull, European starling,
red-winged blackbird, and song sparrow. "During pre-removal studies at these two
sites, a total of 53 dead birds and 22
feather spots were found over two years of study." Collision rates in every case were
less after groundwire removal; for both
sites studied, the average reduction in bird collision mortality was approximately
one-half. Although methodologies differed
among studies, wire marking seemed to reduce collision mortality about as effectively as
groundwire removal (average
reduction of 45 percent) where comparisons were possible. Airway marker balls and/or high
intensity lights may cause
decreased bird use of nearby habitat. It is important that markers do not cause wind or
ice loading which can interfere with line
reliability.
48. Beaulaurier, D.L., B.W. James, P.A. Jackson, J.R. Meyer, and J.M. Lee, Jr.
1982.
Mitigating the incidence of bird collisions with transmission lines. Pages 539-550 in:
Third Annual International Symposium on Environmental Concerns in Rights-of-Way
Management, San Diego, California, 15-18 February 1982. State College, Mississippi.
Mortality was measurable at five of twelve transmission line sections studied
"but was not a biologically significant cause of
avian mortality." A prior study by Bonneville Power Administration showed that birds
collided primarily with small-diameter
overhead groundwires. These wires were removed from three lines to assess the effect on
collision rates. Groundwire removal
appeared to reduce collisions by about one-half. This is comparable to reductions
attributed to marking of groundwires in other
studies. "Because removal of groundwires is not practical in many cases, further
development and testing of the effectiveness of
various marking techniques is needed." A table of results of different studies
marking groundwires and conductors is included.
49. Beecham, J.J. and M.N. Kochert. 1975. Breeding biology of the golden eagle in
southwestern Idaho. Wilson
Bulletin 87(4):506-513.
Cause of death was determined for golden eagles found along the Snake River
canyon in southwestern Idaho from 1968 to
1971. Of 28 birds recovered, twelve were immature eagles found electrocuted.
50. Belisle, A.A., W.L. Reichel, L.N. Locke, T.G. Lamont, R.M. Prouty, R.B.
DeWolf, and E. Cromartie. 1972.
Residues in fish, wildlife, and estuaries: residues of organo- chlorine
pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and
mercury. Pesticides Monitoring Journal 6(3):133-138.
Twenty-eight bald eagle carcasses were collected in 1969 and 11 in 1970 from 13 states to
be analyzed for pesticide residues.
Of these, four were concluded to have died from "impact" and two from
electrocution.
51. Bellrose, F.C. 1971. The distribution of nocturnal migrants in the airspace.
Auk 88(2): 397-424.
Following the overcast night of 30 September 1965, ten birds of eight species
were picked up at a TV transmission tower near
Peoria, Illinois.
52. *Benning, W.E. 1978. Region 3: Finger Lakes. Kingbird 28(1):42-44.
During the cloudy, rainy period of 20-24 September 1977, a record 3,862 birds
were found dead at the Elmira, New York,
TV tower. On the night of 19 September alone, 1,817 birds of 39 species were collected. Of
the 48 total species, 24 were
warblers.
53. Benson, P.C. 1980. Large raptor electrocution and powerpole utilization: a
study in six western states. Raptor
Research (Winter):125-126.
Subadult age classes of raptors suffer greater mortalities due to inexperience in
flight ability and hunting methods. Habitat and
season can have an effect on mortality rates. Hunting methods can affect electrocution
risk: more electrocutions occur where
the main prey base is cottontail rabbits than jackrabbits. More eagles were electrocuted
in winter when snow caused
feather-wetting and the birds "still-hunted" (perched and waited for prey to
appear). The author recommends that pole
configurations be modified where needed.
54. Benson, P.C. and J.C. Dobbs. 1985. Collisions of cape vultures (Gyps
coprothers) with towers. Annual Meeting,
Raptor Research Foundation, Sacramento, California, 9 November 1985.
Forty-nine cape vulture carcasses were found at the base of a tower at the
Kransberg (Republic of South Africa) vulture
colony. Orange spheres were attached to the guy wires "to warn the vultures" and
during the following fledging season,
collisions decreased.
55. *Benton, A.H. 1954. Relationships of birds to power and communication lines.
Kingbird 4(3):65-66.
While acknowledging some losses of birds due to collisions with overhead wires,
the author states that "power and
communication lines now represent a valuable asset to bird life" in the form of nest
and perch sites.
56. *Bernard, R.F. 1966. Fall migration: western Great Lakes region. Audubon Field
Notes 20(1):45-46, 50-53.
On 6 September 1965, 7,085 dead birds (55 species) were collected at a tower near
Eau Claire, Wisconsin. At least 500
birds died by striking lighted windows and a neon sign near Newberry, Michigan, on 26
September.
57. *Bierly, M.L. 1973. 1971 fall television tower casualties in Nashville.
Migrant 44(1):5-6.
In what was described as an "average season," 990 birds (52 species)
died at the WSM tower and 135 (24 species) at WSIX
in Nashville, Tennessee.
58. *Bijleveld, M.F.I.J. and P. Goeldlin. 1976. Electrocution d'un couple de
Buses. Nos Oiseaux 33(6):280-281.
A pair of hawks was electrocuted at a 17-kV power line in Switzerland.
59. BioSystems Analysis, Inc. 1990. Wind turbine effects on the activities,
habitat, and death rate of birds.
Prepared for Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano Counties, California. 2 pp.
A two-year study to evaluate the extent and significance of the impact of wind
turbines on bird life was started in 1989 in
Altamont Pass, California. The study site included about 16 percent of the approximately
7,000 turbines in the Pass. One
hundred fourteen dead birds were found between February 1989 and February 1990. Eighty-one
were raptors, the majority of
which were red-tailed hawks, American kestrels, and golden eagles. Sixty-three percent of
all deaths were attributed to turbine
collision, 12 percent to electrocution, 5 percent to wire collision, and 20 percent to
unknown causes. Most deaths resulted
from amputation injuries. "It was estimated that over 300 raptors were killed by
windfarm-related injuries within the Altamont
Pass area during the first year of study (1989-1990)."
60. Blake, C.H. 1958. Skull injuries at a TV tower. Chat (September):71.
Following the overcast night of 11 May 1958, ten freshly-killed passerines were picked up
at the WUNC-TV tower in
Hillsboro, North Carolina. Location of the carcasses suggested that "the birds were
hitting the tower itself and not the guy wires
and were deflected in falling by light wind from the southwest." Seven of the birds
had skull injuries, including hemorrhages,
suggesting a considerable proportion of glancing blows.
61. *Blokpoel, H. and D.R.M. Hatch. 1976. Snow geese, disturbed by aircraft, crash
into power lines. Canadian
Field Naturalist 90(2):195.
On 8 May 1974, several thousand snow and blue geese were feeding in a stubble field in
Manitoba, Canada, when a low-flying
aircraft caused them to take wing. In the "chaotic" rush into the air, 25-75
birds were killed or injured by striking power lines
that bordered one side of the field. It is not known whether death resulted from collision
or electrocution.
62. Bochkovskii, B.B., E.I. Udod, A.N. Sherentsis, and N.V. Yasinskaya. 1983.
Protecting power lines against
spark-over caused by large birds. Soviet Power Engineering 12(4):397-404.
Spark-overs (called 'flashovers' in the U.S.) were causing widespread power outages in
110- to 330-kV overhead lines in the
Ukraine during summer. These electrical discharges passed from the utility pole crossbeam
to a conductor via accumulated
excrement from storks. This report includes recommendations for protecting the lines from
storks and other large birds mainly
by erection of special barriers to prevent birds from landing near insulators. Bird
barrier design sketches are included.
63. *Boeker, E.L. and P.R. Nickerson. 1975. Raptor electrocutions. Wildlife
Society Bulletin 3(2):79-81.
Use of power line poles by raptors depends on topography, prey abundance, and availability
of natural perches.
"Electrocutions are most critical in states with the largest eagle populations --
primarily the mountainous western states." During
1969-71, over 300 eagles died by electrocution in the western United States. Documented
losses of raptors in 1972 and 1973
throughout the country totalled 281, 250 of which were golden eagles. Many victims were
young birds and nearly all deaths
occurred on small distribution lines where conductors were three to four feet apart.
Particularly troublesome stretches of line
were modified to alleviate the hazard.
64. Bohm, R.T. 1988. Three bald eagle nests on a Minnesota transmission line.
Journal of Raptor Research
22(1):34.
One nest in 1986 and two in 1987 were found on 250-kV DC transmission lines. Each nest
fledged two young successfully,
was between 21 and 24 m from the ground, and was within one km of a lake or river.
"An increasing bald eagle population, a
lack of natural nest sites and a proliferation of transmission lines may interact to
influence eagle use of powerlines in future
years."
65. Bonneville Power Administration. 1987. Cape Blanco wind farm feasibility
study: final report. U.S. Department
of Energy. Portland, Oregon. DOE/BP-11191-14. 187 pp.
Bird collision with wind turbines and transmission lines is discussed in this assessment
of wind energy development impacts.
Collisions with turbines are likely, with weather, flight altitude, and number and height
of operating turbines as contributing
factors. Turbine collisions are most likely to occur during the first two hours of night
at the initiation of migration (climbing
altitude). Because of limited visibility and increased collisions at night, the impact on
nocturnal migrant populations is a primary
concern. The author concludes that bird avoidance behavior is likely to be high (about 95
percent) over the Cape Blanco Wind
Farm.
66. Borell, A.E. 1939. Telephone wires fatal to sage grouse. Condor 41(1):85-86.
Three dead sage grouse were found beneath telephone lines paralleling a road north of
Beaver, Utah. It appeared that the
collisions occurred as the birds flew back and forth from alfalfa pastures and grain
fields to the sagebrush-covered mesas on the
other side of the road.
67. Boshoff, A. and C. Fabricius. 1986. Black eagles nesting on man-made
structures. Bokmakierie 38(3):67-70.
The authors believed this to be the first report of black eagles, Aquila verreauxii,
nesting on human-made structures. Several
eagles were found electrocuted in 1984 and 1985 at a communications tower near Hopetown,
South Africa. Subsequent
attention to the matter of bird use of towers for nesting resulted in greater awareness
"of the need to preserve raptor nests on ...
structures and to keep disturbance to an absolute minimum during the critical stages of
the breeding season."
68. *Boso, B. 1965. Bird casualties at a southeastern Kansas TV tower.
Transactions of the Kansas Academy of
Science 68(1):131-136.
The 1,200-foot KOAM-TV tower in Kansas was checked regularly for dead birds during the
fall of 1963 (75 birds, 35
species) and spring 1964 (50 birds, 14 species). A species list, weather on the days of
collection, and the distribution of
casualties about the tower are given.
69. *Boyd, H. 1961. Reported casualties to ringed ducks in the spring and summer.
Wildfowl Trust 12th Annual
Report:144-146.
Overhead wire collision was identified as the cause of death for 17 British-banded ducks
(mostly mallard and teal species)
recovered from March to August (no year given). In all, 87 "accidental" deaths
were recorded. About 70 percent of the ducks
killed were males.
70. *Boyd, H. and M. Ogilvie. 1964. Losses of mute swans in England in the winter
of 1962-63. Wildfowl Trust 15th
Annual Report:37-39.
Losses of mute swans due to collisions with overhead wires were abnormally low in January
and February 1963, accounting
for only 35 of the 264 reported deaths.
71. Brady, A. 1969. An electrocuted great horned owl. Cassinia 51:57.
An owl was found clutching a Norway rat and hanging from a power line in early November
1968 at Mechanicsville,
Pennsylvania. The incident occurred presumably when the rat held by the owl touched the
wire below the owl's perch and
created a short circuit.
72. *Breckenridge, W.J. 1958. Fall migration: western Great Lakes region. Audubon
Field Notes 12(1):32-33.
Between 31 August and 20 September 1957, three large kills were reported at a new
1,000-foot tower in Eau Claire,
Wisconsin. The 2,972 casualties (42 species) found on 20 September included 23 species of
warblers.
73. *Breckenridge, W.J. 1959. Spring migration: western Great Lakes region.
Audubon Field Notes 13(4):371-373.
On 17 May, 284 birds were killed from colliding with a TV tower in Detroit, Michigan.
74. *Brewer, R. and J.A. Ellis. 1958. An analysis of migrating birds killed at a
television tower in east-central
Illinois, September 1955-May 1957. Auk 75(4):400-414.
This is a comprehensive account of the occurrence of avian mortality resulting from
impacts with a 983-foot tower near
Champaign, Illinois. Analysis of seven mortality incidents includes species lists (486
dead birds, 51 species), weather data,
comparisons with kills elsewhere, sex, age, and fat content of birds collected, spatial
distribution of the carcasses around the
tower, and a discussion of the attraction of birds to the tower.
75. Bromby, R. 1981. Killer lines in Colorado present an electrocution hazard for
raptors. Colorado Division of
Wildlife, Wildlife News 6(3).
This report cites a Utah study in which 529 eagle carcasses were found under 250 miles of
power lines. Of the 69 carcasses
fresh enough to determine the cause of death, 58 had been electrocuted, 10 had been shot,
and one had struck a power line.
The author notes that entanglement of birds by loosely wrapped wires has surfaced as a
major problem in recent years. "Killer
wires" are described as those with loose wrapping of wire, short crossarms, ground
wires that run to the top of the pole, and
metal cross braces.
76. Brown, L. 1976. British Birds of Prey: a study of Britain's 24 diurnal
raptors. N N Collins, London.
This study indicates that wire collision is the most common single cause of accidental
death of merlins in England.
77. Brown, W.M., R.C. Drewien, and E.G. Bizeau. 1987. Mortality of cranes and
waterfowl from power line
collisions in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. Pages 128-135 in: Proceedings of the 4th
Crane Workshop, 1985. Platte
River Whooping Crane Habitat Maintenance Trust, Grand Island, Nebraska.
The authors recommend that no new transmission lines be placed within two km of
traditional roost or feeding sites. The static
wire (the nonconducting topmost wire on a power line used to minimize power outages from
lightning strikes) is normally
smaller than the conductors and appears to be the wire most often struck by birds in
flight. Static wire removal is recommended
whenever possible, but modification and/or better marking are preferred methods.
78. *Browne, M.M. and W. Post. 1972. Black rails hit a television tower at
Raleigh, North Carolina. Wilson
Bulletin 84(4):491-492.
A black rail was found dead at the 1,175-foot WRAL tower in Raleigh, North Carolina, on 19
September 1969 and
anotheron 27 September 1970.
79. **Byrd, V., J. Sincock, and T. Telfer. 1978. The status of Newell's manx
shearwater, a threatened species.
Page 80 in: Pacific Seabird Group 5th Annual Meeting, Asilomar, California, 13-16
December. Pacific Seabird
Group, Stinson Beach, California.
On Kauai, Hawaii, shearwaters are susceptible to collisions with human-made objects such
as power lines, buildings, and cars
after being blinded by bright lights. This problem is worsening annually due to increased
tourism and the resulting development
and traffic.
80. Byrne, S. 1983. Bird movements and collision mortality at a large horizontal
axis wind turbine. Cal-Neva
Wildlife Transactions:76-83.
This study was conducted as a part of Pacific Gas and Electric Company's performance
monitoring program for a Boeing
MOD-2 wind turbine located at the edge of Suisun Marsh in Solano County, California. Bird
mortality was monitored for one
year beginning in September 1982. As of January 1, 1983, five dead birds had been found at
the turbine site.
81. *Caldwell, L.D. and N.L. Cuthbert. 1963. Bird mortality at television towers
near Cadillac, Michigan. Jack-Pine
Warbler 41(2):80-89.
From 26 September to 16 October 1961, 812 birds (42 species) were collected at the
1,295-foot WWTV tower near
Cadillac, Michigan. A comparison other revealed the fall mortality to be most like the
kills reported from Nashville, Tennessee,
and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In spring 1962, 74 birds (27 species) were found at WWTV and
125 (36 species) were collected
from a nearby 1,130-foot tower. The species composition was markedly different from the
fall.
82. *Caldwell, L.D. and G.J. Wallace. 1966. Collections of migrating birds at
Michigan television towers. Jack-Pine
Warbler 44(3):117-123.
The spring and fall species composition of dead birds found from 1959 to 1964 at seven
sites are analyzed. Towers within 30
miles of each other had virtually the same species composition, while greater diversity of
species occurred between more
distant towers. Spring and fall species compositions were markedly different, possibly due
to different migration routes for
various species. Warblers and thrushes were the most common casualties.
83. *Carter, J.H., III, and J.F. Parnell. 1976. TV tower kills in eastern North
Carolina. Chat 40(1):1-9.
A large bird kill occurred in October 1970 (over 1,000 birds, 39 species) at the
1,994-foot WECT tower in North Carolina.
In fall 1971 and 1972, regular checks (after the passage of cold fronts and after mostly
cloudy nights) were made at WECT
and at the 1,188-foot tower 30 miles away. Losses in 1971 (2,683 birds) were typically
associated with the passage of cold
fronts when low ceilings and north winds prevailed. In 1972, cold fronts passed quickly
through the area and only 387
casualties were found. The authors note that many carcasses were no doubt overlooked in
the vegetation at the tower sites and
there was much evidence of predator/scavenger activity. A combined annotated species list
is given.
84. *Case, L.D., H. Cruickshank, A.E. Ellis, and W.F. White. 1965. Weather causes
heavy bird mortality. Florida
Naturalist 38(1):29-30.
In early October 1964, 4,707 birds (37 species) were killed by striking brightly lit
buildings, towers, cars, and other obstacles
in Florida. "Clouds of birds" were reported circling buildings. Weather
consisted of a low cloud ceiling, drizzle, and northerly
winds. Warblers accounted for 98.7 percent of the casualties.
85. Cassel, J.F., D.W. Kiel, J.J. Knodel, and J.M. Wiehe. 1979. Relation of birds
to certain power lines in central
North Dakota. Zoology Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo. Prepared for the
United Power
Association, Environment and Lands Division, Elk River, Minnesota. 50 pp.
Searches for dead birds were conducted under two 230-kV transmission lines in North
Dakota. One was an old line and the
other was recently relocated to a wetland/slough area. In fall 1977, 15 birds were found
at the old line; in spring 1978, 17 were
found at the old line and 21 at the new line; in fall 1978, 17 were found at the old line
and 30 at the new. Impacts of the two
lines are compared. The authors conclude that the new line "provides no greater
hazard" than the old. "Although birds flying in
the vicinity of the transmission lines studied did seem to be aware of the lines, the
lines seem to provide little threat to their
welfare."
86. *Chamberlain, B.R. 1955. Fall migration: southern Atlantic coast region.
Audubon Field Notes 9(1):17-18.
Heavy mortality at beacons, towers, ceilometers, and lighted windows was reported from
several southeastern (U.S.) cities in
October 1954. Red-eyed vireos and ovenbirds were the most common species.
87. *Chamberlain, B.R. 1957. Fall migration: southern Atlantic coast region.
Audubon Field Notes 11(1): 15-18.
About 2,500 birds, mostly warblers, were killed at the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, TV
tower on 28-29 September 1956.
88. *Chamberlain, B.R. 1958. Fall migration: southern Atlantic coast region.
Audubon Field Notes 12(1):19-21.
During fall 1957, over 1,100 birds (80 species) were killed at an Aiken, South Carolina,
tower. Smaller kills were reported
from Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina, and Camp Cornelia and Atlanta, Georgia.
89. *Chamberlain, B.R. 1961. Fall migration: southern Atlantic coast region.
Audubon Field Notes 15(1):23-26.
From 28 September to 2 October 1960, tower casualties in Charlotte, North Carolina,
exceeded 340 birds. Smaller kills were
reported during 8-17 October.
90. Clausen, B. and F. Gudmundsson. 1981. Causes of mortality among free-ranging
gyrfalcons in Iceland. Journal
of Wildlife Diseases 17(1):105-109.
Four dead gyrfalcons (of 38 studied at the Museum of Natural History in Reykjavik,
Iceland) were found under telephone lines
with fractured sternums or wings.
91. *Cochran, W.W. and R.R. Graber. 1958. Attraction of nocturnal migrants by
lights on a television tower.
Wilson Bulletin 70(4):378-380.
Counts of flight calls on two nights at a 984-foot tower near Champaign, Illinois,
indicated that migrants were concentrated in
the vicinity of the structure. Turning off the red warning lights on the tower eliminated
the aggregation. This article was the first
to provide any experimental evidence that nocturnal migrants actually congregate around
the red warning lights on towers.
92. *Coffey, B.B., Jr. 1964. Two bird kills at WMC-TV, Memphis. Migrant 35(2):53.
On 7 and 8 May 1961, 19 dead warblers and vireos (11 species) were collected at the WMC-TV
tower in Memphis,
Tennessee. A second incident involving 99 birds (21 species), including 57 red-eyed
vireos, occurred on 11 May 1964.
93. *Cohen, D.A., ed. 1896. California department. Osprey 1(1):15.
On 15 May, 14 red phalaropes and one ruddy duck were found dead near a telegraph line.
Autopsies indicated that the birds
had died from collisions with the overhead wire.
94. Colton, H.S. 1945. An unusual accident to a broad-tailed hummingbird. Plateau
18(15):15.
A broad-tailed hummingbird struck a radio aerial wire with great enough force to be stuck
by its bill. It died because it could
not escape from the tightly twisted copper wire strands. The incident, reported in
Flagstaff, Arizona, in 1944, most likely
occurred during a courtship flight.
95. Coon, N.C., L.N. Locke, E. Cromartie, and W.L. Reichel. 1970. Causes of bald
eagle mortality, 1960-1965.
Journal of Wildlife Diseases 6:72-76.
Of 55 bald eagles that died of injuries during this U.S. study, seven had impact injuries,
one was electrocuted, and 45 had been
shot.
96. Cornwell, G., and H.A. Hochbaum. 1971. Collisions with wires - a source of
anatid mortality. Wilson Bulletin
83(3):305-306.
A female pintail was found impaled on a barbed wire fence on 15 August 1966 in the Portage
la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada,
Community Pasture. An adult blue-winged teal drake was found in a barbed wire fence in
August 1966 in North Dakota.
Other incidences included a drake pintail entangled by the neck from two telephone wires
in July 1948 in Saskatchewan,
Canada, and a female blue-winged teal impaled on a barbed wire fence. The authors note
that barbed wire fences and
overhead wires commonly kill ducks, but such incidents are seldom reported. It is
recommended that barbed wire fences no
longer needed be "removed from publicly-owned waterfowl production marshes; and, when
overhead wires become a frequent
local source of mortality, they should be placed under-ground or moved." Also, siting
of fences and lines through marshes
needs to be reevaluated.
97. *Cornwell, G.W. 1968. Needless duck deaths. Conservation Catalyst 2(4):15-18.
Data of 2,000,000 examples of non-hunting-related waterfowl mortality (including collision
mortalities) in the U.S. and Canada
were compiled. About half of 3,000 non-hunting deaths were due to striking wires. The
author recommends that wires in areas
of high waterfowl use be buried.
98. *Cottam, C. 1929. A shower of grebes. Condor 31(1):80-81.
Hundreds of eared grebes died by striking wires, houses, and trees after being forced to
fly low in a snowstorm in Caliente,
Nevada, in December 1928.
99. Coues, E. 1876. The destruction of birds by telegraph wire. American
Naturalist 10(12):734-736.
In a three-mile stretch between Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Denver, Colorado, Coues counted
over 100 dead birds, mostly
horned larks, lying beneath the telegraph line. Three birds were actually seen striking
the wires. The larks exhibited some
hesitation and confusion in flight when flocks crossed the wires. The author states,
"Usually, a remedy has been or may be
provided for any unnecessary or undesirable destruction of birds; but there seems to be
none in this instance. Since we cannot
conveniently abolish the telegraph, we must be content with fewer birds."
100. Council of Europe. 1981. Birds in need of special protection in Europe.
Nature and Environment Series No. 24.
Strasbourg, France. 154 pp.
Widespread power line collision is mentioned as a reason for the decline of eagle owls
(Bubo bubo) in Europe. White storks
(Ciconia ciconia) are also prone to overhead wire collision. Both species are given
"vulnerable" status.
101. Craig, T.H. 1978. A car survey of raptors in southeastern Idaho 1974-1976.
Raptor Research 12(1/2):40-45.
A survey of raptors was conducted by car over a 187 km route in southeastern Idaho during
the non-nesting seasons from
November 1974 to May 1976. Rough-legged hawks were the most numerous observed, followed by
American kestrels and
golden eagles. Perched raptors were commonly seen on power poles: 75.1 percent of
rough-legged hawks, 94 percent of
prairie falcons, 80.4 percent of American kestrels, and 73.7 percent of golden eagles.
American kestrels preferred pole tops or
wires; most golden eagles preferred the tops and crossarms.
102. *Crawford, R.L. 1971. Predation on birds killed at TV tower. Oriole
36(4):33-35.
To test the effects of scavengers at the WCTV tower near Tallahassee, Florida, 157 marked
dead birds were placed out over
a period of five nights. The nightly loss of test birds to scavengers was between 64
percent and 100 percent. The author
concludes that serious attention must be paid to the predator/scavenger problem at towers
if meaningful data are to be
obtained.
103. *Crawford, R.L. 1974. Bird casualties at a Leon County, Florida TV tower:
October 1966-September 1973.
Tall Timbers Research Station Bulletin No. 18. Tallahassee, Florida. 27 pp.
During the seven years covered in this report, over 5,500 casualties and seven new species
were collected at the WCTV tower
in Florida, bringing the total losses to about 35,000 (177 species) in 18 years of
continuous monitoring. Monthly species lists
are given for the last seven years, and the total kill is presented by spring and fall
months for each year 1955-1973. Much of
this report is devoted to the problem of scavengers removing tower casualties. An
extensive literature review is included in the
introduction.
104. *Crawford, R.L. 1976. Some old records of TV tower kills from southwest
Georgia. Oriole 41(4): 45-51.
This article presents previously unreported data, originally collected by H.L. Stoddard,
Sr., and R.A. Norris, on bird losses at
the WALB and WRBL-WTVM towers in southwestern Georgia. On 28 visits to the WALB tower from
1959 to 1963, 613
birds (no total species count) were collected. Many of the carcasses were disturbed by
scavengers, and tall grass around the
station grounds made it impossible to find birds over much of the area. Frontal activity
and other weather conditions associated
with kills on 12-13 September 1959, 7-8 September 1962, and 17-18 October 1962 are
described. The species composition
between kills at WALB and WCTV in Tallahassee, Florida (about 80 km SW), were
significantly similar on the first two nights,
but not on the third. Species lists for the three dates at both towers are given. Two
kills were recorded at the WRBL-WTVM
tower: 18 birds on 23 April and 60 on 18 September 1962.
105. Crawford, R.L. 1978. Autumn bird casualties at a northwest Florida TV tower:
1973-1975. Wilson Bulletin
90(3):335-345.
In fall 1973, 261 individuals of 57 species were collected at the 308-meter WCTV tower at
Tall Timbers Research Station,
Leon County, Florida. The following fall, 1,832 dead birds (87 species) were gathered. In
1975, 1,771 of 90 species were
collected, totaling 3,864 individuals of 109 species for the three autumns. Age and sex
classes were noted. In 1974 and 1975,
a rigorous program of predator control was instituted.
106. *Cunningham, R.L. 1964a. Fall migration: Florida region. Audubon Field Notes
18(1):24-28.
In September 1963, in Leon County, Florida, the largest kill ever (no data given) at the
WFSU tower was reported. At the
WCTV tower, 735 birds, including 80 bobolinks, were killed.
107. *Cunningham, R.L. 1964b. Spring migration: Florida region. Audubon Field
Notes 18(4):442-446.
In Leon County, Florida, 207 birds, including 150 thrushes, were found dead at the WCTV
tower. The WFSU tower had
small mortality numbers during the spring.
108. *Cunningham, R.L. 1965. Fall migration: Florida region. Audubon Field Notes
19(1):28-33.
Following the drizzly, hazy night of 6 October 1964, 4,707 birds (37 species) were found
dead near the Indian River in
Florida, the result of low-flying birds striking buildings, headlights and windshields; 98
percent were warblers (1,354 common
yellowthroats and 322 blackpolls). Also, "moderate" bird kills were reported at
towers in Daytona Beach and St. Augustine.
Over 2,000 birds were killed during 6-8 October at two TV towers in Jacksonville; 95
percent of these fatalities were
warblers.
109. Dawson, B. 1974. Letting them go: great horned owls go to school. Museum Talk
48(2):45-48.
The Bird of Prey Survival Project at San Francisco Zoological Gardens has a ward with two
golden eagles, each with a wing
missing due to power line collision.
110. Dean, W.R.J. 1975. Martial eagles nesting on high tension pylons. Ostrich
46(1):116-117.
In the Kimberley area of the Cape Province, South Africa, martial eagles (Polemaetus
bellicosus) have been recorded as
nesting on high tension pylons. The nests were all in woodlands, although tree sites were
available. In the Ottoshoop area of the
western Transvaal, a tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) was recorded nesting on a high tension
pylon.
111. Dedon, M., S. Byrne, J. Aycrigg, and P. Hartman. 1989. Bird mortality in
relation to the Mare Island 115-kV
transmission line: progress report 1988/1989. Prepared by Technical and Ecological
Services. Prepared for
Department of the Navy, Western Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Office of
Environmental
Management, San Bruno, California. Report 443-89.3. 150 pp.
The area surrounding the 115-kV transmission line serving the Mare Island Naval Shipyard
in California was searched for
associated bird mortalities from August 1988 through June 1989. Scavenging and predation
biases are mentioned. During the
study, 242 birds were collected in the salt evaporation pond transect and 68 birds and one
bat were collected in the hay field
transect, totaling 43 species. Correcting for scavenging and habitat biases showed that
total estimated bird mortality associated
with the power line was 310 for the hay field transect and 724 for the salt pond transect.
The most common species collected
were ruddy duck, western sandpiper, black-bellied plover, western meadowlark, and
red-winged blackbird. A control transect
produced 80 specimens of 15 species. The authors conclude that the "numerous dead
birds found in this transect support the
conclusion that collision mortality represents a small amount of the total mortality of
the local bird populations." Overall mortality
was high at times of low visibility and low during periods of "unsettling
weather." Recommendations include improving sampling
techniques and using more objective search bias tests, more frequent scavenger tests, and
better vegetation control. A bird
flight pattern study is recommended to provide perspective for mortality information and
to learn which conductors contribute
most to collisions. Suggestions to reduce bird mortalities due to power line collisions
include the use of aerial markers, tree
planting adjacent to the transmission line, and undergrounding the power line.
112. Dedon, M., P. Hartman, S. Byrne, and S.A. Laymon. 1990. Bird mortality in
relation to the Mare Island
115-kV transmission line: progress report 1989/1990. Prepared by Technical and Ecological
Services. Prepared for
Department of the Navy, Western Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Office of
Environmental
Management, San Bruno, California. Report 443-90.4. 100 pp.
In the second year of monitoring at this California site, 259 birds (53 species) were
collected. Accounting for predation and
scavenging biases, 334 birds were estimated to be killed by the transmission line in the
hay field transect and 923 in the salt
pond transect. Species found most were black-bellied plover, ruddy duck, western
sandpiper, dunlin, savannah sparrow, and
western meadowlark, accounting for 54 percent of all identified specimens. Two black rails
(listed as threatened in California)
were found. During the day, passerines generally flew below the height of the lower
distribution lines and non-passerines flew
mostly above the 115-kV transmission line. The authors recommend continuing surveys and
implementing a study to assess the
effectiveness of power line markers for reducing bird collisions. This 115-kV line is
adjacent to wetlands frequented by birds.
113. Dennis, R. 1990. Birds and conservation problems of the high tops. North of
Scotland Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds (RSPB). Munlochy, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. 4 pp.
Mountain birds of the "high tops" of Scotland include ptarmigan, dotterel, and
snow bunting. Ski developments threaten the best
habitats for the rarest birds. "The threats to birds can be direct, such as damage to
the environment and its vegetation, changes
in snowbed vegetation due to compaction, disturbance by large numbers of people and deaths
due to collisions with overhead
wires." The author feels that proposed projects for skiing expansion in the Cairngorm
National Nature Reserve be stopped to
protect the High Tops from further damage.
114. *Devitt, O.1967. The birds of Simcoe County, Ontario. Brereton Field
Naturalists' Club, Barrie, Ontario,
Canada. 190 pp.
Kills at the CKVR-TV tower at Barrie, Ontario, Canada, during 1960-67 are discussed. The
numbers of deaths seemed to
vary directly with the prevalence of fog and low ceiling during migration. In the seven
years covered, 2,632 dead birds (63
species) were collected. The majority killed were thrushes, warblers, flycatchers and
sparrows; a complete list is given.
115. Devlin, J.M. 1954. Effects of weather on nocturnal migration as seen from one
observation point at
Philadelphia. Wilson Bulletin 66(2):93-101.
Three hundred avian migrants were killed on the night of 21-22 September 1953 when they
crashed against the Empire State
Building in New York City. The author notes that this event illustrates what happens if
migrants on a following wind meet a
warm front with strong southerly winds and are forced to fly very low under the frontal
slope.
116. *Dickinson, L.E. 1957. Utilities and birds. Audubon Magazine 59(2):54-55,
86-87.
The author reviews the problem of bird strikes and electrocutions at power lines in the
U.S. and cites examples of solutions to
particular situations.
117. *Dilger, W.C. 1954. Electrocution of parakeets at Agra, India. Condor
56(2):102-103.
Rose-ringed parakeets were frequently electrocuted on power lines at an Army base at Agra,
India, in the 1940s.
118. *d'Ombrain, A.F. 1945. Migratory birds and overhead wires. Emu 45(2):173-174.
Migrating shorebirds "become mystified by the bright city lights" which cause
them to fly lower than usual, resulting in collisions
with overhead wires. Two instances of mortality in Australia are recounted.
119. Drager, T. and J. Linthicum, eds. 1985. Peregrine falcon wild nest
management, hack sites, and cross-foster
operations. Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group. University of California, Santa
Cruz.
A female peregrine falcon was reported to have collided with a power line. No apparent
injury resulted.
120. *Drewien, R.1973. Ecology of Rocky Mountain greater sandhill cranes.
Dissertation. University of Idaho,
Moscow. 82 pp.
Collisions with power lines accounted for 37 percent of the observed sandhill crane
mortality in the population that was studied
in the western U.S.
121. *Dunbar, R.J. 1954. Bird mortality - Oak Ridge. Migrant 25(4):63-64.
On the morning of 7 October, 1954, about 1,000 birds (22 species) were found dead on a
parking lot at Oak Ridge,
Tennessee. Losses were attributed to collisions with overhead power lines, light towers,
cars, and pavement. Most carcasses
were found beneath the parking lot lights.
122. Dunstan, T.C. 1968. Breeding success of osprey in Minnesota from 1963 to
1968. Loon (Dec.):109-112.
The author discusses contributing factors of osprey mortality in Minnesota. Osprey
sometimes nest on utility poles at the
crossbars. A nestling and an adult were found electrocuted at two different nest sites.
123. Dunstan, T.C., J.H. Harper, and K.B. Phipps. 1978. Final report: habitat use
and hunting strategies of prairie
falcons, red-tailed hawks, and golden eagles. Prepared for U.S. Bureau of Land Management,
Denver, Colorado.
Contract 52500-CT5-1013. 177 pp.
Still-hunting from utility and power line poles and crossbars, trees, fence posts, shrubs,
rocks, and the ground was the most
extensively used prey-search technique for prairie falcons, red-tailed hawks, and golden
eagles during the study.
124. *Eaton, S.W. 1967. Recent tower kills in upstate New York. Kingbird
17(3):142-147.
Bird mortality from collisions with towers on the Allegheny Plateau in New York is
discussed, including a list of 57 species
found dead during 1956. The author estimates that 10,000 songbirds are killed annually
from tower collision in the area.
125. Edeburn, R.M. 1973. Great horned owl impaled on barbed wire. Wilson Bulletin
85(4):478.
A great horned owl was found dead, impaled at the base of its left wing on a barbed wire
fence, in summer 1972 in Mercer,
Pennsylvania.
126. *Edscorn, J.B. 1974. The fall migration: Florida region. American Birds
28(1):40-44.
The unusually low kill at the WCTV tower near Tallahassee, Florida, in fall 1973 was
attributed to very clear weather.
127. *Edscorn, J.B. 1975. The fall migration: Florida region. American Birds
29(1):44-48.
Included among the fall 1974 casualties at the WCTV tower in Florida were 971 birds on the
night of 17 October.
128. *Elder, W.H. and J. Hansen. 1967. Bird mortality at KOMU-TV tower, Columbia,
Missouri, fall 1965 and
1966. Bluebird 34(1):3-7.
A list of 851 dead birds (36 species) found in fall 1965 and 1966 at KOMU-TV, Columbia,
Missouri, is given, with age and
sex data on seven species from 1966. Some comparisons with data from other towers are
included.
129. Electric Power Research Institute. 1982. Prevention of golden eagle
electrocution. EPRI EA-2680, Project
1002 Final Report. Palo Alto, California. 90 pp.
Eagle electrocutions were documented in six western United States by examining carcasses
found below power lines; of the
416 birds found, 82.5 percent were golden eagles. This report analyzes species and age of
electrocuted birds, temporal
occurrences, abundance of raptors, raptor prey, vegetation, topography, soil, weather, and
other related factors. "Measures
found to lower incidences of eagle electrocution include routing lines around preferred
prey habitat, locating power lines in
topographically low areas, and insulating conductors on corner and transformer
poles."
130. Elkins, N. 1988. Weather and bird behavior. Second edition. T. & A.D.
Poyser, Calton, Staffordshire, England.
239 pp.
Bird mortality caused by inclement weather and collision with power lines and other
structures is briefly discussed. "This
happens most frequently to nocturnal migrants in dense fog or cloud accompanied by
precipitation. The refraction and reflection
of light by water droplets increase the sphere of illumination and confuse the
migrants.... The effects of adverse weather are
more pronounced for birds that are deformed, injured, diseased, or heavily parasitized,
and these individuals are invariably the
first to die in a stress situation. Resistance of healthy birds may be lowered by sudden
and large temperature changes. There is
evidence of a sex difference in the ability to resists these changes; females appear to be
hardier, particularly in polygamous
species."
131. Ellis, D.H., J.G. Goodwin, Jr., and J.R. Hunt. 1978. Wildlife and electric
power transmission. In: J.L. Fletcher
and R.G. Busnel, eds. Effects of noise on wildlife. Academic Press, Inc., New York. 305
pp.
Electrocution is noted as a significant cause of eagle mortality in the western U.S. and
of the cape vulture (Gyps coprothers) in
southern Africa. Ravens, eagles, hawks, and occasionally other birds use local power line
towers for nest sites. Wild turkeys
(Meleagris gallopavo) heavily utilize towers and even conductors as roost sites in west
Texas. The authors recommend that
key locations where birds are especially vulnerable (e.g., mountain passes along important
migration corridors) should be
avoided in siting power lines. Problem areas need to be identified and corrected.
132. Ellis, D.H., D.G. Smith, and J.R. Murphy. 1969. Studies on raptor mortality
in western Utah. Great Basin
Naturalist 29(3):165-167.
The majority of raptor mortalities are from shootings. A significant number can also be
attributed to power line electrocution.
133. Eltringham, S.K. 1963. The British population of the mute swan in 1961. Bird
Study 10(1):10-28.
Power disruption and mortality of mute swans in Britain are discussed. The author
recommends re-siting the cables away from
regular swan routes and increasing cable visibility in order to reduce collisions and
power black-outs.
134. Emerson, W.O. 1904. Destruction of birds by wires. Condor 6(1):37.
The author discusses power line collision mortality of shorebirds and a black rail in the
San Francisco Bay area, particularly in
salt marshes and evaporating ponds, noting "the disastrous effect upon bird life of
numerous telephone, telegraph, and electric
power wires strung along highways" and across lines of migration or favorite paths to
feeding grounds. The death of a great
horned owl on a barbed wire fence is noted.
135. Enderson, J.H. and M.N. Kirven. 1979. Peregrine falcon foraging study in the
geysers: Calistoga known
geotheral resource area, Sonoma County, California. Prepared for the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management.
Prepared by Department of Biology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado. 17 pp.
Power transmission lines are a hazard to peregrine falcons because their attack dives may
exceed 150 mph. "Collisions with
wires are well-known: at least six occurred in California in recent years ... and in 1978
in Colorado a young Peregrine struck a
power line 2 km from its eyrie and suffered a broken wing."
136. Estep, J.A. 1989. Avian mortality at large wind energy facilities in
California: identifica- tion of a problem.
California Energy Commission, Sacramento. P700-89-001. 30 pp.
Avian mortality data resulting from collision or electrocution with wind energy-related
structures were solicited and compiled
from a variety of sources in 1988. The incidents occurred between November 1984 and April
1988 at Altamont Pass and
Tehachapi Pass, California. One hundred eight raptors of seven species were reported.
Causes of mortality, injuries, age class,
season, and other results are discussed.
137. Faanes, C.A. 1987. Bird behavior and mortality in relation to power lines in
prairie habitats. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. Fish and Wildlife Technology Report 7. 24 pp.
In this study of two spring and two fall migration periods between July 1980 and May 1982,
633 birds were found dead
beneath 9.6 km of power lines. The total kill was estimated at 1,332 birds, with higher
mortality rates during the fall migration.
Overhead ground wires were responsible for most of the deaths. Diving ducks appeared to
experience fewer problems near
power lines than dabbling ducks. While none of the observed mortality was considered
biologically significant at the sites
studied, the cumulative effect of avian collision mortality may be important, particularly
to populations of rare or endangered
birds. Power lines 400 m or more from the edge of the water generally had lower observed
mortality than sites with closer
lines. Avian mortality in riparian habitat may increase when power lines are at or below
the forest canopy, probably due to
decreased visibility.
138. *Farnham, C.B., Jr. 1971. Snipe impaled on cable. Kingbird 21(1):10-11.
In New York, a common snipe died when its lower mandible pierced the insulation of a
telephone wire and could not get free.
139. *Feehan, J. 1963. Destruction of birdlife in Minnesota - Sept. 1963. Birds
killed at the Ostrander television
tower. Flicker 35(4):111-112.
A list of 1,250 birds (28 species) killed in Minnesota on a cloudy night in September 1963
is presented.
140. Ferrer, M. and M. De La Riva. 1987. Impact of power lines on the
population of birds of prey in the Donana
National Park and its environment. Mediterranean Birds of Prey III. National Institute of
Game Biology 12.
(English summary.)
This study took place in the marshes of the Guadalquivir River in southern Spain from 1982
to 1983. Mortality variations
throughout the year were reported along 100 km of power lines in this area, which has
great importance as one of the last
refuges of the Spanish imperial eagle. More than 100 birds of prey carcasses (13 species)
were collected including Aquila
adalberti, Gyps fulvus, and Circaetus gallicus. Because 70 percent or so of the bodies
were lost before recovery, the actual
number of raptor mortalities could reach 400 per year. Factors influencing the death rate
include precipitation, wind, relative
humidity, landscape characteristics, pattern of utility towers, and position of
insulators. Electrocution was shown to be one of
the main causes of imperial eagle mortality.
141. Ferrer, M., M. De La Riva, and J. Castroviejo. 1991. Electrocution of raptors
onpower lines in southwestern
Spain. Journal of Field Ornithology 62(2):181-190. (English summary.)
A study conducted at Donana National Park in Spain revealed that within a 100 km sector of
power lines, 233 dead raptors
(13 species) were found. It is estimated that about 400 raptors per year die along this
section of lines. Deaths from wire
collision accounted for 2.8 percent of the total mortality during the study. Electrocution
is the primary known cause of death for
the endangered Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti). Mortality rates differed with
changes in habitat quality. Those areas
with more human-altered habitat exhibited lower mortality rates from electrocution, while
areas with more natural habitat
exhibited higher rates. The authors recommend the use of suspended insulators so that the
wing tips of a perched bird cannot
contact both phases at once. "[O]n metal pylons the position of insulators is an
extremely critical factor affecting raptor mortality
rates."
142. *Fisher, H.I. 1966. Midway's deadly antennas. Audubon Magazine 68(4):220-223.
The effects of numerous antennas and guy cables on Midway Island's colony of Laysan
albatrosses are discussed. At least
2,901 were killed in a 7-month period. Damage to other species is also mentioned.
143. *Fisher, H.I. 1970. The death of Midway's antennas. Audubon Magazine
72(1):62-63.
Antennas on Midway Island were responsible for the deaths of more than 3,000 Laysan
albatrosses in 1964 and 1965. Avian
collision deaths stopped after the antennas were removed.
144. *Fitzner, R.E. 1975. Owl mortality on fences and utility lines. Raptor
Research 9(3/4):55-57.
In Washington and Idaho during the winter of 1973-74, the author found one great horned
owl and one short-eared owl
impaled on barbed wire fences and two short-eared owls hanging from overhead utility
wires.
145. Fitzner, R.E., W.H. Rickard, L.L. Cadwell, and L.E. Rogers. 1981. Raptors of
the Hanford site and nearby
areas of southcentral Washington. Prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland,
Washington. Prepared for
the Department of Energy and Rockwell Hanford Operations. Contract DE-AC06-76RLO 1830. 61
pp.
At Hanford, Washington, red-tailed hawks nested principally in utility towers 30 to 100
feet high. Fifty-two percent of nesting
pairs observed in 1978 nested on transmission towers.
146. **Flegg, J.J.M. and C.J. Cox. 1975. Mortality in the black-headed gull.
British Birds 68(11):437-449.
During four periods between 1908 and 1972, the percentage of ringed gulls recovered
"dead under wires" varied from 2.1
(1908-1924) to 3.9 (1953-1968) (percentage of total recovery). Of birds banded as
nestlings in Britain and Ireland during
1967-1974, 5.7 percent of the juveniles (6 months old and less) and 4.5 percent of the
adults recovered were killed striking
wires.
147. **Flegg, J.J.M. and R.A. Morgan. 1976. Mortality in British gulls. Ringing
and Migration 1(2):65-74.
The recoveries of six species of gull banded as nestlings in Britain and Ireland during
1967-1973 are analyzed. The category
"found dead" accounted for about 70 percent of the total recoveries. Collision
with overhead wires was responsible for
appreciable losses among all species except the common gull which suffered considerable
mortality due to vehicle collision.
148. Fredrickson, L.H. 1983. Bird response to transmission lines at a Mississippi
river crossing. Transactions of
the Missouri Academy of Science 17:129-140.
Bird response to a 138-kV power transmission facility was monitored near Wittenberg,
Missouri, from October to May, 1973
to 1975. Of 132,911 birds flying past the facility, no dead or injured birds were
collected nor were any collisions recorded.
Only six birds flew close enough to the wires to have their movement classed as near
collision; 65 percent of the birds flew at a
distance greater than 15 m from the wires. Blackbirds were the most common bird during the
study. "The residency status of
birds, visibility, disturbance, and habitat are suggested as important factors that may be
related to injury or collision."
149. *Ganier, A.F. 1962. Bird casualties at a Nashville TV tower. Migrant
33(4):58-60.
Three incidents at the 1,369-foot WSM-TV tower in Nashville, Tennessee, in fall 1962
resulted in losses of 301 birds (39
species) and 2 red bats. Weather data are included.
150. Garzon, J. 1977. Birds of prey in Spain: the present situation. Pages 159-170
in: R.D. Chancellor, ed.
Proceedings of World Conference on Birds of Prey, International Council for Bird
Preservation, Vienna, Austria,
1-3 October 1975.
The greatest threat to birds of prey in Spain is from overhead cables.
151. Gauthreaux, S.A., Jr. 1985. Radar, electro-optical, and visual methods of
studying bird flight near transmission
lines. Prepared by Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina. Prepared for Electric
Power Research Institute,
Palo Alto, California. EPRI EA-4120. 76 pp.
Current and future energy projections to fulfill growing demand indicate that there will
be an increase in the miles of power lines
erected in the United States. There is concern about the extent of the environmental
impact of new lines on avian wildlife,
particularly in the area of bird flight behavior and collision mortality. "A lack of
data and the abundance of speculation on the
impact of transmission lines has resulted in costly delays, route changes, and refusal of
permits for line construction projects."
The purpose of this study is to provide information on the accuracy and usefulness of
equipment (radar and electro-optical
instruments) in assessing bird flight behavior and collision rates near transmission
lines. Visual methods are also considered as
possible study strategies.
152. *George, W. 1963. Columbia tower fatalities. Bluebird 30(4):5.
On the nights of 20 and 21 September 1963, 941 birds (46 species) were killed at the
KOMU-TV tower, Columbia,
Missouri. A species list is given.
153. *Gerstenberg, R.H. 1972. A study of shorebirds (Charadrii) in Humboldt Bay,
California, 1968 to 1969.
Thesis. California State University, Humboldt. 207 pp.
More than 150 northern phalaropes were killed on 6 May 1969 by striking electric wires
along the coast near Trinidad,
California. Similar incidents, involving fewer birds, occurred on 6 May 1967 and 7 May
1971.
154. Gillard, R. 1977. Unnecessary electrocution of owls. Blue Jay 35(4):259.
The author reports two great horned owl electrocution mortalities found at the same
utility pole in Canada, one in August 1972
and the other in July 1975. Anotherstudy is referenced where 13 electrocuted great horned
owls were reported. The author
recommends that the Saskatchewan Power Corporation follow the U.S. example of pole
modifications to reduce the numbers
of avian deaths and power outages.
155. Gilmer, D.S. and J.M. Wiehe. 1977. Nesting by ferruginous hawks and other
raptors on high voltage powerline
towers. Prairie Naturalist (March):1-10.
Aerial searches for raptor nests were conducted in spring 1976 along U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation 230-kV towers in North
Dakota. Ferruginous hawks (21 total, twelve successful nests), red-tailed hawks (five
total, three successful nests), and great
horned owls (three total, two successful nests) were observed. Most ferruginous hawk nests
were constructed in the center of
the tower where horizontal steel support members crossed at right angles; most red-tailed
hawk nests were constructed near
the tops of towers. Several nests were blown out of structures by the wind.
156. Glue, D.E. 1971. Ringing recovery circumstances of small birds of prey. Bird
Study 18(3):137-146.
This study presents findings on analysis "of recovery details of those five British
birds of prey ringed in greatest numbers" -
kestrel, tawny owl, little owl, barn owl, and sparrowhawk. Kestrels were more prone to
collisions with overhead wires, cables,
and buildings than were barn, tawny, and little owls. There was a 3.3 percent mortality
rate of band recoveries of the five
species from telephone wire or cable collision. A higher percentage of collisions occurred
in diurnal species such as kestrels due
to hunting methods.
157. *Gollop, M.A. 1965. Bird migration collision casualties at Saskatoon. Blue
Jay 23(1):15-17.
During 1961-64, at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, 543 dead birds and one red bat were
collected at several towers, and
15 dead birds were collected beneath power lines. Species lists are provided.
158. Goodland, R. 1973. Ecological perspectives of power transmission. Pages 1-35
in: R. Goodland, ed.
Proceedings of Biotic Management along Power Transmission Rights- of-Way colloquium,
American Institute of
Biological Science annual meeting, Amherst, Massachusetts, 21 June 1973. Prepared by The
Cary Arboretum of
the New York Botanical Gardens, Millbrook, New York.
Goodland discusses the magnitude of the problem of ecological effects of power
transmission, advance regional planning, and
tower sitings. He emphasizes that "wetland crossings, streams, and waterings merit
special care because they are fragile
ecosystems in which apparently minor damage may cause major effects."
159. Goodland Daily News. Nov. 5, 1965. Rare whooping crane is found dead near
Atwood. Goodland Daily News,
Kansas 33(234):1.
A 15-pound whooping crane with a seven-foot wingspan was found dead in a wheat field near
Atwood, Kansas. "The only
mark on the bird ... was an abrasion on one leg. Death probably resulted from a broken
neck when it struck the power line."
160. *Goodpasture, K.A. 1974a. Fall 1972 television tower casualties in Nashville.
Migrant 45(2):29-31.
At the WSM and WSIX towers in Nashville, Tennessee, 556 dead birds (58 species) were
collected in fall 1972, the lowest
fall total since 1967. The kills were associated with low ceilings and the passage of cold
fronts. On 18 October, 141 birds were
found dead at the WSM tower, but none were recorded at WSIX on that date. Complete species
lists are given.
161. *Goodpasture, K.A. 1974b. Fall 1973 television tower casualties in Nashville.
Migrant 45(3):57-59.
Almost daily checks of the WSM and WSIX towers in Nashville, Tennessee, in September and
October 1973 resulted in 165
dead birds found (42 species), the lowest seasonal total since regular monitoring began.
Weather was generally mild throughout
the fall. Following a clear night, 49 dead birds were collected on 6 October. The WSM
tower had recently been painted bright
orange and the guy wires were painted with aluminum paint, but it is doubtful if this had
any effect on the kill. Lists of the losses
are given.
162. *Goodpasture, K.A. 1975. Nashville tower casualties, 1974. Migrant
46(3):49-51.
A new low (123 birds, 34 species) in fall casualties was recorded at the WSM and WNGE
(formerly WSIX) towers in
Nashville, Tennessee. As in fall 1973, the weather was "without notable nocturnal
violence or stormy force." No clear
explanation of the low kills in 1973 and 1974 was obvious, but increased scavenger
activity may have been partly responsible.
A kill of about 700 birds on 15 September was reported at a tower in Decatur, Alabama.
Lists of the Nashville kills are given.
163. *Goodpasture, K.A. 1976. Nashville television tower casualties, 1975. Migrant
47(1):8-10.
Casualties numbered 513 (53 species) at the WSM and WNGE towers in Nashville, Tennessee,
in fall 1975. The weather was
generally mild, with fronts of low intensity. Warblers (22 species) accounted for
two-thirds of the losses. Cats were noticeable
scavengers. A complete kill list is given.
164. Goodpasture, K.A. 1978. Television tower casualties, 1976. Migrant
49(3):53-54.
In September and October 1976, 406 dead birds (43 species) were collected at two towers in
Nashville, Tennessee.
Ovenbirds had the highest count (63), followed by magnolia and bay-breasted warblers.
165. *Goodwin, C.E. 1975. The winter season: Ontario region. American Birds
29(1):48-57.
During fall 1974, kills at the Lennox power plant chimney and the Barrie and London TV
towers in Ontario, Canada, totalled
7,550 birds. Red-eyed vireos (1129), ovenbirds (1038), and magnolia warblers (920) were
the species most commonly killed.
166. *Goodwin, C.E. and R.C. Rosche. 1971. The fall migration: Ontario. American
Birds 25(1):49-54.
On the night of 13 September 1970, "extensive casualties" (mostly ovenbirds and
other warblers) were recorded at London,
Ontario, TV towers, and 136 birds were killed at the 1,000-foot Toronto-Dominion Centre.
167. Goodwin, J.G., Jr. 1975. Big game movement near a 500-kV transmission line in
northern Idaho. Prepared for
Bonneville Power Administration, Engineering and Construction Division, Portland, Oregon.
56 pp.
The potential for bird electrocution at a transmission line in Idaho is discussed. While
electrocution of large raptors is a problem
on low voltage lines (below 115 kV) due to the close spacing of conductors, wider
conductor spacing on high voltage lines
(such as this 500-kV transmission line in northern Idaho) "corrects this
problem." Towers supporting these lines may be
beneficial as nesting sites. Although birds observed flying near the conductors on a
500-kV line encountered no problems, the
author observed a near collision between a Canada goose and the ground wire running above
the conductors.
168. Gosselin, M. 1978. The winter season: Quebec region. American Birds
32(3):324-326.
On December 3, 1977, a lesser black-backed gull was found dead below power lines in
Quebec, Canada.
169. Goulty, C.A. 1988. Birds and power lines: a bibliography. Council of Planning
Librarians Bibliography No. 219.
Chicago, Illinois. 11 pp.
This bibliography contains 143 international listings on birds and utility lines and was
prepared specifically "as a reference work
for transmission route planning engineers[,] operation and maintenance engineers of
electric utilities, ornithologists, and all those
concerned and interested in the routing of power lines."
170. Graber, R.R. 1968. Nocturnal migration in Illinois: different points of view.
Wilson Bulletin 80(1):36-71.
This is an extensive analysis of nocturnal migration using radar, aural recordings, field
observations, and tower kills. The kills
occurred near Champaign, Illinois, in late September from 1957 to 1962 and totalled 1,500
birds (41 species). Complete lists
of kills are given, and the nature of bird mortality at towers is discussed.
171. *Graham, R. 1916. Carolina rail accidentally killed. Oologist 33(11):187.
A sora was found dead in Ft. Worth, Texas, evidently killed by striking a telephone wire.
172. *Green, J.C. 1963. Destruction of birdlife in Minnesota - Sept. 1963. Notes
on kills at Duluth on September
18/19. Flicker 35(4):112-113.
At the Duluth, Minnesota, ceilometer, 92 birds (17 species) were killed. The light was
turned off to prevent further losses.
Casualties totalled 35 (12 species) at the WDSM tower.
173. *Green, J.C. 1964. Fall migration: western Great Lakes region. Audubon Field
Notes 18(1):33-34, 39-42.
During 18-20 September 1963, extraordinary numbers of migrating birds passed through the
Minnesota-Wisconsin area. At an
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, tower, over 10,000 birds (45 species) were collected; total
mortality was estimated at over 30,000. At
Ostrander, Minnesota, an estimated 1,500 birds died based on 250 actually collected. In
Lewisville, Minnesota, 924 birds (47
species) were collected, and about 100 more were killed at a ceilometer in Duluth. A
slow-moving cold front with overcast
skies was associated with these incidents.
174. *Gregory, H. 1975. Unusual fall tower kill. Bluebird 42(4):9-10.
On the night of 14 October 1975, over 98 birds (20 species) were killed at four towers in
Missouri and Kansas. The KCMO
tower in Kansas City, Missouri, accounted for 67 casualties including 32 mourning doves.
The incidents were unusual because
KCMO is free-standing (i.e., no guy wires) and the cloud ceiling was rather high
(5,000-10,000 feet). A listing of casualties by
tower is given.
175. Gretz, D.I. 1981. Power line entanglement hazard to raptors. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Denver, Colorado.
9 pp.
In Colorado, a ferruginous hawk and a golden eagle were evidently killed by electrocution
after their talons became entangled
in some loosely wrapped wires holding a power line to an insulator. The author felt that
power line entanglement could be a
significant mortality factor for raptors. Entanglement problems could be corrected by
tightly rewrapping the wire holding the
power line to the insulator and installing a cover (split plastic tube) over the wrapping
on each side of the insulator.
176. *Griepentrog, E.A. 1929. Wire mortalities. Oologist 46(2):24.
In Oregon during 1926-28, the author noted several instances of bird collisions with
telephone wires and barbed-wire fences.
Species that struck telephone wires included common snipe, western gull, and mourning
dove, while a gray partridge and an
American robin struck barbed-wire fences.
177. Grosse, H. and W. Sykora. 1980. Eine 220-kV-Hochspannungstrasse im
Uberspannungsgebiet der Talsperre
Windischleuba war Vogelfalle. Falke 27(6):247-248. (In German; not translated.)
178. Haas, D. 1980. Endangerment of our large birds by electrocution: a
documentation. Okol. Vogel (Ecology of
Birds) 2:7-57.
Between 1934 and 1980, the population of white storks in Germany decreased by 78.5
percent. More storks died from
overhead lines than from any other cause. The number of mortalities increased over the
years: 1937 to 1967, 251 victims;
1971-1979, 335 victims. Analysis indicated that 84 percent of the accidents were caused by
ground leakage on the pylons and
16 percent by collision against power lines and/or arcing contact.
179. *Hall, G.A. 1966. Fall migration: Appalachian region. Audubon Field Notes
20(1):41-45.
Several incidents were reported in fall 1965. A TV tower near Charleston, West Virginia,
"produced a steady number of dead
birds." On the foggy night of 24 September, "over a truckload" were killed
at a microwave relay tower and a gasoline
compressor station atop a mountain near Buckhannon, West Virginia. On 1 October, over
1,800 dead birds were found at a
ski resort near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
180. *Hall, G.A. 1968. Fall migration: Appalachian region. Audubon Field Notes
22(1):37-40.
On 7 October 1967, 380 birds (42 species) were killed at a tower atop a ridge near St.
Alban's, West Virginia.
181. *Hall, G.A. 1975. The fall migration: Appalachian region. American Birds
29(1):57-61.
In fall 1974, tower kills were reported from Knoxville, Tennessee (no data), and
Youngstown, Ohio (268 birds).
182. *Hall, G.A. 1976. The fall migration: Appalachian region. American Birds
30(1):67-71.
In fall 1975, 1,031 dead birds were collected at a Youngstown, Ohio, TV tower and 364 were
found at a Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, tower. Near Morgantown, West Virginia, a small kill occurred at a
mountaintop fire tower. There was partial
correspondence between the tower kills and other migration indicators, such as banding
results.
183. *Hall, G.A. 1977. The autumn migration: Appalachian region. American Birds
31(2):176-179.
About 200 birds died at the Youngstown, Ohio, tower in fall 1976, and a kill was reported
(no data) at a Morgantown, West
Virginia, fire tower on 3 October.
184. Hallinan, T. 1922. Bird interference on high tension electric transmission
lines. Auk 39:573.
A turkey vulture, Florida crow, and loggerhead shrike were electrocuted while resting on
insulators and metal crossarms of
transmission lines in South Jacksonville, Florida, causing flashovers.
185. Hamerstrom, F.N., Jr., B.E. Harrell, and R.R. Olendorff, eds. 1974.
Management of raptors -- proceedings of
the conference on raptor conservation techniques, Fort Collins, Colorado, 22-24 March
1973. Part 4. Raptor
Research Foundation, Inc., Raptor Research Report No. 2.
Excerpts from these raptor conference proceedings include comments on electrocution risk
and the use of internal fuses on
power poles to decrease power outages. Electrocution risk can increase following a heavy
wet snowstorm due to the grounding
of poles and wires. Raptor concentration in certain hunting areas may increase after a
snowstorm, further increasing the risk of
electrocution. It is recommended that utilities determine the high problem areas and
concentrate on remedies for those poles.
186. *Hannum, G., W. Anderson, and M. Nelson. 1974. Power lines and birds of prey.
Paper presented at
Northwest Electric Light and Power Association. Wilson Bulletin 85(4):478.
The Idaho Power Company's program to reduce power line electrocutions of birds of prey is
presented, including sketches of
design changes for safer poles and conductors.
187. Harris, R.D. 1988. Memo to R. Jurek of California Department of Fish and
Game: report of a Golden Eagle
mortality. LSA, Pt. Richmond, California. 2 pp.
This memo reports a golden eagle death by power line.
188. Harrison, J. 1963. Heavy mortality of mute swans from electrocution. Wildfowl
Trust 14th Annual
Report:164-165.
During a two-month period in spring 1962, 30 percent of local swan flocks (21 birds) in
Romney Marsh, Kent, England, were
killed along 1/4 mile of power lines 30 feet high. No distinction is made between deaths
by electrocution or collision. The lines
cross between feeding and roosting habitat.
189. *Harwin, R.M. 1971. White stork: longevity record. Ostrich 42(1):81.
In Rhodesia, a white stork struck a power line and died in November 1969, 17 years after
it had been banded as a nestling.
190. *Hatch, D.R.M. 1966. Fall migration: northern Great Plains region. Audubon
Field Notes 20(1):61-64.
Mention is made of "large kills" of warblers, thrushes, and sparrows at TV
towers in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in late
September 1965.
191. Haussler, R.B. 1988. Avian mortality at wind turbine facilities in
California. California Energy Commission,
Sacramento. 7 pp.
Data obtained by the California Energy Commission indicates that bird collisions and
electrocutions are occurring at wind
turbine facilities in California. Most documented incidents are due to collision and are
from the Altamont Pass area in Alameda
County. "Because there is concern over stability of raptor populations, ways to avoid
and reduce losses must be incorporated
into [hu]man's development activities....Each wind resource area should be considered
specifically to determine (1) the
significance of ongoing effects, (2) potential for adverse effects due to future
development, and (3) the potential to mitigate
and/or avoid adverse effects upon avian populations in the future."
192. Heijnis, R. 1976. Ornithological mortality and environmental aspects of
aboveground high tension lines.
Biological Environmental Research, the Netherlands. 166 pp.
Heijnis remarks that the number of bird deaths from power lines is not excessive but could
be significant. Birds living under
marginal conditions, due to continual pressures from a number of unfavorable factors
could, from a population-dynamic
standpoint, be threatened by high tension lines. The author recommends incorporating
underground wiring into structural
projects or placing all wires at one horizontal level with various marker attachments.
193. Heijnis, R. 1980. Bird mortality from collision with conductors for maximum
tension. Okol. Vogel (Ecology of
Birds) 2, Sonderheft 1980:111-129. (English summary.)
The study site in Holland is located at the Nature Reserves Westzijderveld and de Reef, a
wetland area with a high density of
wading birds and waterfowl. Collisions occurred more often under conditions of
panic-caused flight, changing visibility of the
wires, and windy and rainy weather. Most victims were found at night (33 percent) and at
dawn and twilight (23 and 29
percent, respectively). Estimated calculations for the study area show 4,000 wire victims
per year per kilometer (150- and
380-kV conductors). The author found that the use of strips and plastic spirals to
increase wire visibility brought little or no
results; however, silhouettes of raptors made from plastic which were visible in poor
light proved to be successful in deterring
birds from lines.
194. *Hendrickson, J.R. 1949. A hummingbird casualty. Condor 51:103.
During an aerial display, a male Allen's hummingbird struck a telephone wire and was
killed in California.
195. **Herbert, A.D. 1970. Spatial disorientation in birds. Wilson Bulletin
82(4):400-419.
The author proposes that bird collisions with human-made lighted structures occur when the
birds become spatially disoriented
within a bright light because of the loss of true visual cues to the horizontal. The light
source may be either a direct beam, such
as an airport ceilometer, or the refracted and reflected light from the aircraft warning
lights on tall towers during rainy, misty
weather. The author illustrates his theory using the case of 58 blackburnian warblers that
were killed flying into brightly lit
buildings at a Royal Canadian Air Force Base in September 1961 and published accounts by
various authors in the literature.
196. *Herndon, L.R. 1973. Bird kill on Holston Mountain. Migrant 44(1):1-4.
At two installations near Elizabethton, Tennessee, 1,801 birds (44 species) were killed by
colliding with floodlit buildings and
two small (125 and 85 feet) towers. The weather was foggy with northwesterly winds on 30
September and 1 October 1972
when the losses occurred. A kill list is given.
197. *Herren, H. 1969. The status of the peregrine falcon in Switzerland. Pages
231-238 in: J. Hickey. Peregrine
falcon populations: their biology and decline. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison,
Wisconsin.
Of 14 dead peregrine falcons examined between 1952 and 1965, five had collided with wires.
Overhead wires are the main
cause of eagle owl fatalities and have contributed to the extermination of the species in
much of its former range in Switzerland.
198. *Heye, P.L. 1963. Tower fatalities. Bluebird 30(1):7.
Over 300 birds (47 species) are listed from the kill at the KFVS-TV tower in Cape
Girardeau, Missouri, during fall 1962.
199.*Hiltunen, E. 1953. On electric and telephone wire accidents in birds.
Suomen Riista 8:70-76, 222-223. (In Finnish; English
summary.)
Capercallie, black grouse, and other game birds were killed in wire collisions
primarily in the fall when fog and rain
were frequent. Of 225 observed strikes, 76.8 percent were fatal. Over 76 percent of the
accidents occurred at twilight.
200. Hobbs, J.C.A. and J.A. Ledger. 1986. Powerlines, birdlife and the golden
mean. Fauna and Flora 44:23-27.
The authors discuss the "golden mean" of the South African government's 1980
national policy for environmental conservation,
which couples development and conservation, and the conflict of overhead power lines and
bird species' welfare. The Bird
Research Committee (BRC) has developed strategies to discourage birds from nesting or
sitting on the critical part of the tower
and avoiding electrocution and/or power outages. Besides cape vultures, martial eagles,
and other raptors, a few waterfowl
species are highly susceptible to collisions with conductors and groundwires. (The BRC
also developed orange aluminum
spheres to serve as groundwire markers.) The authors suspect that most waterfowl
collisions occur when bird flight activity is
greatest (e.g., migration) and when visibility is poor (dusk, dawn, or inclement weather
conditions).
201. Holberger, R., L. Morrow, S. Lubores, J. Watson, and F. Williams. 1975.
Resource and land investigations
program: considerations in evaluating utility line proposals. Prepared by Mitre
Corporation, Maclean, Virginia.
Propared for U.S. Department of Interior. Contract 08550-CT5-3, Project No. 3500, Dept.
W-54.
Potential electrocution of raptors and other large birds by power lines is mentioned,
specifically lines supplying electricity for
pumping or compressing gas or oil through pipelines. Because distribution lines have
relatively close spacing of conductors and
ground wires, they pose more of an electrocution risk than transmission lines. The authors
note that "such electrocutions can
be...prevented by application of simple measures in engineering lines for distribution of
electric power."
202. Holyoak, D. 1971. Movements and mortality of Corvidae. Bird Study 16:97-106.
In England, small numbers of corvids were killed by road traffic and by flying into
overhead wires. The author notes they
probably died "because of inexperience with these hazards."
203 *Hoskin, J. 1975. Casualties at the CKVR-TV tower, Barrie. Nature Canada
4(2):39-40.
During August and September 1974, 4,900 dead birds were collected at the newly
constructed, 1,000-foot tower in Ontario,
Canada. Large kills occurred in September on the 10th (409 birds), 13th (704), 14th (371),
and 21st (1,523). Among the
casualties were 1,000 bay-breasted warblers and 900 ovenbirds. Other species with high
losses were the northern parula,
northern waterthrush, Cape May warbler, and rose-breasted grosbeak.
204. Howard, R.P. and J.F. Gore, eds. 1980. Proceedings of workshop on raptors and
energy developments, Boise,
Idaho, 25-26 January 1980. Presented by the Idaho Chapter of the Wildlife Society, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service,
and the Idaho Power Company. 125 pp.
Eleven papers on raptors and energy developments were presented at the 1980 meeting of the
Idaho Chapter of the Wildlife
Society. This symposium served "as a midstream review of where we are and what
directions we want to explore." Topics
covered include nuclear facility impacts, electrocution, raptor use of power poles, raptor
protection activities, and positive and
negative impacts of power structures. A list of workshop participants is given.
205. Howe, M.A. 1989. Migration of radio-marked whooping cranes from the
Aransas-Wood Buffalo population:
patterns of habitat use, behavior, and survival. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Patuxent
Wildlife Research Center,
Laurel, Maryland. Technical Report 21. 33 pp.
In fall 1981, 1982, and 1983 and spring 1983 and 1984, the use of migration stopovers by
radio-marked whooping cranes
between Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, and central Saskatchewan, Canada, was
studied. A juvenile died during
migration after colliding with a power line in October 1981 near Glaslyn, Saskatchewan.
After completing its first two
migrations, a subadult was found dead under telephone lines near Waco, Texas, in October
1982.
206. Howell, J.A. and J.E. DiDonato. 1991. Assessment of avian use and mortality
related to wind turbine
operations: Altamont Pass, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Submitted to U.S. Windpower,
Inc., Livermore,
California. 72 pp.
From September 1988 to September 1989, 359 wind turbines were sampled for bird mortality,
yielding 42 bird recoveries.
Site differences were significant: multiple strikes tended to occur at swales
(depressions) and hill shoulders where ridge lines
had a stairstep effect. Some species, particularly golden eagles, were more susceptible to
impacts from wind turbines. The
authors express concern that the number of golden eagle mortalities at U.S. Windpower's
facility may have a significant impact
on local populations. In addition, the authors recommend that hypotheses about the
relationship of visibility, topography, and
mortality should be tested to evaluate methods to reduce avian mortality in the Altamont
Pass, California.
207. Howell, J.A., J. Noone, and C. Wardner. 1991. Visual experiment to reduce
avian mortality related to wind
turbine operations: Altamont Pass, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Submitted to U.S.
Windpower, Inc.,
Livermore, California. 28 pp.
Three hypotheses about bird collision and wind turbines in the Altamont Pass were tested
from August 1988 to August 1989:
birds can not see the blades under specific conditions, collisions tend to occur at ends
of turbine strings, and collisions tend to
occur at swales or hill shoulders. During the study, ten dead birds were found beneath
turbines. Increasing turbine blade
visibility appeared to reduce the number of collisions. It was not clearly determined that
specific locations are foci for mortality,
although site-specific variation did exist. "Additional trials with more sample
plots, different painting patterns, and colors will
confirm or deny these results."
208. Huckabee, J.W. 1980. Effects of power lines and poles on birds. R & D
Status Report, Energy Analysis and
Environment Division. EPRI Journal (March):49-50.
This report notes that certain utility poles are preferred by eagles and therefore pose
greater risk than poles never used as
roosting sites. The author recommends that "preferred" poles be determined by
analysis of surrounding vegetation as prey
habitat and that these poles be corrected. There is a need for data on collision
mortality, changes in behavior from the presence
of lines, electromagnetic fields, audible noise, and visual coronas. This report outlines
two future projects to study these effects
on avian populations.
209. Icanberry, J. 1991. Reducing bird-power line collisions. Pacific Gas and
Electric, R & D Program Research
Results (August). San Ramon, California. 2 pp.
Researchers developed a prototype collision detection system to measure power line
vibrations and distinguish bird collisions
from other causes of power line movement. "The new system will allow PG&E for the
first time to accurately quantify the
impact of existing and proposed overhead wires on bird populations, and to develop
suitable collision mitigation measures." The
system is available for use on energized power lines maintaining an average load of 15
amperes.
210. James, B.W. and B.A. Haak. 1979. Factors affecting avian flight behavior and
collision mortality at
transmission lines. Final report. Bonneville Power Administration, Portland, Oregon. 106
pp.
Flight intensity and mortality were highest in fall. Birds flushed from near the lines
appeared more susceptible to collision than
those routinely crossing the lines. Special attention was focused on flight reactions
during inclement weather, specifically fog.
Collisions were observed under a variety of environmental conditions, including clear
weather, and during both day and night.
No definitive relationship was found between inclement weather and increased collision
mortality. Fast flying birds in tight flocks
at low altitude were most susceptible to collisions. The majority of collisions (83
percent) were the result of birds striking
groundwires. "Avian collision mortality from transmission lines in this study was
biologically insignificant. However, bird flight
altitudes were altered in the vicinity of the lines. Birds flew higher over line
structures thus adversely affecting hunting potential in
the immediate vicinity of the line (0.5 km)."
211. *James, D. and H.H. Shugart, Jr. 1967. Fall migration: central southern
region. Audubon Field Notes
21(1):45-47.
The comparatively low kill at the Nashville, Tennessee, towers in fall 1966 was attributed
to mild weather.
212. *James, P. 1956. Destruction of warblers on Padre Island, Texas, in May 1951.
Wilson Bulletin 68(3):224-227.
Following the rainy, stormy night of 5 May 1951, 2,421 dead birds (39 species, mostly
warblers) were collected beneath light
poles on this coastal island.
213. *Janssen, R.B. 1963a. Destruction of birdlife in Minnesota - Sept. 1963.
Birds killed at the Lewisville
television tower. Flicker 35(4):110-111.
On the nights of 18 and 19 September, 924 birds (47 species) were killed at the 1,116-foot
KEYC-TV tower. The nights
were cloudy with drizzle. A list of the casualties is given.
214. Janssen, R.B. 1963b. Destruction of birdlife in Minnesota - Sept. 1963.
Television towers in Minnesota.
Flicker 35(4):113-114.
A list of Minnesota TV towers 500 feet high and over is given. The author notes that these
towers are the ones most likely to
kill birds. "There are a total of 172 radio and television towers 200 feet in height
and over in Minnesota."
215. **Jaroslow, B. 1979. A review of factors involved in bird-tower kills, and
mitigative procedures. Pages
469-473 in: G.A. Swanson, tech. coord. The mitigation symposium: a national workshop on
mitigation losses of fish
and wildlife habitats. U.S. Forest Service General Technical Report RM-65.
Estimated losses of between 5 million and 80 million birds annually, due to collisions
with human-made structures, are attributed
to three major factors: invisibility, deception, and confusion. An overhead wire or other
structure becomes "invisible," and hence
hazardous, when a bird's attention is directed elsewhere, such as toward the pursuit of
prey. Deception is exemplified by birds
colliding with windows because the reflected image is perceived as an actual flight path
or habitat. Confusion results in large
single-night kills at tall, lighted structures when, under overcast conditions, birds are
deprived of celestial cues and lose their
orientation. Behavioral aspects of the collision problem are discussed in the contexts of
various theories of bird navigation on
orientation. Mitigative measures include better siting of overhead wires, altering the
reflectivity of glass surfaces, eliminating
unnecessary structure illumination, and developing an appropriate on-off cycle for warning
lights on tall structures.
216. *Jarvis, M.J.F. 1974. High tension power lines as a hazard to larger birds.
Ostrich 45:262.
In South Africa, a European stork struck a power line, and 30 cape vultures were
electrocuted on a power line over a ten-year
period. The vultures perched on pylons and were killed as they wiped their beaks on the
wire.
217. *Jennings, A.R. 1961. An analysis of 1,000 deaths in wild birds. Bird Study
8(1):25-31.
In England, traumatic injury (shooting and collisions) accounted for 327 of 1,000 avian
deaths analyzed.
218. *Johnston, D. 1955. Mass bird mortality in Georgia, October 1954. Oriole
20(2):17-26.
Details of seven incidents in Georgia during 6-8 October 1954 are presented. The largest
kill occurred at the Warner Robins
Air Force Base ceilometer near Macon, Georgia, where an estimated 50,000 birds died. A
widespread cold front was
associated with these incidents.
219. *Johnston, D.W. 1957. Bird mortality in Georgia, 1957. Oriole 22(4):33-39.
Fall bird losses totalling 4,189 (78 species) are listed from several towers, two
ceilometers, and one lighthouse in Georgia and
South Carolina. Most of the losses occurred on the night of 4 October when rain and cloudy
weather prevailed.
220. Johnston, D.W. and T.P. Haines. 1957. Analysis of mass bird mortality in
October, 1954. Auk 74(4):447-458.
During 5-8 October 1954, coinciding with an advancing cold front, 25 instances of
mortality totalling over 100,000 birds (88
species) were reported from ceilometers, towers, and buildings in the eastern U.S. The
most commonly killed species were the
ovenbird, magnolia warbler, red-eyed vireo, and chestnut-sided warbler. Sex and age
composition, weight, fat content, and
subspecific composition were analyzed in 2,552 birds killed on 7-8 October at a ceilometer
near Macon, Georgia, where an
estimated total of 50,000 birds (53 species) died. The massive bird mortalities were
primarily associated with nocturnal fall
migration.
221. Judd, P.L. 1910. News notes. Oologist 27(4):51.
Snipes killed by flying into wires were found on 22 June 1909 near Rathdrum, Indiana.
222. Jurek, R.M. 1994. Condor information leaflet. California Department of Fish
and Game, Sacramento. 4 pp.
Of eight California condors released into the wild in 1992, three were killed from
collision or electrocution at power lines.
223. Kaiser, G.W. and K. Fry. 1980. Ingestion of lead shot by dunlin. Murrelet
61(1):37.
At the Fraser River delta of southwestern British Columbia, Canada, 54 dunlin were
recorded killed by collision with electrical
transmission cables near roosts and feeding areas from 1977 to 1979. Of these, five had
pellets of uneroded #4 and #5 shot in
their gizzards. "There was no apparent difference between the five birds that
contained shot and those that did not."
224 *Kale, H.II. 1971. The spring migration: Florida region. American Birds
25(4):723-725, 730-735.
Bird kills (2,500 birds, 42 species of mostly warblers) are reported from five towers and
several buildings on Cape Kennedy in
a one-month period.
225. *Kale, H.W., II, M.H. Hundley, and J.A. Tucker. 1969. Tower-killed specimens
and observations of migrant
birds from Grand Bahama Island. Wilson Bulletin 81(3):258-263.
During the night of 21 October 1966, 136 birds (22 species) were killed at two small
towers (200 and 400 ft). About half of
the kill consisted of gray-cheeked thrushes and blackpoll warblers. Weather conditions are
discussed.
226. Karlsson, J. 1983a. Faaglar och vindcraft: resultat rapport 1977-1982 (Birds
and wind power: result report
1972-1982). U.S. Government Reports 84(23). Available from National Technical Information
Service (NTIS) as
DE84751012. 12 pp. (In Swedish; English summary.)
Two large wind generators were erected in Sweden in 1980-82 on arable land and in grazed
bushland habitat. Census results
did not indicate any effect on bird species diversity or abundance up to 1982. Reactions
of migrating birds were to be studied
in fall 1983, when the generators would be in continuous operation.
227. Karlsson, J. 1983b. Faaglar och vindcraft: teknisk rapport 1977-1982 (Birds
and wind power: technical report
1972-1982). U.S. Government Reports 84(23). Available from National Technical Information
Service (NTIS) as
DE84751013. 160 pp. (In Swedish; no translation.)
228. *Kemper, C.A. 1958. Destruction at the TV tower. Passenger Pigeon 20(1):3-9.
In fall 1957, three large kills, including one estimated at 20,000 birds (based on 1,525
of 40 species collected), were reported
from the 1,000-foot Eau Claire, Wisconsin, TV tower. Warblers dominated the kill lists.
229. *Kemper, C.A. 1959. More TV tower destruction. Passenger Pigeon
21(4):135-142.
The tower at Eau Claire, Wisconsin, produced only light kills in 1958 and 300 deaths in
spring 1959. Over 2,500 birds (65
species) were killed in fall 1959. The author lists the 1959 kills and discusses weather
conditions during the five major kills in
1957 and 1959. He also presents a theory explaining massive tower kills involving the
birds's supposed ability to detect
geomagnetic lines of force.
230. *Kemper, C.A. 1964. A tower for TV: 30,000 dead birds. Audubon Magazine
66(1):86-90.
An estimated 30,000 birds were killed at the Eau Claire, Wisconsin, tower on the nights of
18 and 19 September 1963. Lists
of the 10,195 birds (56 species) actually collected, and of 924 birds (47 species) killed
on 20-21 September at Lewisville,
Minnesota, are given. To explain the mass mortality of birds at towers, a theory is
proposed in which migrants attempt to
maintain a constant bearing with respect to the red tower lights (perceiving them as
stars) and spiral closer to the structure,
eventually striking guy wires.
231. Kennedy, P.L. 1980. Raptor baseline studies in energy development. Wildlife
Society Bulletin 8(2):129-135.
Accurate assessment of the impacts of energy development on raptor populations in the U.S.
are examined, focusing mainly on
land disturbance caused by surface coal mining. In order to properly assess the long-term
impacts on raptor populations,
site-specific studies must be conducted. The author recommends ecological studies on these
populations as raptors are good
indicator species of total ecosystem health. In addition, since several raptor species are
threatened or endangered, industrial
impacts may accelerate population decline and ultimately bring about extinction.
232. Keran, D. 1981. The incidence of man-caused and natural mortalities to
raptors. Raptor Research
15(4):108-112.
This U.S. study summarizes human-caused and natural mortalities to raptors through
analysis of personal observations, data on
band return frequency, maximum recorded longevity, and average survival for 24 raptor
species. No mention of electrocution-
or collision-caused mortalities is made other than collision with autos; however, a
category called "other may include these.
233. Keran, D. 1986. Bald eagle nest on a power pole. Loon 58(3):142.
This is an account of a bald eagle nest found on an osprey nest site on a power pole near
Outing, Minnesota. The nest was
sighted on 22 April 1986 and two young eagles were spotted in it two months later.
234. Kibbe, D.P. 1975. The fall migration: western New York and northwestern
Pennsylvania. American Birds
29(1):53-57.
On the cloudy evening of 21 September 1974, the largest recorded tower kill at the Elmira,
New York, TV tower occurred.
At least 844 birds (35 species) were killed, bringing the season's total kill at that
tower to over 1,200 (44 species).
235. *Kibbe, D.P. 1976. The fall migration: Niagara-Champlain region. American
Birds 30(1):64-66.
Over 800 dead birds (40 species) were collected at the Elmira, New York, TV tower on 19
September 1975 following a night
of low overcast. Included were 198 bay-breasted warblers, 110 magnolia warblers, and 78
ovenbirds. A kill at an Erie
County, New York, tower on 8 September included five pine warblers.
236. Kingery, H.E. 1971. The spring migration: Great Basin-central Rocky Mountain
region. American Birds
25(4):774-780.
In Wyoming and Colorado, over 78 bald and golden eagles were electrocuted at power lines
in spring 1971.
237. Kirtland, K. 1985. Wind implementation monitoring programs: a study of
collisions of migrating birds with wind
machines. Tierra Madre Consultants. Riverside County Planning Department, Riverside,
California. Unpublished
report. 12 pp.
Three wind parks in San Gorgonio Pass, California, were studied to determine the potential
for bird collisions. Surveys were
conducted 22 April to 14 May 1985 during the spring migration. No dead migratory birds
were observed during the surveys;
possible reasons include scavenger removal, observer ability, timing of surveys, sample
location, sample size/sampling time, and
"the strong possibility ... that no birds may be colliding with the machines on the
study plots." The results of this study were not
extrapolated to other wind parks. It is noted that Southern California Edison conducted a
similar study concurrent with this one
and found that migratory birds had been killed in collisions on a number of wind parks.
Recommendations include charging fees
to developers to obtain necessary monies for continued monitoring studies.
238. *Kleen, V.M. and L. Bush. 1973. The fall migration: middlewestern prairie
region. American Birds
27(1):66-70.
During the night of 1 September 1972, tower kills occurred at Springfield (735 birds, 35
species) and Charleston (137 birds),
Illinois.
239. *Knauth, O. 1972. Hundreds of birds die after hitting TV tower. Des Moines
Sunday Register, 24
September:1, 3.
On the night of 7 September, 1972, 726 birds, including 406 warblers (22 species), were
killed at a 2,000-foot TV tower at
Alleman, Iowa. The kill followed the passage of a cold front through the area. A kill of
226 birds (46 species) on 11-12 May is
mentioned.
240. *Krapu, G.L. 1974. Avian mortality from collisions with overhead wires in
North Dakota. Prairie Naturalist
6(1):1-6.
This is a review of the problem in North Dakota. Personal observations by the author and
other experienced field researchers
are related, and incidents from the literature are cited. The author notes that the
increased construction of power plants and
associated transmission lines may pose a significant hazard to birdlife in the state.
241. Kretzschmar, H. 1969. Grosstrappen fliegen gegen Hochspannungsleitung. Falke
16:94-95. (In German.)
Several instances of great bustards striking power lines in 1967 and 1968 are reported.
242. Kretzschmar, H. 1970. Wiederum: Grosstrappe gegen Starkstromleitung. Falke
17:283. (In German.)
An instance of a great bustard killed by striking a power line in 1969 is reported.
243. La Berge, W.E. 1976. Waterfowl power line collisions. Illinois Natural
History Survey Report No. 160
(October):2-3.
From September to December in 1973, 1974, and 1975, waterfowl deaths and injuries were
monitored at the slag pit of the
Lake Sangchris/Kincaid Power plant complex in Illinois. The pit is traversed by two high
voltage transmission lines. Of 453
dead birds collected, 353 were known to have died from power line collisions.
244. *Lahrman, F.W. 1965. Regina and Lumsden TV tower bird mortalities, 1964. Blue
Jay 23(1):18-19.
In Saskatchewan, Canada, six visits to towers in Lumsden and Regina from 20 August to 4
September resulted in the collection
of over 500 dead birds (34 species). Kill lists are given.
245. *Lano, A. 1927. Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) electrocuted. Auk 44(2):246
A male great blue heron was found dead beneath power lines in Arkansas on 30 October 1926.
Burn marks indicated that it
had struck the wires and been electrocuted.
246. Larkin, R.P. and P.J. Sutherland. 1977. Migrating birds respond to Project
Seafarer's electromagnetic field.
Science 195(2):777-779.
Radar tracking of individual migrating birds flying over a large alternating current (AC)
antenna showed that birds turned or
changed altitude more frequently when the antenna system was operating than when it was
not. These results suggest that birds
sense low-intensity AC electromagnetic fields during nocturnal migratory flight.
247. *Laskey, A.R. 1951. Anotherdisaster to migrating birds at the Nashville
airport. Migrant 22(4):57-60.
On the night of 7 October, 476 birds of 40 species died at the airport ceilometer in
Nashville, Tennessee. The sky was
overcast with northerly winds. A kill list is given and the role of winds in the mass
mortality is discussed.
248. *Laskey, A.R. 1957. Television tower casualties, Nashville. Migrant
28(4):54-57.
Daily searches from 23 September to 15 November, 1957, at a 1,000-foot TV tower in
Nashville, Tennessee, resulted in the
collection of 704 dead birds (67 species). Cold fronts with overcast skies and north winds
accompanied the peak kill dates. A
list of the casualties is given. A 878-foot tower with fewer guy wires and an unsupported
TV tower produced only a few dead
birds.
249. *Laskey, A.R. 1960. Bird migration casualties and weather conditions, autumns
1958-1959-1960. Migrant
31(4):61-65.
At Nashville, Tennessee's WSIX tower (940 feet tall), kill totals for the three seasons
were 223 (55 species), 562 (59
species), and 1,553 (65 species), respectively. The new 1,369-foot WSM tower, seven miles
NNW of WSIX, produced
2,130 casualties (59 species) during fall 1960. Kill lists and descriptions of the towers
and weather conditions are given. The
ceilometer at the Nashville airport, equipped with a filter permitting only ultraviolet
light to pass through, produced no known
deaths.
250. *Laskey, A.R. 1962. Migration data from television tower casualties at
Nashville. Migrant 33(1):7-8.
Daily searches at the WSIX tower in fall 1961 resulted in 228 dead birds (52 species)
recovered. One collection at WSM
totalled 183 birds (27 species). Kill lists are provided.
251. *Laskey, A.R. 1963a. Casualties at WSIX TV tower in autumn, 1962. Migrant 34(1):15.
Daily searches from 6 September to 11 November 1962 yielded 243 dead birds (43 species) at
the tower. A species list is
given.
252. *Laskey, A.R. 1963b. Mortality of night migrants at Nashville TV towers, 1963.
Migrant 34(4):65-66.
On daily visits to three towers in Nashville, Tennessee, in fall 1963, 630 dead birds (62
species) were collected. Two kills
occurred on clear nights.
253. *Laskey, A.R. 1964. Data from the Nashville TV tower casualties, autumn 1964. Migrant
35(4):95-96.
Kill totals in fall 1962 at WSM and WSIX were 1,275 (61 species) and 665 (58 species),
respectively. The higher total from
WSM may be due to its proximity to the city's bright lights and their attractive effect on
migrants. Species lists of the kills are
provided.
254. *Laskey, A.R. 1967. Spring mortality of Blackpoll Warblers at a Nashville TV tower.
Migrant 38(2):43.
Of the 160 birds (12 species) killed at the WSM tower on 14-15 May 1967, 115 (72 percent)
were blackpoll warblers, an
unusually high number for this species. During the entire spring, 173 birds (13 species)
were killed. A list of the casualties is
given.
255. *Laskey, A.R. 1968. Television tower casualties at Nashville, autumn 1967. Migrant
29(2):25-26.
The fall kill in 1967 was the lowest to date: 251 birds (40 species) at WSM and 98 (27
species) at WSIX. Lists of the kills are
given.
256. *Laskey, A.R. 1969a. TV tower casualties at Nashville in autumn 1968. Migrant
40(2):25-27.
Daily monitoring of WSM from late August through early November 1968 yielded 5,537 dead
birds (73 species). Of these,
5,408 were killed on the night of 25 September, 81 percent of which were warblers. The
WSIX tower was not checked daily;
only 197 dead birds (39 species) were collected there.
257. *Laskey, A.R. 1969b. Autumn 1969: TV tower casualties at Nashville. Migrant
40(4):79-80.
Kill lists are given from WSM (1,602 birds, 57 species) and WSIX (307 birds, 51 species).
258. *Laskey, A.R. 1971. TV tower casualties at Nashville: spring and autumn, 1970.
Migrant 42(1):15-16.
Ten birds (nine species) were killed at WSM in the spring. Fall losses totalled 3,683
birds (66 species) at WSM and 104 (21
species) at WSIX. On the drizzly night of 28 September, 3,482 birds (54 species) died at
WSM and 78 were killed at WSIX.
Warblers dominated the fall losses: 845 Tennessee warblers, 632 ovenbirds, 429
black-and-white warblers, and 420 magnolia
warblers.
259. Lawrence, K.A. and C.L. Strojan. 1980. Environmental effects of small wind energy
conversion systems
(SWECS). Prepared by the Solar Energy Research Institute (now called National Renewable
Energy Laboratory),
Golden, Colorado. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy. 16 pp.
The authors conclude that the possibility of birds colliding with rotors and towers of
Small Wind Energy Conversion Systems
(SWECS) is "extremely small" based on the relatively low height of the rotors
and towers (an exception might be a very large
wind machine sited on a migratory route). Contributing factors noted are solidity of the
rotor design; airfoil design; number of
organisms flying through the sweep area; behavior of organisms within the sweep area,
e.g., flight speed or evasive flight
patterns; weather conditions; and total structure height.
260. Laycock, G. 1973. Saving western eagles from traps and zaps: bobcat baits and power
poles take heavy toll.
Audubon 75(5):133.
Electrocution leads to perhaps 300 eagle losses per year (mostly golden eagles). "In
Colorado's Moffat County, 37 dead
eagles were discovered in a short stretch of 88 utility poles. In Utah, 47 electrocuted
eagles were counted beneath 12 miles of
power lines. In Texas, six eagles perished on a line bringing electricity to an
oilfield." The author states the problem is
"preventable"; utility companies say poles can be made safe at a cost of $135
each.
261. Ledger, J. and J. Hobbs. 1985. First record of African whitebacked vultures nesting
on man-made structures.
Bokmakierie 37(4):99-101.
Six African whitebacked vulture (Gyps africanus) nests were found nesting on a 132-kV
power line tower structure 14 km
from Kimberley, South Africa. The authors cite several contributing factors including
increased human disturbances near the
vulture's natural habitat and the Electricity Supply Commission's policy of not removing
nests unless they pose a direct threat to
the electricity supply.
262. Ledger, J., J. Hobbs, and D. van Rensburg. 1987. First record of black eagles nesting
on an electricity
transmission tower. African Wildlife 41(2):60-66.
Young eagles just learning to fly have higher electrocution and power line collision rates
than older eagles. Recommendations to
reduce such incidents for birds of all ages include (1) locating transformers as far away
from towers as feasible and making the
underground cable connections as long as possible; (2) building wooden perches over the
transformers of preferred towers; (3)
covering the exposed wires with insulation or using a completely insulated transformer;
and (4) making overhead lines in the
vicinity of towers visible with markers. The authors note that bird nests are no longer
removed from towers.
263. Ledger, J.A. and H.J. Annegarn. 1981. Electrocution hazards to the cape vulture (Gyps
coprothers) in South
Africa. Biological Conservation 20:15-24.
In this study of vultures' use of power line structures, it was found that 88-kV kite- and
H-towers accounted for a
"disproportionate" number of electrocutions. The 132-kV lattice steel towers
accounted for fewer electrocutions and was a
preferred roosting site. The authors recommend further studies to determine preferred
tower characteristics for roosting as well
as modifying existing towers to increase safety.
264. Lee, J.M., Jr. 1978. Effects of transmission lines on bird flights: studies of
Bonneville Power Administration
lines. Pages 53-68 in: M.L. Avery, ed. Impacts of transmission lines on birds in flight:
proceedings of a workshop.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. 31 January - 2 February 1978.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Biological Services Program. FWS/OBS-78/48. 151 pp.
Relevant literature and reports on studies and observations of Bonneville Power
Administration transmission lines on bird flight
behavior and collision mortality are reviewed. Documentation of bird collisions with a
230-kV transmission line at Bybee Lake
near Portland, Oregon, is included. Sixty dead birds, mostly waterfowl and gulls, were
found from 29 January to 28 April
1977. Reduced visibility was probably a factor. "Experience with BPA transmission
lines indicates such lines can affect bird
flight and that birds at times collide with conductors or overhead groundwires." Any
conclusions about significant avian mortality
are "tentative."
265. Lee, J.M., Jr. and D.B. Griffith. 1978. Transmission line audible noise and wildlife.
Pages 105-168 in: J.L.
Fletcher and R.G. Busnel, eds. Effects of noise on wildlife. Academic Press, Inc., New
York. 305 pp.
Discussion of transmission line effects on birds and other wildlife includes a 1976 study
of the Bonneville Power
Administration's 1,100/1,200-kV prototype line near Lyons, Oregon. "Shortly after the
first phase of the line was energized an
American kestrel (Falco sparverieus) attempted to land on an energized conductor. The bird
approached...within
approximately 30 cm of the conductor and after a few attempts at landing it finally flew
off. The bird later landed on one of the
un-energized phases of the 1,100/1,200-kV line."
266. Lein, M.R. and G.A. Webber. 1979. Habitat selection by wintering snowy owls (Nyctea
scandiaca). Canadian
Field Naturalist 93:176-178.
Habitat selection by wintering snowy owls was studied near Calgary, Alberta, Canada, from
1973 to 1976. "Owls tend to use
elevated perches such as trees or utility poles early in the morning and toward
sunset....It has been suggested that these high
perches are hunting perches and that this represents a diurnal pattern of hunting
behavior."
267. *Lemmon, W.P. 1898. Virginia rail killed by striking a telephone wire. Auk 15(1): 51.
A Virginia rail collided with a telephone wire in Englewood, New Jersey, on a clear night
in 1898.
268. *Lewis, J.C. 1974. Ecology of the sandhill crane in the southeastern central flyway.
Dissertation. Oklahoma
State University, Stillwater. 214 pp.
Sandhill cranes killed in power line collisions were found at the following sites: Jackson
County, Oklahoma (fall 1968); North
Platte, Nebraska (25 March 1970); Washita National Wildlife Refuge (March 1974); and
Overton, Nebraska (no data given).
Reports of power line collisions usually occurred during strong wind storms.
269. Lister, R. 1965. Fall Migration: Northern Great Plans Region. Audubon Field NotesS
19(1):48-53.
Kills at three towers in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, are described. The towers were
visited over a two-week period, with
a total of 490 mortalities (36 species) recovered.
270. Lohoefener, R. and C.A. Ely. 1978. The nesting birds of LaCreek National Wildlife
Refuge. South Dakota
Bird Notes (June):24-30.
A dead burrowing owl was found entangled with a barbed-wire fence.
271. *Lupient, M. 1961. Fall migration: western Great Lakes region. Audubon Field Notes
15(1):42-44.
An estimated 12,000 birds died at towers in the Western Great Lakes region on the night of
21 September 1960. Of these,
1,225 (42 species) were collected at Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Other kills in western
Wisconsin occurred earlier in the
month.
272. *Lupient, M. 1962. Fall migration: western Great Lakes region. Audubon Field Notes
16(1):34-35.
From 2 September to 10 October 1961, 5,097 birds were collected at the Eau Claire,
Wisconsin, TV tower. These were
estimated to be 10-20 percent of the actual total kill.
273. Maehr, D.S., A.G. Spratt, and D.K. Voigts. 1983. Bird casualties at a central Florida
power plant. Florida Field
Naturalist 11:45-68.
On 23 September 1982, 1,265 birds (30 species from an estimated kill of 3,000) were
collected below chimneys at the
Crystal River Generating Facility, Citrus County, Florida. The most abundant numbers were
white-eyed vireos (49 percent),
northern parula (12 percent), red-eyed vireos (9 percent), common yellowthroat (7
percent), and palm warbler (5 percent). On
24 September, an estimated 2,000 birds were involved in chimney collisions. "A
fan-shaped distribution of dead birds reflected
the prevailing northerly winds." The authors stress the need to investigate lighting
alternatives; lighting appears to attract birds
under overcast conditions. Only 5 percent of deaths occurred at shorter chimneys (152 m)
painted with alternating red and
white bands and with flashing red lights. The taller chimneys were unpainted and had
flashing white "strobe" lights.
274. Malcolm, J.M. 1982. Bird collisions with a power transmission line and their relation
to botulism at a Montana
wetland. Wildlife Society Bulletin 10:297-304.
At least 4,100 birds were killed from 1 May 1980 to 27 September 1981 when flying into a
230-kV, double-circuited power
transmission line over a large wetland in south central Montana. Contributing factors such
as migration, courtship, weather, and
visibility are discussed. Carcass tests revealed that the birds were not afflicted by
botulism at the time of power line collision,
but the carcasses subsequently served as substrate for the botulinus bacteria. The author
recommends frequent removal of
carcasses to prevent spread of botulism in waterfowl and not installing power lines over
large wetland areas.
275. *Manuwal, D.D. 1963. TV transmitter kills in South Bend, Indiana, fall 1962. Indiana
Audubon Quarterly
41(3):49-53.
Two towers (1,074 and 650 feet tall) produced 289 casualties (46 species) during fall 1961
and spring and fall 1962. Species
lists by tower and other data are given.
276. Markus, M.B. 1972. Mortality of vultures caused by electrocution. Nature 238:228.
Power line electrocutions in southwest Transvaal, South Africa, killed at least 148 cape
vultures (Gyps coprothers) from 1
January 1970 to 31 March 1972.
277. *Marshall, W.H. 1940. An "eagle guard" developed in Idaho. Condor 42:166.
A device to discourage eagles and other large raptors from landing on power lines was
developed by the Idaho Power
Company; interruptions of service from short circuits caused by birds (fifty in a winter
prior to installation) have been practically
eliminated. The project contributed to a saving of bird life as well.
278. *Mayfield, H. 1967. Shed few tears. Audubon Magazine 69(3):61-65.
Bird mortality is discussed in statistical terms. Tower losses may account for one million
deaths annually, about 0.016 of 1
percent of the total estimated yearly mortality. Habitat destruction is cited as the main
cause for concern for bird populations.
279. *McCarthy, T. 1973. Ocular impalement of a great horned owl. Wilson Bulletin
85(4):477-478.
A great horned owl was found dead in a barbed-wire fence near St. Elizabeth, Missouri, on
24 July 1972.
280. McCrary, M.D., R.L. McKernan, R.E. Landry, W.D. Wagner, and R.W. Schreiber. 1983.
Nocturnal avian
migration assessment of the San Gorgonio wind resource study area, spring 1982. Prepared
for Southern California
Edison Company, Research and Development, Rosemead, California. Prepared through the Los
Angeles County
Natural History Museum Foundation, Section of Ornithology, Los Angeles. 121 pp.
Research was conducted on spring 1982 bird migration in the San Gorgonio Wind Resource
Study Area (WRSA) to examine
characteristics of nocturnal migration in the area and to assess the potential collision
impact on birds. It was determined that the
WRSA is heavily utilized by birds as a migratory flyway. "From these studies avian
collisions with wind turbines in the WRSA
will almost undoubtedly occur." Approximately 182,000 birds per km could potentially
come into contact with wind turbine
generators each spring in the WRSA. "Although only a small fraction of these birds is
likely to collide with wind turbines in the
WRSA, even a collision rate of 0.5 percent would yield several thousand deaths per spring
season." Recommendations for
further study and mitigation measures are included.
281. McDonald, J.N. 1979. Waterfowl collisions with utility wires: two observations on the
southern plains. Texas
Journal of Science 31(4):369-370.
A female shoveler was killed upon colliding with a utility line near Dumas, Texas. A
bufflehead was stunned upon collision near
Folsom, New Mexico.
282. McGlauchlin, D.C. 1977. Description and chronology of events on Snake Creek
embankment. In-house report
for the Audubon Wildlife Refuge, Coleharbor, North Dakota. 9 pp.
A roadway area on an embankment separating Garrison Reservoir from Snake Creek, North
Dakota, was surveyed for bird
carcasses over five summers (1972-1976). Some mortalities were attributed to autos, but
many deaths were believed to be
caused by collisions with the high voltage power lines.
283. McKenna, M.G. and G.E. Allard. 1976. Avian mortality from wire collisions. North
Dakota Outdoors
39(5):16-18.
Over a three-month period, 244 dead birds were collected under high voltage transmission
lines beside two bodies of water in
central North Dakota. Recorded mortality was probably underestimated because unknown
numbers of carcasses may have
been removed by scavengers or may have fallen in inaccessible places, and crippled birds
may have swum away undetected.
The American coot (88), double-crested cormorant (52), pied-billed grebe (29), and eared
grebe (26) were the most
commonly killed species. In addition, 18 ducks of 7 species died. The authors suggest that
mortality can be minimized with
proper planning and routing of power lines, including burying lines or masking lines by
structures such as bridges or trees where
the lines cross natural flyways. Other ideas presented were establishing power line
corridors through which all lines would be
routed and creating such demand that technology would be developed and mitigation costs
more acceptable.
284. McNeil, R., J.R. Rodriguez, and H. Quellet. 1985. Bird mortality at a power
transmission line in northeastern
Venezuela. Biological Conservation 31:153-165.
Casualties from distribution line collisions are considered significant. The authors
suggest placing lines parallel rather than across
flight paths; attempting to make lines more visible by luminous orange markings (wrapped
tapes or clipped strips); and burying
cables. Species recovered in this study included brown pelican, royal tern, black-crowned
night heron, and neotropic
cormorant. Data on flight patterns, behavior, feeding, and nesting are included. Frequency
of casualties is said to be related to
species, composition, behavior patterns, flight characteristics or flight directions, and
local features.
285. Mead, C.J. 1979. Mortality and causes of death in British sand martins. Bird Study
26(2):107-112.
British band recoveries of dead sand martins (bank swallows) up until 1969 revealed 27
killed by wires and fences.
286. Mead, C.J., P.M. North, and B.R. Watmough. 1979. The mortality of British grey
herons. Bird Study
26(1):13-22.
One hundred eleven British grey herons were recovered in Britain and Ireland, including
eight caught on barbed-wire fencing.
287. Medsker, L. 1982. Side effects of renewable energy sources. National Audubon Society,
Environmental Policy
Research Department Report No. 15. 73 pp.
"Barriers to wildlife movement" are cited as direct impacts of Wind Energy
Conversion Systems (WECS), with the
consequence of "possible destruction of birds and insects colliding with wind
machines." Choosing sites to avoid migration and
flight patterns is recommended.
288. Meents, J.K. and M.C. Delesantro. 1979. Use of a 345-kV transmission line by raptors.
Prepared for Public
Service Company, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Raptors tend to utilize tops of utility poles, crossarms, diagonal arms, and static wires.
289. Meyer, J.R. 1978. Effects of transmission lines on bird flight behavior and collision
mortality. Prepared for
Bonneville Power Administration, Engineering and Construction Division, Portland, Oregon.
200 pp.
In fall 1977 and spring 1978, 31 dead birds (12 species) were found near 5.9 km of
transmission lines at seven sites in Oregon
and Washington. The lines studied ranged from 115-kV wood pole lines to 500-kV steel tower
lines. All sites were in wetland
areas. Ducks represented 35.5 percent of the total mortalities, the majority being
green-winged teal. Ninety percent of the
deaths occurred at a 250-kV (Lower Crab Creek, Washington) and a 500-kV line (Bybee Lake,
Oregon). "Both of these
lines contained overhead groundwires which were believed to be largely responsible for the
majority of collisions."
290. Meyer, J.R. and J.M. Lee, Jr. 1979. Effects of transmission lines on flight behavior
of waterfowl and other
birds. Second symposium on environmental concerns in rights-of-way management, University
of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, 16-18 October 1979.
Study areas were in three locations in western and central Washington and northwest
Oregon. Systematic searches in the
wetland areas from 1977 to 1978 revealed 31 waterfowl apparently killed from transmission
line collisions. All observed bird
collisions with 230-kV and 500-kV transmission lines were with small-diameter overhead
groundwires. Removing groundwires
or increasing their visibility may significantly reduce collision potential.
291. Michener, H. 1928. Where engineer and ornithologist meet: transmission line troubles
caused by birds.
Condor 30(3):169-175.
Flashovers on power lines in the San Joaquin Valley resulted from bird excrement causing
arcing between conductors. Large
raptors (eagles and hawks) and herons seem to cause the flashovers most frequently, but
kestrels were also involved. During
the late 1920s technology allowed greater voltages to be transferred through transmission
lines, but lines with greater voltages
also had more flashovers and longer delays in restoring power to customers. Utility
companies were concerned about
bird-caused flashovers and developed strategies to prevent birds from roosting on power
lines above insulators. The author
recommends installing saw-tooth guards between insulators to discourage roosting, inverted
"V" grillage of steel straps over
center insulators, and steel pans over insulators to prevent excrement from streaming down
between them.
292. *Miller, D., E.L. Boeker, R.S. Thorsell, and R.R. Olendorff. 1975. Suggested
practices for raptor protection
on powerlines. Edison Electric Institute, Washington, D.C. 21 pp.
Most eagle electrocutions occurred during winter when the birds were more concentrated,
and 98 percent of recorded eagle
deaths at power lines involved juvenile birds. "The material in this report is an
attempt to set forth the state-of-the-art as of June
1975" on modifications to utility poles to reduce electrocution hazards to raptors.
Diagrams are included.
293. Miller, M.W. and G.E. Kaufman. 1978. High voltage overhead. Environment 20(1):6-36.
Birds' sensitivity to low-frequency electric fields is discussed. Migrating and homing
birds are thought to use the earth's
magnetic field, among other cues, for their orientation. Electromagnetic field
disturbances are thought to disrupt this ability.
294. Minnesota Environmental Quality Board. 1980. Considerations in transmission line
routing: biological effects
and physical characteristics of fields, ions, and shock. Addendum to the report
"Public health and safety effects of
high voltage overhead transmission lines." Prepared by Dow Associates, Inc.,
Berkeley, CA. 151 pp.
An Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) of a test antenna appeared to have a demonstrable effect
on flocks of migrants.
"Activation of the ELF antenna was clearly associated with a deviation of the average
flight direction by 5 to 25 degrees from
the control condition." While there was no indication of large-scale migration
disturbance, the effects on migration direction
were observed even 1 km from the antenna where the emitted frequency was weakest.
"Thus birds appear to respond to AC
fields of the magnitude and frequency produced by power lines."
295. Moller, N.W. and E. Poulsen. 1984. Vindmoller of fugle (windmills and birds).
Vildtbiol. Station, Denmark.
From U.S. Govt. Rep. 85(20): 83. (Available from National Technical Information Service as
DE85.) 73 pp. (In
Danish; English summary.)
In 1983 studies were conducted at Jutland, Denmark, to illustrate any conflicts between
wind turbines and birds. There were
no birds found killed by wind turbine collision. However, it "cannot be excluded that
collisions may occur, e.g., under special
weather conditions in connection with illumination of the turbines."
296. Monk, G. 1982. California peregrine falcon reproductive outcome and management effort
in 1982. Draft. U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species Office, Sacramento, California.
Out of 124 nestling peregrine falcons banded, three bands were returned in 1982. Two of
those were from birds that had
struck power lines.
297. Moorehead, M. and L. Epstein. 1985. Regulation of small scale energy facilities in
Oregon: background
report. Volume 2. Oregon Department of Energy, Salem.
Examination of the impacts of small energy facility construction includes the potential
for birds colliding with towers or lines,
leading to injury or death. This can be a significant problem in areas with large bird
populations (particularly waterfowl). The
following mitigations are recommended: (1) underground lines; (2) flags or marker balls on
lines; (3) eliminating small lightning
shield wires where lines cross wetlands and migration routes; (4) paralleling lines to
prevailing wind directions; (5) constructing
lines lower than flight corridors; and (6) placing lines crossing rivers at oblique rather
than right angles. The probability of
collision is lowered if trees are close to lines and if the lines are highly visible
(larger than 230 kV). To avoid electrocution,
proper design and construction techniques can be used such as building nesting platforms.
Wind energy facilities are also
discussed, as birds can collide with rotating blades or with tower guy wires. Large
wetland birds (e.g., geese or cranes) and
low-flying migratory songbirds are especially susceptible. Collision potential varies with
weather, terrain, turbine placement,
rotor design, and rotor speed. The authors suggest that the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife ask wind energy applicants
to monitor bird kills during operation. Mitigation could include setbacks, height limits,
visual clues to alert birds, and choosing
sites outside critical areas.
298. Moretti, P.M. and L.V. Divone. 1986. Modern Windmills. Scientific American
(June):110-118.
Evolution of windmills, windmill structure and components, economic factors, and various
design configurations are reviewed.
Wind farm development and the future of wind energy are seen as promising means to meet
the energy demands of developing
countries. Although this article contains no information about avian mortality problems,
it offers background information on wind
as an energy source and a description of the aerodynamics of wind turbines.
299. Morgan, R. and D. Glue. 1977. Breeding, mortality and movements of kingfishers. Bird
Study 24(1):15-24.
British kingfisher ringing recoveries from 1910-1974 revealed five individuals (two
immatures, three adults) killed by wires.
300. *Mosman, D. 1975. Bird casualties at Alleman, Iowa TV tower. Iowa Bird Life
45(3):88-90.
Casualties at this 2,000-foot tower numbered 1641 (67 species) in fall 1973, 212 (37
species) in spring 1974, and 3,521 (57
species) in fall 1974. The tower was usually checked following overcast nights. However,
496 birds were killed on the night of
13 September 1974 when visibility was excellent. The author estimates 10 percent of the
kill was not found due to heavy
ground cover. Very few dead birds were found beyond 200 feet from the tower. Complete kill
lists for all three seasons are
provided.
301. Mulhern, B.M., W.L. Reichel, L.N. Locke, T.G. Lamont, A. Belisle, E. Cromartie, G.E.
Bagley, and R.M.
Prouty. 1970. Organochlorine residues and autopsy data from bald eagles. Pesticides
Monitoring Journal
4(3):141-144.
Of 69 bald eagles found dead or moribund in 25 states during 1966-68 (as part of a
pesticide residue study), ten were killed
due to impact collision; the authors note that most were probably power line kills. Two
died from power line electrocution.
302. **Murarka, I.P., J.G. Ferrante, E.W. Daniels, and E.E. Pentecost. 1976. An evaluation
of environmental data
relating to selected nuclear power plant sites: Prairie Island nuclear generating plant
site. Division of
Environmental Impact Studies, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois. ANL/EIS-6.
54 pp.
Bird losses due to collisions with the 345-kV power line at the Prairie Island plant in
Minnesota numbered 40 (22 species), 35
(20 species), and 21 (12 species) on 21 April, 23 May, and 13 September 1974,
respectively.
303. Nelson, M.W. 1982. Human impacts on golden eagles: a positive outlook for the 1980s
and 1990s. Raptor
Research 16(4):97-103.
The number of eagle electrocutions in the U.S. can be reduced successfully through
cooperative efforts of governmental
agencies, conservation organizations, and the electric industry. Transmission line systems
sometimes are of a benefit to golden
eagles since the steel towers outfitted with nesting platforms can provide good nesting
sites.
304. Nelson, M.W. and P. Nelson. 1976. Power lines and birds of prey. Idaho Wildlife
Review (Mar./Apr.):1-7.
This account describes the results of research begun in 1972 in the U.S. to eliminate the
electrocution hazard to large birds of
prey, especially eagles. Nationally, it is estimated that 300 to 2,000 eagles are shot or
electrocuted at power lines annually. The
author used films of a trained eagle to analyze take-off and landing behavior on utility
poles. It was found that eagles selectively
use certain poles as perches and that 98 percent of electrocuted eagles were inexperienced
birds. It was estimated that 95
percent of the electrocutions could be prevented by modifying just 2 percent of the poles.
The best modification involved
adding a wooden perch three feet above conductors. Safe nesting platforms were developed
in cooperation with the Idaho
Power Company to be used on poles where eagles habitually build nests, significantly
extending nesting habitat in areas where
natural nest sites were scarce.
305. Nelson, M.W. and P. Nelson. 1977. Power lines and birds of prey. Pages 228-242 in:
R.D. Chancellor, ed.
Proceedings of World Conference on Birds of Prey, International Council for Bird
Preservation, Vienna, Austria,
1-3 October 1975.
The extent of raptor electrocution in the western United States is examined, especially
with regard to eagles. The authors
describe "economically feasible and practical" solutions, echoing sentiments
from their 1976 report (above) that "95 percent of
the electrocutions could be prevented by correcting just 2 percent of the poles."
Drawings for design corrections, emphasizing
safe landing space for the young eagles that comprise 98 percent of electrocution victims,
are included.
306. *Nero, R.W. 1961. Regina TV tower bird mortalities - 1961. Blue Jay 19(4):160-164.
At the 670-foot CKCK tower in Saskatchewan, Canada, 94 dead birds (22 species) were found
on 3 September 1961, and
113 (20 species) were collected on 10 September. Kill lists and weather conditions are
given. The possibility of substantial
losses occurring in daylight hours is discussed.
307. *Nero, R.W. 1974. Great gray owl impaled on barbed wire. Blue Jay 32(3):178-179.
In March, near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, a great gray owl became impaled by its wing on
a barbed-wire fence and died.
Two accounts of great horned owls injured by colliding with barbed wire fences are
mentioned. The author remarks that there
is a scarcity of records regarding such incidents and that they likely occur more than
reported.
308. *Nesbitt, S.A. and D.T. Gilbert. 1976. Powerlines and fences: hazards to birds.
Florida Naturalist 49(2):23.
A sandhill crane was killed on a foggy February morning when it collided with a power line
near Gainesville, Florida. Such
collisions may be a major mortality factor for cranes, herons, waterfowl, and raptors.
Careful siting of power lines is important
to minimize their impact.
309. *Newman, R.J. 1957. The changing seasons. Audubon Field Notes 11(1):4-6.
Mention is made of 2,500 birds killed at a Chapel Hill, North Carolina, TV tower.
310. *Newman, R.J. 1958. The changing seasons. Audubon Field Notes 12(1):4-9.
Included is a brief general discussion of the tower kill situation in the U.S. and an
appeal for more systematic monitoring of
towers and reporting of findings.
311. *Newman, R.J. 1961. Fall migration: central southern region. Audubon Field Notes
15(1):46-51.
The total fall 1960 mortality at two Nashville, Tennessee, towers was 3,683 birds (77
species). Only 14 dead birds were
collected at the WBRZ tower in Baton Rouge, LA.
312. *Newman, R.J. and G.H. Lowery, Jr. 1959. The changing seasons. Audubon Field Notes
13(4):346-352.
In spring 1959, tower kills were quite light, but bird losses at windows and power lines
"attracted notice all over the nation." In
Detroit, Michigan, 284 birds were killed at a TV tower.
313. Newton, I. 1979. Population ecology of raptors. Buteo Books, Vermillion, South
Dakota. 399 pp.
Nearly one-third of all band recoveries of British sparrowhawks and kestrels during the
period 1959-1969 were mortalities
caused by collisions with vehicles, buildings, and other structures.
314. *Niles, D.M., S.A. Rohwer, J.A. Jackson, and J.D. Robins. 1969. An observation of
midwinter nocturnal
movement and tower mortality of tree sparrows. Bird-Banding 40(4):322-323.
In late January 1969, near Lawrence, Kansas, 19 tree sparrows were killed at a 600-foot
tower and two died at a 300-foot
microwave tower. This is taken as evidence for occasional extensive mass midwinter
movements by this species, probably in
response to bad weather.
315. *Norman, J.L. 1975. Birds killed at a TV tower near Coweta, Oklahoma. Bulletin of the
Oklahoma
Ornithological Society 8(3):25-27.
Among the 177 birds (28 species) killed at the KTUL tower on 9 October 1974 were 64
Nashville warblers. Smaller kills (24
birds, 12 species) were recorded in late September. All casualties are listed.
316. *Norman, J.L. 1976. Birds killed at a TV tower near Coweta, Oklahoma. Bulletin of the
Oklahoma
Ornithological Society 9(3):20.
During 12-15 September 1975, 99 birds (27 species) were collected at the KTUL tower.
Casualties are listed by date.
317. *Norman, J.L. 1977. Birds killed at a TV tower near Coweta, Oklahoma in the fall of
1976. Bulletin of the
Oklahoma Ornithological Society 10(1):6-8.
During September and October 1976, 166 dead birds (49 species) were collected at the KTUL
tower. A list of the casualties
by date of collection is given.
318. *Norwood, J.R. 1960. TV tower casualties at a Charlotte station. Chat 24(4):103-104.
In late September and early October 1960, 390 birds (32 species) were found dead at the
1,000-foot WSOC tower in
Charlotte, North Carolina. A kill list is given.
319. NUS Corporation. [1979]. Impacts of overhead wires on birds: a review. Unpublished
report. Prepared for the
Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, California. 47 pp.
This report compiled from a variety of sources examines the issue of bird collisions with
overhead wires. Factors found to
influence the frequency of collisions include poor visibility due to weather or time of
day; weather (winds, rain) which causes
birds to fly lower than normal; disturbances and distractions (mating, pursuit of prey);
cable size (smaller wires cause greater
frequency of collisions than larger ones); age (young birds collide more often than
adults); and line location (those below tree
tops are less hazardous than more exposed lines). Species with long legs and necks collide
more often than those with shorter
appendages. High wing loading, as in swans, reduces the ability to maneuver around lines.
The report recommends that power
lines circumvent wetlands to reduce waterfowl casualties.
320. *Ogden, J. 1960. Observations at a TV tower during a bird fall. Migrant 31(4):65-67.
During the night of 28 September, 321 birds (30 species) were killed at the WSM TV tower
in Nashville, Tennessee. No chips
(number of bird calls in a 60-second interval) were heard when the sky was clear. As
clouds gathered, observers counted
increasing numbers of chips and birds started falling. The chip count dropped when the sky
partially cleared, but birds
continued to fall at a steady rate; some were merely injured or stunned.
321. *Ogilvie, M.A. 1967. Population changes and mortality of the mute swan in Britain.
Wildfowl Trust 18th
Annual Report:64-73.
Of 1,051 mute swans in England whose cause of death was known, 44 percent died from wire
collision.
322. Olendorff, R.R. 1986. Raptor collisions with utility lines and fences: an annotated
bibliography (review draft).
U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Sacramento, California. 14 pp.
This draft annotated bibliography contains 14 pages of entries pertaining to avian
collision, specifically with respect to raptors.
323. Olendorff, R.R., D.D. Bibles, M.T. Dean, J.R. Haugh, and M.N. Kochert. 1989. Raptor
habitat management
under the U.S. Bureau of Land Management multiple-use mandate. Raptor Research Report No.
8. Raptor
Research Foundation, Provo, Utah. 80 pp.
This document was prepared "to refine and expand on the overall goal of the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) in
conserving and managing raptors and their habitats on public lands (i.e., those lands
administered by BLM)." Included is a
section on power line studies and policy. Anotherstudy by Olendorff (with Lehman 1986,
below) noted that power line
collisions "do not result in a discernable effect on population dynamics of raptors,
except in cases involving critically endangered
species." A 1980 Pacific Power and Light Company 550-kV transmission line project
from southcentral Idaho to central
Oregon is cited as setting the precedent as the first implemented and adequately monitored
mitigation of its type (including
artificial raptor nesting platforms).
324. Olendorff, R.R. and R.N. Lehman. 1986. Raptor collisions with utility lines: an
analysis using subjective field
observations, final report. Prepared by U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Prepared for
Pacific Gas and Electric
Company, San Ramon, California. 73 pp.
Data were collected internationally on 88 probable raptor collisions with utility lines,
including species, age class, type of line,
configuration, and injuries. Peregrine falcons, bald eagles, golden eagles, red-tailed
hawks, and ospreys were the species most
commonly reported. "Though raptor collisions with utility lines will always
contribute to proximate mortality of individuals, it
does not seem likely that collisions could become an ultimate cause of population
declines, except for critically endangered
species such as the California condor."
325. Olendorff, R.R., R.N. Lehman, and P.J. Detrich. 1986. Biological assessment:
anticipated impacts of the
geotheral public power line on federally listed threatened or endangered species, with
emphasis on the bald eagle.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Sacramento, California. 72 pp.
Based on a two-year study, this biological assessment examines the proposed Geothermal
Public Power Line's (GPPL) impact
on endangered species and their habitats, especially the bald eagle. The project includes
a 55.7-mile transmission line from the
Geysers to Williams, California. The Bureau of Land Management concludes that the project
"may affect" an endangered
species "because of the possibility of one or more bald eagles in the area colliding
with the GPPL..." Impacts to the Pacific
northwest eagle population could occur on two levels: "(1) general impacts to raptor
populations resulting from power line
collisions; and (2) the specific risks to [individual] bald eagles within each proposed
GPPL corridor." Mitigation measures are
discussed.
326. Olendorff, R.R., A.D. Miller, and R.N. Lehman. 1981. Suggested practices for raptor
protection on power
lines: the state-of-the-art in 1981. Prepared by the Raptor Research Foundation, St. Paul,
Minnesota. Prepared for
the Edison Electric Institute, Washington, D.C. 111 pp.
This report includes full sections on issue identification and resolution and the
biological aspects of raptor electrocution.
"Raptors are basically opportunistic and utilize power lines and support structures
for a number of purposes, especially perching
and nesting. The heaviest use is as hunting perches." Power line designs and
modifications for raptor safety include 1) methods
to address problems of design and modification of poles, crossarms, and wire placements
for adequate separation of energized
hardware; 2) insulation of wires and other hardware where sufficient separation cannot be
attained; and 3) management of
eagle perching. Other mitigation measures are described for power line construction,
maintenance, and operation to address
impacts other than electrocution. An annotated bibliography and other are included.
327. Olsen, J. and P. Olsen. 1980. Alleviating the impact of human disturbance on
thebreeding peregrine falcon II:
public and recreational lands. Corella 4(3):54-57.
Of 14 peregrine falcons found dead in Switzerland, five had been killed from striking
wires. One hunting peregrine falcon was
witnessed colliding with a telephone line. Impacts on other species are discussed:
overhead wires are believed to be one of the
main causes of injuries to merlins in Britain, and five injured Australian hobbies (Falco
longipennis) appeared to have collided
with wires. More research is warranted in Australia regarding avian electrocutions and
collisions with overhead wires. The
authors recommend that wires and fences be placed far from eyrie and hunting sites. Young
falcons are particularly susceptible
to wire collision.
328. *Olsson, V. 1958. Dispersal, migration, longevity, and death causes of Strix aluco,
Buteo buteo, Ardea
cinerea. Acta Vertebratica 1(2):91-189.
Recoveries of birds banded in Sweden, Norway, and Finland showed that "Found dead
under power-line" was the cause of
death given for 30 of 371 tawny owls, 11 of 473 common buzzards, eight of 979 common
herons, and nine of 1,251 herring
gulls. In the latter three species, "Shot" was the most common cause of death.
329. O'Neil, T.A. 1988. An analysis of bird electrocution in Montana. Journal of Raptor
Research 22(1):27-28.
O'Neil analyzed fifty incidents of reported electrocutions involving 61 birds from a
five-year period. Golden eagles were the
most commonly reported and were involved in 32 cases (54 percent of total). Great horned
owls were reported in 12 cases
(24 percent of total). Poles along hilly grasslands had twice the potential to kill
multiple birds than poles along flat agricultural
terrain. Sixty-one percent of electrocutions occurred on poles with either double
crossarms or with a transformer present.
Mitigative measures initiated by power companies included altering pole configurations:
increasing conductor spacing and/or
installing elevated raptor perches. "In all cases where mitigative measures have been
incorporated there were no reports of
further electrocutions."
330. Orloff, S. 1992. Tehachapi wind resource area avian collision baseline study.
BioSystems Analysis, Inc.,
Tiburon, California. 40 pp.
The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential for avian collisions by comparing
baseline field data collected at the
Tehachapi Wind Resource Area (WRA) to data from BioSystem's Altamont Pass WRA study.
Mortality at Tehachapi was
significantly lower than at Altamont; no dead or injured birds were found during the
Tehachapi surveys. Turbine location, site
elevation, and structure density were identified as factors contributing to higher
mortality at Altamont. Lower raptor abundance
and susceptibility to collision (defined as perching on turbines and flying lower to the
ground) were observed in Tehachapi;
ground squirrels, a common prey species for raptors, were less abundant. The risk of avian
mortality at Tehachapi may increase
in the near future for three reasons: (1) new windfarm development expanding into areas
frequented by golden eagles; (2)
increase in ground squirrels in the area; and (3) re-introduction of the California condor
into its former range, including
Tehachapi.
331. Orloff, S. and E. Cheslak. 1987. Avian monitoring study at the proposed Howden
windfarm site, Solano
County, Phase I: draft report. BioSystems Analysis, Inc., Sausalito, California. J-249. 34
pp.
A proposed wind park would be located in the Benicia Hills, Solano County, California, in
close proximity to the Suisun
Marsh. Suisun Marsh is an important wetland wintering area for waterfowl along the Pacific
Flyway, as well as an important
raptor winter-foraging area. Ten avian species with special legal or management status,
including bald eagle, peregrine falcon,
and golden eagle, occur or may occur at the site. Observation data on bird species, age,
sex, flight behavior, and other
environmental variables were collected between 27 November 1985 and 14 November 1986. It
was concluded "that there is a
potential for bird collisions with the proposed wind turbines."
332. Orloff, S. and A. Flannery. 1992. Wind turbine effects on avian activity, habitat
use, and mortality in Altamont
Pass and Solano County wind resource areas. Prepared by BioSystems Analysis, Inc. Tiburon,
California. Prepared
for the California Energy Commission, Sacramento. Grant 990-89-003. 150 pp. plus
appendices.
Six seasons of field work (1989-1991) in the Altamont Pass, California, were conducted
with the purposes of evaluating the
extent and significance of the impact of wind turbines on birds, identifying the causes
and factors contributing to bird deaths,
and recommending mitigation measures. Of 182 dead birds found on the ground near turbine
and transmission line structures,
119 (65 percent) were raptors. Fifty-five percent of all raptor deaths were attributed to
turbine collisions, 8 percent to
electrocution, 11 percent to wire collision, and 26 percent to unknown causes.
Recommendations include further studies to
investigate factors contributing to mortality and to determine effective modifications to
reduce deaths.
333. *Owen, M. and C.J. Cadbury. 1975. The ecology and mortality of swans at the Ouse
Washes, England.
Wildfowl 26:31-42.
Of 128 swan mortalities where the cause of death was known, 49 (38 percent) were due to
collisions with power lines. Three
species of swan were studied: Bewick's, Mute, and Whooper.
334. Pacific Gas and Electric Company. 1984. Solano County MOD-2 wind turbine field
experience: interim report.
Prepared by PG&E's Department of Engineering Research, San Ramon, California. Prepared
for the Electric
Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, California. EPRI AP-3896. Project 1996-3. 50 pp. plus
appendices.
The objective of this project was to document and evaluate Pacific Gas and Electric
Company's experiences while testing,
operating, and maintaining a megawatt-scale wind turbine in Solano County, California.
This interim report covers the first year,
ending 31 August 1983. Bird mortalities were monitored to measure the wind turbine's
impact. A total of seven birds (unlisted)
were found, all between mid-summer and mid-fall; collisions occurred during all lighting
and weather conditions. Avian mortality
was considered "insignificant."
335. Pacific Gas and Electric Company. 1985. MOD-2 wind turbine field experience in Solano
County, California:
final report. Prepared by PG&E's Department of Engineering Research, San Ramon,
California. Prepared for
Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, California. EPRI AP-4239. Project 1996-3.
100 pp. plus appendices.
This two-year field study of a 2.5-megawatt MOD-2 wind turbine in Solano County,
California, was conducted to evaluate
performance and environmental impacts, including the effects on bird populations. Avian
collision mortality was monitored for
one year (September 1982 through August 1983). Seven dead birds were found, five under the
wind tower (three passerines,
a waterbird, and a raptor) and two beneath the meteorological tower (passerines).
Collisions occurred during all lighting and
weather conditions. Low rates of waterfowl movement and nocturnal passerine migration were
noted over the site, and raptor
use of the area was moderate. The report concludes that the impact of the wind tower on
birds is "minimal."
336. *Pangburn, C. 1945. Extraordinary fatality to a blue-winged teal. Auk 62(1):142.
A blue-winged teal struck two overhead wires with such force that they were driven into
the skull. The incident occurred on 22
March 1944 at San Antonio, Texas.
337. **Parmalee, P.W. and B.G. Parmalee. 1959. Mortality of birds at a television tower in
central Illinois. Bulletin
of the Illinois Audubon Society 111:1-4.
During the foggy, cloudy night of 16 September 1958, at least 827 birds (40 species) were
killed at the 1,000-foot WICS-TV
tower at Springfield, Illinois. Weather conditions and a kill list are given.
338. *Parmalee, P.W. and M.D. Thompson. 1963. A second kill of birds at a television tower
in central Illinois.
Bulletin of the Illinois Audubon Society 128:13-15.
At the WICS tower in Springfield, Illinois, 219 birds (31 species) were killed in one
night. Weather is discussed in detail and
comparisons with an earlier incident are made. A kill list is included.
339. Perrins, C.M. and C.M. Reynolds. 1967. A preliminary study of the mute swan, Cygnus
olor. Wildfowl Trust
18th Annual Report:74-84.
Approximately 58 mute swan deaths from collisions with wires and other objects were
recorded by month of death from 1960
to 1966 in and around Oxford, England. The authors noted more deaths in spring and autumn
than in summer.
340. *Petersen, P.C., Jr. 1959. TV tower mortality in western Illinois. Bulletin of the
Illinois Audubon Society
112:14-15.
Following a foggy, overcast night, 88 dead birds (32 species) were found at the 983-foot
WHBF tower near Orion, Illinois.
341. *Petersen, P.C., Jr. 1967. Fall migration: middlewestern prairie region. Audubon
Field Notes 21(1):44-45.
At Columbia, Missouri, on 20 September 1966, 618 birds (32 species) were killed at the
KOMU tower. In Floyd County,
Indiana, on 22-23 September, 123 birds died. At a tower in Dayton, Ohio, 305 birds (49
species, mostly red-eyed vireos,
golden-crowned kinglets, and ovenbirds), died during fall 1966.
342. *Petersen, P.C., Jr. 1968. Fall migration: middlewestern prairie region. Audubon
Field Notes 22(1):48-50.
At the WHIO tower in Dayton, Ohio, 348 birds (45 species, mostly red-eyed vireos and
warblers) were killed from 9
September to 15 November 1967. At a tower in Floyd Knobs, Indiana, over 78 birds (mostly
thrushes and warblers) died on
6 and 7 October.
343. *Petersen, P.C., Jr. 1971. Fall migration: middlewestern prairie region. American
Birds 25(1):64-66.
At a tower near Springfield, Illinois, 212 birds (28 species) died on 22-23 September
1970, and 37 birds (16 species) were
killed on 13-14 October.
344. *Peterson, A.W. 1963. Destruction of birdlife in Minnesota - Sept. 1963. Birds killed
at Park Rapids. Flicker
35(4):113.
Following the densely foggy night of 15 September 1963, the main street of Park Rapids,
Minnesota, "was littered with dead or
dying birds" probably as a result of migrants being attracted to street lights and
smashing into buildings.
345. *Peterson, R.L. and B.P. Glass. 1946. Notes on bird mortality during nocturnal
thunderstorms near College
Station, Texas. Condor 48(2):95-96.
Following several severe storms in spring 1941, dead birds were collected, including 16
snow and blue geese, beneath
electrical power lines in Texas.
346. Phillips, P.D. 1979. NEPA and alternative energy: wind as a case study. Solar Law
Reporter 1(1):29-54.
This article examines the issue of whether and when the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) applies to alternative
energy sources, using wind as a case study. Potential environmental impacts of wind
development are discussed, and
construction of a 1.5-megawatt wind turbine is used for illustrative purposes. The hazard
of bird collision is noted, especially
with regard to migratory birds; "[t]he risk would be small for high flying migratory
waterfowl, but would increase for low flying
nocturnal migrants, such as many songbirds."
347. Phillips, R.L. 1986. Current issues concerning the management of golden eagles in
western U.S.A. Birds of
Prey Bulletin No. 3:149-156.
An overview of the problems facing golden eagles during the 1980s in the western United
States is presented. Eagle mortality
records and interviews with raptor biologists suggest that the magnitude of electrocution
dropped significantly from 1980 (109
deaths) to only 15 in 1984. The author believes "this drop...is a direct result of
cooperative efforts between government, the
power industry, and conservation efforts."
348. *Pierce, M.E. 1969. Tall television tower and bird migration. South Dakota Bird Notes
21(1):4-5.
Two sizable kills occurred in 1965 at the 1,117-foot KSOO tower near Flandreau, South
Dakota. During the night of 27
March, 578 horned larks died in a sudden snowstorm by colliding with the windows of the
transmitter building or with the
tower. Early in the morning of 14 September, 102 birds (32 species) were killed, mainly by
striking windows on the building. A
kill list is given. No other incidents involving more than a few birds occurred from July
1960 to May 1968.
349. Pogson, T.H. and S.M. Lindstedt. 1988. Abundance, distribution and habitat of Central
Valley population
greater sandhill cranes during winter. Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska,
Fairbanks.
Power line collisions seem to be the largest source of unnatural mortality for
California's Central Valley sandhill crane
population. The authors feel reported results could be slightly skewed towards collisions
with power lines due to the bias in
finding carcasses.
350. Pomeroy, D.E. 1978. The biology of Marabou storks in Uganda, II: breeding biology
and general review.
Ardea 66(1-2):1-23.
"In Uganda, Marabou storks (Leptoptilos crumeniferus) are rarely killed by [hu]man[s]
but in some places they fly into
overhead power-lines and apparently die from electrocution."
351. Portland General Electric Company. 1986. Cape Blanco wind farm feasibility study.
Technical Report No. 11:
Terrestrial ecology. Bonneville Power Administration, Portland, Oregon. DOE/BP-11191-11.
56 pp.
This report evaluates the potential terrestrial ecology impacts of the construction and
operation of a wind energy conversion
system located near Cape Blanco in Curry County, Oregon. "All three Cape Blanco wind
farm alternatives under consideration
pose a potential threat of collisions for birds flying at low altitudes." Nocturnal
songbirds are especially expected to be
impacted. Guy wires and lighting of the units are identified as probable collision
hazards. Potential impacts of support facilities
(two transmission line routes to an existing Bonneville Power Administration 230-kV line)
are evaluated. "The potential for
electrocution of large birds would be small because the lines would be designed with
adequate space between conductors to
prevent a bird from simultaneously touching two phases. Neither alternative route would be
located where bird collisions would
be expected." Mitigation measures are discussed, including building the wind farm in
increments and monitoring for bird kills
after each phase as a condition for building the next.
352. *Potter, J.K. and J.J. Murray. 1949. Fall migration: middle Atlantic coast region.
Audubon Field Notes
3(1):8-10.
In a heavy fog on the morning of 11 September 1948, "hundreds and perhaps
thousands" of birds, mostly warblers, struck tall
buildings and towers in Philadelphia. At Cape May, New Jersey, 50 species were collected
at telegraph wires and radio
towers in September and October. Two barn owls were among the casualties.
353. Power Technologies, Inc. 1978. Observations of birds and mammals. Pages 173-177 in:
Transmission line
reference book, 115 kV-138 kV compact line design. Prepared for the Electric Power
Research Institute, Palo Alto,
California. Research Project 260.
This work was based on an EPRI report that examined responses of approaching birds to
electrostatic fields caused by lines of
variable voltage. It was found that an electrical field from an energized conductor
"will cause a current through the bird; and if
the field exceeds a perception value, the bird may be frightened away." Small- and
medium-sized birds were unconcerned with
voltages of 33 kV, somewhat affected by 69 kV lines, and deterred by lines with a voltage
of 138 kV or greater.
354. Prevost, Y.A., R.P. Bancroft, and N.R. Seymour. 1978. Status of the osprey in
Antigonish County, Nova
Scotia. Canadian Field Naturalist 92:294-297.
Data were gathered from 1972 to 1976 on osprey nest sites, breeding pairs, and
reproductive success in Nova Scotia,
Canada. Twenty-two out of 26 nests were located on utility poles along power lines; the
double "T" design of the poles seemed
to provide excellent nest supports. Power lines seemed to provide the best locations for
colonial nesting in northeastern Nova
Scotia: "Human encroachment, the widespread practice of beaver-dam removal, and the
overcut state of Antigonish County
forests have presumably decreased the number of available natural nest sites."
355. Public Service Company of New Mexico. 1976. PNW raptor study. Albuquerque, New
Mexico. Unpublished
report. 20 pp.
Raptor use of transmission lines is monitored in northwest, north-central, south-central,
and southwest New Mexico. Nine
species have been observed on structures: Cooper's hawk, red-tailed hawk, rough-legged
hawk, ferruginous hawk, Swainson's
hawk, golden eagle, prairie falcon, peregrine falcon, and American kestrel. An update of
raptor use at the Ambrosia Lake-Four
Corners 230-kV transmission line from 1973 to 1976 is included. Seven species have been
observed to utilize the line:
American kestrel, red-tailed hawk, golden eagle, prairie falcon, ferruginous hawk,
rough-legged hawk, and peregrine falcon
(observed once in 1973). Tops of poles, crossarms, diagonal arms, and static wires were
the most frequently used portions of
the line. Only kestrels used static wires; buteos and golden eagles were generally seen on
tops of poles. X-braces were
occasionally used as red-tailed hawk nest sites.
356. *Purrington, R.D. 1969. Fall migration: central southern region. Audubon Field Notes
23(1):65-70.
At the WSM tower in Nashville, Tennessee, 5,408 birds (4,857 warblers) died the night of
25 September 1968. This figure is
more than half of the total mortality from Nashville towers and ceilometers in the past 20
years.
357. **Quigley, E. 1977. Utility line siting and wetlands preservation. Dissertation.
University of Wisconsin,
Madison. 231 pp.
Quigley discusses several studies of bird losses at utility lines; one conclusion is that
"[u]tility lines can have significant impacts
on wetland hydrology and waterfowl."
358. Quortrup, E.R., and J.E. Shillinger. 1941. 3,000 wild bird autopsies on western lake
areas. Journal of the
American Veterinary Medical Association 99:382-387.
Autopsies of 3,000 wild birds from western and northern United States were performed
between 1937 and 1940. Botulism
was the main cause of death (47.9 percent) and mechanical injury (gunshot, wire strikes,
etc.) accounted for 18.5 percent of
the deaths analyzed.*
359. Rees, M.D. 1989. Andean condors released in experiment to aid the California condor.
Endangered Species
Technical Bulletin XIV(1/2):8-9.
Of the Andean condors raised in southern California as part of the California condor
propagation effort, one of the juveniles
released was found dead directly below a power line. It is believed the bird brushed or
collided with the lines during flight and
was electrocuted.
360. Reidinger, R.F., Jr. and D.G. Crabtree. 1974. Organochlorine residues in golden
eagles, United States: March
1964-July 1971. Pesticides Monitoring Journal 8(1):37-43.
This article reports necropsy and residue findings for 169 golden eagles that were dead,
dying, or severely incapacitated and
sent to Denver Wildlife Research Center between March 1964 and February 1970. Of the
eagles found, death by unnatural
causes was determined for 63. Deaths due to shooting or contact with power lines were most
common. Power line collision
and/or electrocution caused 8.9 percent of mortalities.
361. Riegel, M. and W. Winkel. 1971. On death causes of white storks (C. ciconia)
according to ringing recovery
reports. Vogelwarte 26(1):128-135. (In German; English summary.)
In Germany, of 294 storks for which the cause of death was known, 226 (77 percent) died
from collisions with telegraph
wires. Inexperienced birds were more prone to collide with wires than were older birds.
362. *Rix, C.E. 1970. Birds of the Northern Territory. South Australian Ornithologist
25(6):147-191.
In July 1967, near Darwin in southern Australia, five dead jabiru (black-necked storks)
were found beneath a power line at
Fogg Dam. Fourteen live birds were also present.
363. *Robbins, S.D. 1967. Fall migration: western Great Lakes region. Audubon Field Notes
21(1):36-38, 42-44.
On 14 September 1966, 2,117 birds (37 species) died at a tower in Eau Claire, Wiscon-sin.
Similarities were noted between
the most abundant species in the kill and those recorded in the field. Robbins discusses
the difficulty in judging migration by just
one method.
364. *Robbins, S.D. 1969. Fall migration: western Great Lakes region. Audubon Field Notes
23(1):55-56, 64.
A kill of over 2,000 birds occurred at the WEAU tower in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on 19-20
September 1968; 145 birds died
on 18-19 October, two weeks later than any previous kill at this site. The October kill
was composed chiefly of kinglets and
late migrant warblers.
365. *Robertson, W.B., Jr and J.C. Ogden. 1969. Fall migration: Florida region. Audubon
Field Notes 23(1):35-40.
In fall 1968, 853 birds (80 species) died at the WCTV tower, Tallahassee, Florida.
366. Rogers, S.E., B.W. Cornaby, C.W. Rodman, P.R. Sticksel, and D.A. Tolle. 1977.
Environmental studies
related to the operation of wind energy conversion systems: final report. Prepared by
Battelle's Columbus
Laboratories. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy, Division of Solar Technology,
Wind Systems Branch.
USDE/W-7405-ENG-92. 108 pp. plus appendices.
The environmental consequences of emerging wind energy conversion technology are assessed.
Field studies were done at the
DOE/NASA 100-kW Experimental Wind Turbine located at Lewis Research Center's Plum Brook
Station near Sandusky,
Ohio. During four migratory seasons of searching (spring and fall 1975, fall 1976 and
spring 1977), two birds were found dead
near the meteorological tower and one was found near the turbine. Night-migrating bird
collisions were the only type
considered significant enough for field studies. "The wind turbine has not proved to
be a high risk to airborne fauna, including
the most vulnerable night-migrating songbirds. Behavioral studies indicate the birds will
avoid the turbine if they can see it."
367. *Rosche, R.C. 1970. The fall migration: western New York and northwestern
Pennsylvania. Audubon Field
Notes 24(1):43-47.
Over 300 casualties from the Elmira, New York, tower in fall 1969 are summarized.
Bay-breasted warblers were the most
common victims.
368. *Rosche, R.C. 1971. The fall migration: western New York and northwestern
Pennsylvania. American Birds
25(1):54-57.
Regular monitoring of three locations in New York and Pennsylvania in fall 1970 yielded
over 2,100 avian casualties (70
species). At the Elmira, New York, tower, 220 dead birds (40 species) were collected.
369. *Rosche, R.C. 1972. Fall migration: western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania.
American Birds
26(1):60-62.
In the western part of the region, 313 birds (26 species) were found dead at five towers
during 29-31 August 1971. At Elmira,
New York, 540 casualties (55 species, mostly warblers), the highest total for fall ever
recorded, were collected. Of the losses,
225 occurred on 29-30 September and 78 (kinglets, juncos, sparrows) on 25 October.
370. Roster, T.A. 1975. Testimony on bird collision with power lines. Presented to the
Public Utility Commission of
Oregon, Salem, in the matter of Pacific Power and Light Company's proposed Midpoint,
Idaho, to Medford,
Oregon, 500-kV line. Docket No. UF-3182. 13 pp.
This document is one person's testimony against building a 500-kV transmission line
through waterfowl habitat in southern
Oregon. Waterfowl behavior patterns and characteristics of their vision are discussed
extensively with respect to probable
collisions with power lines. Potential negative effects on local waterfowl hunting are
included.
371. Rue, L.L., III. 1957. High-tension redtails. Audubon (July-Aug.):178-181.
In June 1956, a pair of red-tailed hawks was observed nesting on a 120-foot high
transmission line tower in New Jersey. The
adults did not roost on the tower with the young hawks when they were too large to brood;
instead, they presumably roosted in
the forest. All three young hawks fledged successfully.
372. Russell Daily News. 1968. Rare whooping crane found near reservoir. Russell Daily
News, Kansas. April 16,
1968. Page 1.
A whooping crane in Kansas appeared to have died from either natural causes, collision
with a wire, or an unknown factor. The
bird had a six-foot, six-inch wingspan and weighed 12 to 18 pounds.
373. *Rusz, P.J., H.H. Prince, R.D. Rusz, and G.A. Dawson. 1986. Bird collisions with
transmission lines near a
power plant cooling pond. Wildlife Society Bulletin 14:441-444.
This Michigan study found differences among avian species in behavior and flight patterns.
Gulls exhibited a low casualty rate in
collisions, tending to fly at wires and upswing as they approached. Great blue herons may
not have been able to avoid objects
as they approached and were more vulnerable to power line collisions. Herons often fly at
dawn and dusk when visibility is
poor. The authors recommend giving this species special consideration in impact analysis
of proposed transmission lines near
rookeries or other frequented areas. The authors felt that scavenger removal was a minor
source of bias in determining casualty
rate.
374. Sanderson, G.C. and W.L. Anderson. 1981. Waterfowl studies at Lake Sangchris,
1973-1977. Illinois Natural
History Survey Bulletin 32 (article 4):656-689.
A five-year waterfowl study was conducted at power lines crossing a slag pit at the
Kincaid Power Plant at Lake Sangchris in
central Illinois. From 1973 to 1975, between 200 and 400 waterfowl were killed by
colliding with high voltage lines. Mallards
constituted 37 percent of the victims, American coots 25 percent, and blue-winged teals 17
percent. "Power lines should not
be built over water unless alternate routes do not exist; lines should not cross areas
where waterfowl concentrate; and visibility
of lines in problem areas should be enhanced."
375. San Francisco Chronicle. 1984. Many eagles electrocuted, study by utility finds. San
Francisco Chronicle,
Friday, April 27.
The basis of this article seems to be the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) report
on preventing golden eagle
electrocutions. In the three-year study of eagle habitats in six western states -- Oregon,
Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and
New Mexico -- the carcasses of 343 electrocuted eagles were examined. The article cites a
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
study where electrocutions were responsible for 23 percent of 597 golden eagle deaths
analyzed between 1963 and 1982;
shootings accounted for 18 percent of those deaths.
376. Schmidt, V.E. 1973. Okologische Auswirkungen von elektrischen Leitungen und Masten
sowie daran
Accessorien auf die Vogel (Ecological effects of electrical transmission lines, poles, and
their accessories on birds).
Beitr. Vogelkd. (Leitzig) 19(5):342-362. (In German; no translation.)
377. *Schorger, A.W. 1952. Ducks killed during a storm at Hot Springs, South Dakota.
Wilson Bulletin
64(2):113-114.
On the night of 25 October 1951, in rain, snow, and fog, many ducks (mostly redheads and
mallards) were killed by colliding
with buildings, trees, telephone poles and wires, and other obstacles.
378. *Schroeder, C.H. 1977. Geese hit power transmission line. North Dakota Outdoors
40(2):inside front cover.
Near Hankinson, North Dakota, 46 snow geese (15 white phase and 31 blue phase) were found
dead near a power line on the
morning of 22 April 1977. Apparently the birds struck the line early in the morning even
though weather was clear, mild, and
fogless.
379. *Scott, F.R. and D.A. Cutler. 1965. Fall migration: middle Atlantic coast region.
Audubon Field Notes
19(1):21-24.
On the night of 11 September 1964, thousands of birds were killed at a 1,000-foot tower in
Baltimore, Maryland. Over 300
ovenbirds were found among the 1,032 casualties (37 species) examined. More than 100 birds
(23 species) died at a
Lynchburg, Virginia, ceilometer on the night of 4 October.
380. *Scott, F.R. and D.A. Cutler. 1971. The fall migration: middle Atlantic Coast region.
American Birds
25(1):36-40.
On 28 September 1970, 1,965 birds (43 species) died at the WBAL-TV tower in Baltimore,
Maryland. Ovenbirds (489) and
red-eyed vireos (410) dominated the kill. Extensive mortalities were reported from the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
381. *Scott, F.R. and D.A. Cutler. 1972. Fall migration: middle Atlantic coast region.
American Birds 26(1):41-45.
A kill of 180 birds, mostly warblers, occurred at a Baltimore, Maryland, tower on 28-29
September 1973.
382. Scott, J.M. and R.M. Jurek. 1985. Report to the California Fish and Game Commission
on condor mortality
issues, actions and recommendations. Prepared by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
California Department of
Fish and Game. 45 pp.
An immature condor in California experienced a fatal collision with an electrical
distribution line.
383. Scott, P. and The Wildfowl Trust. 1972. The swans. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
242 pp.
Overhead wire collision has undoubtedly been a major factor in limiting populations of
swans in some areas. Some birds are
killed by impact with power lines and other by electrocution. "Those which survive
the collision are often stunned and fall
heavily to the ground. In the absence of serious injury, they eventually recover and fly
off, but for awhile they are vulnerable to
foxes and other predators." Sixty-five percent of swans recovered died from
collision; fifteen percent of those deaths were due
to overhead wires. Swans have slow flight, low maneuverability, and poor forward vision,
making them especially susceptible to
collision with wires.
384. Scott, R.E., L.J. Roberts, and C.J. Cadbury. 1972. Bird deaths from power lines at
Dungeness. British Birds
65(7):273-286.
Bird mortality was monitored from January 1964 to November 1970 along a section of power
line in an area heavily used by
migrants. Of the 1,285 dead birds (74 species) collected, starlings (489) and gulls (138)
suffered the heaviest losses, followed
by various nocturnal migrants (rails, turtle doves, thrushes, warblers). Few diurnal
migrants were found. Because many
carcasses were lost to scavengers, the kill may actually have exceeded 6,000. Attempts to
make the wires more visible with
luminous orange tape were inconclusive. A list of the casualties and the results of
experiments to test scavenger removal of dead
birds are given. The siting of power lines is a critical factor in the amount of mortality
at a given location, and other factors such
as height of migration flights and flock configuration are important in determining which
species are killed.
385. Scott, T.G. and T.S. Baskett. 1941. Some effects of the 1940 Armistice day storms on
Iowa's wildlife. Iowa
Bird Life 11(1):22-29.
Following the 11 November 1940 blizzard in Iowa (with winds up to 50 mph, intermittent
heavy rainfall, and rapid temperature
drops), a dead ring-necked pheasant cock was found frozen hanging from a wire fence. It
had probably struck the fence while
flying during the storm.
386. Scott, W.E. 1950. Report on the convention at Two Rivers. Passenger Pigeon
12(2):69-72.
Eighty-five dead or injured birds (33 species) were found under wires along five miles of
road from Manitowoc to Two Rivers,
Wisconsin, on 7 May 1950. This was "characteristic of the conditions in which
migrating birds were carried out of control by
the winds."
387. *Seets, J.W. and H.D. Bohlen. 1977. Comparative mortality of birds at television
towers in central Illinois.
Wilson Bulletin 89(3):422-433.
From August to December 1972, seven towers ranging from 185 to 484 meters tall were
checked for dead birds on mornings
following nights of fog or overcast. A total of 5,465 dead birds (79 species) was
collected, with 60 percent of the losses
occurring on the night of 26 September. Most birds were killed on nights with cloud
ceilings of 550 m or less. There was "no
consistent relationship between tower height, terrain, or tower location and number of
birds killed." It is believed that the
number of birds killed on a given night is dependent on local weather conditions and the
number of birds aloft.
388. *Serr, E.M. 1976. The spring migration: northern Great Plains. American Birds
30(4):855-858.
Mention is made of a "wire-killed" peregrine falcon in Montana.
389. *Sharp, B. 1971. Heavy mortality of migrating birds at Madison's TV towers. Passenger
Pigeon
33(4):203-204.
On the night of 23 September 1968, 493 birds (33 species) were killed at four towers in
Madison, Wisconsin. Weather data
and kill lists are given. Thrushes, warblers, and vireos comprised 98 percent of the
losses.
390. *Siegfried, W.R. 1972. Ruddy ducks colliding with wires. Wilson Bulletin
84(4):486-487.
The following birds were found dead near overhead wires at Minnedosa, Manitoba, Canada:
eight ruddy ducks, four American
coots, two blue-winged teals, one mallard, and one pintail. Male ruddy ducks seem
particularly susceptible to such accidents
because they fly low when moving from pond to pond and they normally fly only at dusk on
the breeding grounds.
391. Sisson, J. 1975. Death trap. National Wildlife 13(2):18.
At least 50 mute swans were killed between 1959 and 1974 by colliding with power lines
along the Jordan River in East
Jordan, Wisconsin. The lines became a "death trap" when trees nearby that had
previously diverted the birds away from the
lines were cut down to build a bridge. An attempt to increase visibility by attaching
large staggered wooden blocks to the lines
failed.
392. Smith, J.C. 1985. Perching and roosting patterns of raptors on power transmission
towers in SE Idaho and SW
Wyoming. Raptor Research 19(4):135-138.
"As part of an ongoing raptor management program, 45 km of 345-kV transmission lines
were surveyed from 5 June to 31
September 1983 to determine diurnal and nocturnal raptor use patterns." Golden eagles
and red-tailed hawks perched mostly
on upper, outer sections of towers at day and roosted on lower, inner sections at night.
393. Smith, J.R. and J.T. Schletz. 1991. Bird/powerline collision detection system.
Prepared for Pacific Gas and
Electric (PG&E), San Ramon, California. Report 009.4-91.10. 25 pp. plus appendices.
"The objective of this project is to develop hardware and techniques necessary to
discriminate bird collisions with overhead
conductors from other conductor vibrations, and record and analyze data under field
conditions for extended periods of time."
The system is a self-contained motion detection sensor that is mounted on an energized
conductor and a ground station that
receives and stores information collected by the sensor. It "provides a means to
collect data on the potential bird mortality
resulting from overhead electrical conductors....The system should be used in conjunction
with direct observations of bird flights
or radar evaluation of bird movements in the vicinity of the conductors."
394. Smith, V.M. 1961. Tower casualties at Columbia, South Carolina. Chat 25(1):18-19.
On the last day of September and the first few days of October 1960, "hundreds"
of birds were killed at the WIS transmitter
tower at Columbia, South Carolina.
395. Smith, W.E. and M.W. Nelson. 1976. Constructing electric distribution lines for
raptor protection. Proceedings
of the American Power Conference 38:1294-1303.
National Audubon Society members and associates working in the field reported over 300
eagle electrocution incidents
throughout the United States in 1975. Ninety-eight percent of the birds killed were young,
just learning how to fly. The authors
outline several construction strategies that can help eliminate the risk of avian
electrocution. Beneficial aspects of power lines for
raptors are also discussed.
396. Snow, C. 1973a. Habitat management series for endangered species, report no. 5:
southern bald eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus and northern bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus. U.S.
Bureau of Land
Management Technical Note T-N-171. 58 pp.
Causes of mortality for bald eagles include electrocution, but insufficient data are
available to determine the impact of
electrocutions on bald eagle populations. Electrocution fatalities are minor compared to
deaths by shooting but may be
considerable in some areas.
397. Snow, C. 1973b. Habitat management series for unique or endangered species, report
no. 7: golden eagle,
Aquila chrysaetos. U.S. Bureau of Land Management Technical Note T-N-239. 52 pp.
Electrocutions and collisions with power lines appear to be fairly common for golden
eagles, particularly among juveniles;
three-phase, four-carrier lines with less than six feet between conductors have been
particularly lethal. Electrocution is a major
mortality factor in some areas.
398. *Somerset, H. 1972. Jabiru killed by power line. South Australian
Ornithologist26(3):55.
A black-necked stork was found dead beneath a power line near Darwin in southern Australia
in November 1971.
399. *Stahlecker, D.W. 1975. Impacts of a 230 kV transmission line on Great Plains
wildlife. Thesis. Colorado
State University, Fort Collins. 67 pp.
Wildlife censuses were conducted between 10 September 1973 and 9 August 1975 along a
230-kV transmission line in
southeastern Colorado before, during, and after its construction. Avian mortality due to
collisions with the transmission line and
ground wire was slight: one mourning dove and five horned larks. Because other birds may
have fallen on parts of the right of
way that were not searched and the impact of scavengers was not assessed, losses may have
been greater.
400. Stahlecker, D.W. 1978. Effect of a new transmission line on wintering prairie
raptors. Condor 80:444-446.
Construction of a 230-kV transmission line extending from Colorado Springs to Limon,
Colorado, affected the local
distribution and number of wintering diurnal raptors as studied during pre-construction
(1973-1974) and after construction
(1974-1975). "Although towers were only 1.5 percent of the available perches in
1974-75, 81 percent of all perched raptors
were seen on them. Rough-legged hawks, golden eagles, and prairie falcons all used towers
more than all other perches
combined." Both density and population of local raptors increased after line
construction.
401. Stahlecker, D.W. and H.J. Griese. 1979. Raptor use of nest boxes and platforms on
transmission towers.
Wildlife Society Bulletin 7(1):59-62.
In 1974, nest boxes and platforms were placed on a 230-kV transmission line in semi-arid
plains of east-central Colorado to
evaluate their use by locally breeding raptors. Nest boxes increased the local breeding
population of American kestrels from a
minimum of six pairs to at least 25 pairs in three years. Raptors did not utilize the
nesting platforms between 1975 and 1977,
possibly due to an adequate number of natural nest sites and platforms being placed too
low on the towers. Management issues
surrounding artificial raptor nest sites are mentioned.
402. Steenhof, K., ed. 1987. Snake River Birds of Prey Area: annual report. U.S. Bureau of
Land Management,
Boise District, Idaho. 55 pp.
Research was done to examine the implications of communal roosting by common ravens and
the operation and maintenance of
a 500-kV transmission line extending from south-central Idaho to south-central Oregon. The
line crosses the Bureau of Land
Managements's Snake River Birds of Prey Area. The study also includes monitoring of fecal
deposits on insulators and
evaluation of means of controlling fecal contamination.
403. Steenhof, K. and J.M. Brown. 1978. Management of wintering bald eagles. Prepared for
Eastern Energy and
Land Use Team, Water Resources Analysis Office (formerly National Stream Alteration Team),
U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. FWS/OBS-78/79. 59 pp.
The authors advise managers to discourage construction of power lines at eagle wintering
sites, especially near communal
roosts. New power lines should be constructed without electrocution hazards, and some
existing power line poles should be
modified to eliminate hazards. Power lines can be a significant cause of mortality for
eagles, especially in broad, flat valleys
where natural perches are not available. (Artificial perches designed for eagles have been
only partially successful.)
Electrocution accidents are most likely to occur on poles that provide a good view of the
surrounding terrain and on crossarms
that are crosswise to prevailing winds. Raptor electrocutions occur primarily during
winter when eagles concentrate near human
developments.
404. *Stevenson, H.M. 1956. Fall migration: Florida region. Audubon Field Notes
10(1):18-22.
Over 2,000 birds were killed on 8-9 October 1955 at a new 660-foot tower near Tallahassee,
Florida. This marked the
beginning of a long-term study of bird losses at the WCTV tower.
405. *Stevenson, H.M. 1958a. Fall migration: Florida region. Audubon Field Notes
12(1):21-26.
As part of an ongoing study mentioned in entry #404, 2,000 dead birds were found at the
WCTV tower near Tallahassee on
4-5 October 1957. Nearly 800 died at towers in Jacksonville.
406. *Stevenson, H.M. 1958b. Spring migration: Florida region. Audubon Field Notes
12(4):344-348.
Kills were reported on 4 April (228 birds) and 11 April (220) at WCTV, Tallahassee,
Florida, and on 21 April (297) at
Jacksonville. The composition of the kills was very dissimilar between locations, and
there was low correspondence between
the species composition of the kills and field observations of migrants.
407. *Stevenson, H.M. 1959. Fall migration: Florida region. Audubon Field Notes
13(1):21-25.
In fall 1958, 1,149 birds died at the WCTV tower, Tallahassee, Florida.
408. *Stevenson, H.M. 1960. Spring migration: Florida region. Audubon Field Notes
14(4):379-383.
Over 1,800 birds were killed at the WCTV tower, Tallahassee, Florida, during late April
and early May 1960. Jacksonville
reported 300 ovenbirds killed on a single night. There was no correspondence between the
tower kills and field surveys of
migrants in species composition.
409. *Stevenson, H.M. 1962. Fall migration: Florida region. Audubon Field Notes
16(1):21-25.
During fall 1961, 1,212 birds were found dead at the WCTV tower near Tallahassee, Florida.
On 17 September, 1,100-1,200
birds died at the Jacksonville towers.
410. *Stevenson, H.M. 1966. Fall migration: Florida region. Audubon Field Notes
20(1):30-35.
The largest November kill ever at WCTV, 770 birds, was recorded in 1965. November kills
generally consist of wintering
species.
411. *Stevenson, H.M. 1973. The fall migration: Florida region. American Birds
27(1):45-49.
In early October 1972, 193 birds (39 species) were killed at the WCTV tower near
Tallahassee, Florida, and about 1,000
birds died at Jacksonville.
412. *Stoddard, H.L., Sr. and R.A. Norris. 1967. Bird casualties at a Leon County, Florida
TV tower: an
eleven-year study. Tall Timbers Research Station Bulletin No. 8. Tallahassee, Florida. 104
pp.
A study begun by Stoddard in 1955 is updated through 30 September 1966. In those eleven
years, over 29,000 dead birds
(170 species) were collected. Most losses were in the fall. Spring kills were composed of
species that bred abundantly in that
area. Dangerous weather may cause differential mortality among species, sexes, and age
classes.
413. Stoner, E.A. 1939. Western red-tailed hawk nests on high voltage tower. Condor
41(1):215.
A red-tailed hawk nest was found on a tower in Benicia, California.
414. *Stout, I.J. 1967. The nature and pattern of nonhunting mortality in fledged North
American waterfowl. Thesis.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blackburg. 329 pp.
Collisions with towers and power lines were among the causes of mortality considered in
this masters thesis on mortality in
North American waterfowl. A questionnaire survey, band returns, and published and
unpublished reports were the sources of
the data. Of mortality reported in the surveyed literature, 65 percent of the collisional
losses were due to wire strikes and 4
percent to towers. Most losses to wires occurred during fall migration in inclement
weather.
415. Stout, I.J. and G.W. Cornwell. 1976. Nonhunting mortality of fledged North American
waterfowl. Journal of
Wildlife Management 40(4):681-693.
Over two million cases of reported nonhunting mortality from 1930 to 1964 were analyzed.
Collision mortality, including towers
and power lines, accounted for 0.1 percent of the deaths and was most common in the
Central Flyway (compared to the
Pacific and Mississippi Flyways). Higher frequency of collisions in the Central Flyway may
be due to geographical terrain.
Factors that may contribute to wire strikes are migration patterns and inclement weather
(especially fog). It is suggested that
unnecessary fences and wires be removed from waterfowl marsh habitat to reduce collision
mortality.
416. *Strnad, F. 1962. Birds killed at the KROC-TV tower, Ostrander, Minnesota. Flicker
34(1):7-9.
Five kills during September and October 1961 totalled over 2,000 birds (66 species) at
this 1,314-foot tower. During 3-4
September, 526 dead birds were collected out of an estimated 1,500-2,000 killed. Overcast
conditions prevailed during the
incidents.
417. *Strnad, F. 1975. More bird kills at KROC-TV tower, Ostrander, Minnesota. Loon
47(1):16-21.
The author summarizes previous mortality at this tower and adds findings from the autumns
of 1972 (185 birds, 32 species),
1973 (726, 59), and 1974 (801, 38). Complete kill lists from 1961, 1962, and the present
study are given. Among the 3,507
casualties (84 species) listed, northern waterthrushes (619) and red-eyed vireos (516)
were the most common. A description
of the 1,300-foot tower and its lights and guy wires, details of the method of search, and
weather conditions on kill nights are
also provided.
418. Switzer, F. 1977. Saskatchewan Power's experience. Blue Jay 35(4):259-260.
The Saskatchewan Power Company recorded about 100 hawk and owl and 100 crow and magpie
electrocution mortalities
each year. Most of these deaths occurred on the "running corner" or "farm
tap" structure where the ground point guy wire was
attached 24 inches below the phase. In addition, 25-kV, three-phase rural distribution
lines posed many electrocution
problems, with lines on the crossarms and a phase-to-phase clearance of only three feet.
The impact of habitat on mortality
incidents is discussed.
419. Tacha, T.C., D.C. Martin, and C.G. Endicott. 1978. Mortality of sandhill cranes
associated with utility
highlines. Pages 175-176 in: J.C. Lewis, ed. Proceedings of 2nd crane workshop, Rockport,
Texas. National
Audubon Society. Colorado State University Printing Service, Ft. Collins, Colorado.
On 9 February 1978, 52 sandhill cranes were found dead or dying from impact with high
voltage transmission lines and
telephone lines in Texas. The transmission lines accounted for nearly nine times as many
crane deaths per km as telephone lines.
A sudden shift from high visibility to dense fog during the previous afternoon may have
been a contributing factor.
420. *Tanner, J.T. 1954a. Bird mortality during night migration, October 1954. Migrant
25(4):57-59.
This is a general summary of the widespread avian mortality that occurred in the eastern
U.S. on the nights of 6-7 and 7-8
October 1954. Special emphasis is placed on weather factors accompanying the losses.
421. Tanner, J.T. 1954b. Knoxville. Migrant 25(4):64-65.
Following the windy, overcast night of 6 October 1954, 267 birds (26 species) were
recovered at the McGhee-Tyson Airport
ceilometer near Knoxville, Tennessee. The author determined that the migrating birds were
attracted not only by the ceilometer
beam itself, but also by the light reflected from birds flying in and about the beam.
422. *Taylor, W.K. and B.H. Anderson. 1973. Nocturnal migrants killed at a central Florida
TV tower: autumns
1969-1971. Wilson Bulletin 85(1):42-51.
During the three fall seasons, 7,782 birds (82 species) were killed at the 1,481-foot WDBO
tower near Orlando, Florida. The
losses are listed by species in half-month intervals, and an annotated species list with
sex and age information is given. One
Florida yellow bat was also collected. Information on weather and lighting is included.
423. *Taylor, W.K. and B.H. Anderson. 1974. Nocturnal migrants killed at a central Florida
TV tower, autumn
1972. Florida Field Naturalist 2(2):40-43.
During the fourth season of monitoring losses at an Orlando, Florida, tower, 1,347 birds
(49 species) were collected, 89
percent of them warblers. The four-year total losses were 9,130 birds (89 species). A kill
list for fall 1972 is provided by
half-month periods. This tower collapsed in June 1973.
424. *Teulings, R.P. 1972. The fall migration: southern Atlantic coast region. American
Birds 26(1):45-50.
Two towers were checked regularly for casualties during fall 1971. The 1,960-foot WECT
tower at Bladen County, North
Carolina, totalled 1,706 dead birds (75 species), and the 1,250-foot WWAY tower at Boiling
Springs, North Carolina,
accounted for 970 (with 958 on a single night). Partial kill lists and unusual records are
given for the seven largest single-night
kills. Warblers predominated overall.
425. *Teulings, R.P. 1974. The fall migration: southern Atlantic coast region. American
Birds 28(1):37-40.
A major kill consisting of about 600 casualties was reported from the WECT tower in Bladen
County, North Carolina, on the
night of 30 September 1973.
426. *Teulings, R.P. 1975. The fall migration: southern Atlantic coast region. American
Birds 29(1):40-43.
An estimated 4,000 birds were killed on the night of 4 September 1974 at a tower in Bladen
County, North Carolina.
427. Thomas, C.B. 1977. The mortality of Yorkshire Canada geese. Wildfowl 28(1):35-47.
From 1963 to 1975, 4.3 percent of 553 recovered Yorkshire (England) Canada geese were
recorded as dead from wire
collision. Most of the rest had been shot.
428. *Thompson, L.S. 1977. Overhead transmission lines: impact on wildlife. Montana
Department of Natural
Resource and Conservation, Energy Planning Division, Helena. Research Report No. 2. 51 pp.
"This report provides an overview of the potential impacts of transmission lines upon
wildlife, and suggestions on how impacts
of new lines may be prevented or mitigated." Among the topics addressed are bird
losses due to strikes and electrocutions at
power lines. An extensive bibliography is included.
429. *Tordoff, H.B. and R.M. Mengel. 1956. Studies of birds killed in nocturnal migration.
University of Kansas
Publications, Museum of Natural History 10(1):1-44.
This is an extensive analysis of 1,090 birds (61 species) killed at the 950-foot WIBW TV
tower in Topeka, Kansas, during fall
1954. The losses are listed by date collected, and an annotated species list gives
weights, fat conditions, and sex-age data. The
author notes the kill was "not at all random" with respect to the actual
relative abundance of species, since some birds (e.g.,
shorebirds) were common in the field but uncommon in the kill. However, an estimate is
made of the volume of migration
through the area by assuming the tower took a random sample of the overall migrant
population. Differential migration by sex
and age is discussed in certain species as are differences in wing length, tail length,
and weight.
430. *Trauger, D.L., A. Dzubin, and J.P. Ryder. 1971. White geese intermediate between
Ross' geese and lesser
snow geese. Auk 88(4):856-875.
A mention is made of 131 lesser snow and blue geese that struck a power line near Craig,
Missouri, in March 1966. No details
are given.
431. *Trott, J. 1957. TV tower fatalities at Chapel Hill. Chat 21(1):28.
An estimated 2,500 birds (44 species) were killed on 28 September and 3 October at a
788-foot tower in North Carolina.
Low cloud ceilings accompanied the incidents. A kill list is given.
432. *Turner, J. 1971. Eagles: vanishing Americans? Sierra Club Bulletin 56(9):14-19.
The author states that illegal shooting, poisoning, and power line electrocutions cause
considerable eagle mortality in western
states. Sixteen eagle deaths were attributed to power lines near Worland, Wyoming, in
1971. In the Escalente Desert, Utah, 40
dead eagles (10 with "white heads") were found beneath a 12-mile stretch of
power line. An additional 54 eagles were
reported killed by power lines in Colorado's Pawnee National Grasslands and Moffat County.
Eagles using utility wires and
poles as perch sites are sometimes shot.
433. Ultrasystems, Inc. 1985. Potential effects of the proposed Fayette Manufacturing
Corporation Bald Mountain
wind energy project on the California condor: preliminary draft report. Submitted by
Ultrasystems Inc.,
Environmental Systems Division, Irvine, California. Submitted to Fayette Manufacturing
Corporation, Tracy,
California. 37 pp.
Wind turbine collision is a principal issue concerning the California condor. "The
loss of a single individual is considered
significant by persons associated with the recovery effort" because of the bird's
critical status. A table of persons contacted
regarding wind farm development effects on raptors and other biota is given.
434. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 1978. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
position regarding overhead
power and communication lines. 4 pp.
No new overhead power or communication lines will be permitted on National Wildlife
Refuges unless compatible with the
purpose of the refuge and approved in writing by the Regional Director. Wherever possible,
existing overhead lines will be
removed or modified to achieve this compatibility.
435. Urban Wildlife Research Center, Inc. 1980. Compatibility of fish, wildlife, and
floral resources with electric
power facilities and lands: an industry survey analysis. Prepared for the Edison Electric
Institute, Washington, D.C.
130 pp.
Birds' use of poles, towers, and transmission-distribution system lines are discussed as
part of their habitat. An estimated 300
waterfowl were killed from September to December 1974 when they collided with power lines
in Christian County, central
Illinois. The lines crossed a slag ash pit adjacent to a power plant and Lake Sangchris.
Recommendations for reducing
mortalities include installing structural devices such as nest boxes, perches, feeders,
and platforms for raptors and other birds.
436. Vian, W.E. 1971. The wintering bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) on the Platte
River in southcentral
Nebraska. Thesis. Kearney State College, Kearney, Nebraska. 60 pp.
A bald eagle was killed by power line collision.
437. Vosburgh, J. 1966. Deathtraps in the flyways. Pages 364-371 in: A. Stefferud, ed.
Birds in our lives. U.S.
Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Sports Fisheries and
Wildlife.
Mortality of migrants at towers and tall buildings is reviewed.
438. Waco, D. and M.D. Batham. 1984. Wind resource assessment of California: a summary of
CEC-sponsored
studies. California Energy Commission Staff Report P500-83-019. Sacramento, California. 20
pp.
In 1977, an extensive series of wind resource assessment studies was begun by the
California Energy Commission (CEC) to
identify the locations and extent of potential wind energy areas. "The Energy
Commission studies indicate that California
possesses one of the most abundant and developable wind resources in the world."
Although avian mortality problems had not
yet been identified, this document offers information on locations of California's wind
resource.
439. *Walker, A. 1916. Some raptores [sic] of Douglas County, South Dakota. Condor
18(3):130.
A golden eagle was killed by flying into a wire fence near Delmont, South Dakota, on 11
November 1911.
440. *Walkinshaw, L.H. 1956. Sandhill cranes killed by flying into power line. Wilson
Bulletin 68(4):325-326.
Along the North Platte River in Nebraska, five sandhill cranes were found dead beneath
30-foot high power lines on the
morning of 22 March 1954. They had apparently flown into the lines at or before dawn.
441. Walton, B.J. and C.G. Thelander. 1983. Wild nest management, hack sites, and
cross-fostering operations,
1983. Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, Environmental Field Program, University of
California, Santa
Cruz.
On the day of its release (7 July 1982), a hacked male peregrine falcon was killed flying
into a building. The bird had been
released from the 21-story office building in the Westwood area of Los Angeles.
442. *Weaver, D.K. and R. St. Ores. 1974. Trumpeter swan mortality. Pages 86-89 in:
Proceedings and Papers of
the Trumpeter Swan Society Conference, Martin, South Dakota, 18-20 September 1973.
Collisions with fences and telephone and power lines caused the deaths of 14 swans at four
refuges and parks in the western
and midwestern United States during 1958-73. This was 19 percent of the total recorded
mortality. Shooting was also noted as
a major cause of death.
443. *Weir, D.N. 1971. Mortality of hawks and owls in Speyside. Bird Study 18(3):147-154.
Of 74 dead or seriously injured birds examined during 1964-69 in this British study, 33
suffered injuries through collisions with
human-made objects, including overhead wires, windows, moving vehicles, and trains.
444. *Weir, R.D. 1974. Bird kills at the Lennox generating plant, spring and autumn 1974.
Blue Bill 21(4):61-62.
Floodlights illuminating the 650-foot chimneys of the Ontario, Canada, power plant were
dimmed from 15 April to 8 June and
from 9 August to 2 October 1974, but birds were still killed, with 92 casualties in the
spring and 1,188 in the fall (35 species
overall). Since the first chimney was built in fall 1972, 5,288 birds were killed. In
1974, 98 percent of the casualties were
warblers and vireos, with magnolia warblers (33 percent) and red-eyed vireos (11 percent)
the most common casualties. Large
kills occurred on the clear nights of 13-14 September (501 killed) and 14-15 September
(508 killed). On both nights, winds
were strong and flight call counts indicated that birds were flying lower than usual.
Migrants were easily seen in the glow of city
lights. In anotherincident on the weekend of 15 September, 1,524 birds were killed at a
new 1,200-foot tower in Barrie,
Ontario. Lists of casualties by date of collection and a summary of flight call counts and
weather conditions are given.
445. *Weir, R.D. 1976. Annotated bibliography of bird kills at man-made obstacles: a
review of the state of the art
and solutions. Canadian Wildlife Services, Ontario Region, Ottawa. 85 pp.
A 28-page introduction to this bibliography summarizes what is known about bird migration
and the effects of weather on
migration and mortality. It also includes a literature review on bird losses at
lighthouses, ceilometers, floodlit obstacles, towers,
tall buildings, and telephone and power lines. A list of TV towers of various heights
throughout the United States is included.
"Nocturnal bird kills are virtually certain wherever an obstacle extends into the air
space where birds are flying in migration. The
time of year, siting, height, lighting and cross-sectional area of the obstacle and
weather conditions will determine the magnitude
of the kill." Four hundred seventy-one references, most with brief descriptions, are
included.
446. *Weir, R.D. 1977. Bird kills at the Lennox generating station, spring and autumn
1977. Blue Bill 24(4):40-42.
For the sixth straight year, kills were reported at the chimneys of the Ontario Hydro
plant at Bath, Ontario, Canada. The total
of 2,699 (61 species) casualties, of which 2,575 were fall migrants, was the largest since
the first chimney was constructed in
1972. Due to a change in floodlighting procedures, the lights were inadvertently left on
during nights of heavy migration and
several large kills resulted. On 23 August, 908 birds were killed under overcast skies
before the lights were extinguished at
0117. Similarly, 1,172 birds died on the night of 19 September, during a driving rain. The
lights were not turned off until 0500.
The sky was clear on the night of 12 September and the floodlights were not used, partly
in response to the public reaction to
the kills that were reported in the Toronto Globe and Mail. The system of turning off
floodlights during the spring and fall
migration periods was in force prior to 1977 and will be resumed beginning spring 1978. A
complete list of casualties is
provided, and the 11,230 casualties recorded since fall 1972 are totalled by season.
447. **Welles, M. 1978. TV tower kill at Elmira. Kingbird 28(3):159-161.
The bird mortality during 20-24 September 1977 at the WSYE TV tower, Elmira, New York, is
documented. Weather during
the period was rainy with low cloud ceilings. Daily kills for the five dates were 1,817,
1,358, 375, 132, and 180, respectively,
totaling 3,862 birds of 44 species. Many more birds were killed but were not recoverable
from fields and wooded areas
surrounding the tower which is supported by 30 guy wires. Some carcasses were taken by
crows. Bay-breasted warblers
(1,226), Tennessee warblers (375), magnolia warblers (326), ovenbirds (311), and
Swainson's thrushes (218) were the most
numerous species. A Syracuse, New York, tower reported reduced losses following the
installations of two telephone relay
towers nearby.
448. Western Area Power Administration. 1992. California-Oregon Transmission Project
waterfowl mitigation plan.
Western Area Power Administration and Transmission Agency of Northern California.
Sacramento, California. 65
pp.
This account reviews literature on bird collisions and transmission lines. "Almost
all collisions reviewed involved birds striking
thin overhead groundwire(s) located above the heavier conductors. No study reviewed found
losses to have any biological
significance to the population as a whole, although a few instances did occur where losses
of individuals belonging to rare
species were considered significant." The difficulties encountered in evaluating
actual losses and their significance are discussed.
The literature was "universal" in recommending groundwire removal whenever
possible as the best means of reducing bird
collisions. The second best mitigation measure was marking groundwires, as with aircraft
warning balls or air flow spoilers;
strikes were reduced almost 50 percent on average when groundwires were adequately marked.
Waterfowl behavior in
transmission line areas is examined including different species' behavioral tendencies and
flight altitudes and impacts of inclement
weather.
449. *Weston, F.M. 1966. Bird casualties on the Pensacola Bay Bridge (1938-1949). Florida
Naturalist 39(2):53-54.
Irregular checks of the bridge produced 740 dead birds (75 species) during the twelve-year
period. Kills occurred only in the
fall; power cables above the roadway of the bridge apparently caused the mortalities. The
cables were removed in 1949, and a
new bridge with well-lit structural parts proved no hazard to birds.
450. Wheeler, R.H. 1966. Sandhill crane casualties in the blizzard of March 22, 1966.
Nebraska Bird Review
34(4):69-70.
Sandhill cranes were killed in a blizzard in Nebraska on 22 March 1966 when they collided
with power lines and trees. The
author expresses that "[w]e have the technology to put these lines underground in
areas where waterfowl concentrate,
especially in those known locations where high losses recur year after year."
451. *Whelan, P. 1976. The bird killers. Ontario Naturalist 16(4):14-16.
Known sites of bird mortality in Toronto, Canada, are reviewed. Forty buildings and two
towers are listed, including an
1,815-foot tower where 274 dead and injured birds were found on 30 August 1976. (This
article was reprinted from the
Toronto Globe and Mail, 17 September 1976).
452. **Wiese, J.H. 1977. A study of the reproductive biology of herons, egrets, and ibis
nesting on Pea Patch
Island, Delaware: report for the period March through September 1976. Delmarva Power and
Light Company,
Wilmington, Delaware. 179 pp.
Aspects of the reproductive biology of herons, egrets, and ibises nesting on Pea Patch
Island, Delaware, are presented. The
study evaluated the possible effects of a proposed 500-kV power line crossing the Delaware
River about one mile north of the
heronry. Major flight routes for each species were determined throughout the 1976 nesting
period. Walking surveys failed to
reveal wire-induced wading bird mortality under a nearby high-voltage power line.
453. **Wiese, J.H. 1979. A study of the reproductive biology of herons, egrets, and ibis
nesting on Pea Patch
Island, Delaware: final interpretive report. Delmarva Power and Light Company, Wilmington,
Delaware. 255 pp.
The results from the final segment (1 March to 28 October 1978) of a four-year study on
the effects of a 500-kV transmission
line across the Delaware River on the Pea Patch Island heronry are presented. No
collisions with the 500-kV line were
observed. In 1978, wading birds had several conductor collisions and numerous near-misses
at a 138/230-kV line at a second
site studied. Multi-level conductor configuration at this line was more problematic than
the single-level conductors which the
birds crossed with little hesitation. No dead or injured birds were found beneath the
138/230-kV lines. In general, wading birds
approaching and crossing power lines appeared "highly cognizant" of the
obstacles and typically changed flight speed, altitude,
or direction of approach when flying at conductor heights. The presence and operation of
the 500-kV power line were judged
not likely to adversely affect the stability of the Pea Patch Island heronry or the
nesting success of wading birds therein.
454. Willard, D.E. 1977. Hearing on waterfowl report. Testimony to the Public Utility
Commissioner of Oregon
concerning Pacific Power and Light Company's proposal for a 500-kV transmission line.
Salem, Oregon. 35 pp.
In his testimony on the effects of power lines on waterfowl, Willard states that, prior to
power line installation, complete analysis
of surrounding habitat and species composition is necessary. Special attention should be
given to birds such as pelicans, which
forage while flying and are less likely to notice overhead wires, and Ross' geese, which
fly tightly grouped together and are at
high risk for collision if a flock enters a wired area.
455. *Willard, D.E., J.T. Harris, and M.J. Jaeger. 1977. The impact of a proposed 500-kV
transmission route on
waterfowl and other birds. Oregon Public Utility Commission, Salem, Oregon. 89 pp.
From October 1976 to April 1977, a study was conducted to determine the potential impact
of a proposed power line through
areas used by waterfowl, pelicans, cranes, and other birds in the Klamath Basin, Oregon.
Data were collected on flight height,
weather conditions, and movement patterns as well as on mortality along existing lines.
The following conclusions are listed: (1)
large birds such as pelicans and swans are particularly vulnerable to collisions with
overhead wires; (2) flying low to the ground
under conditions of strong winds and poor visibility increase the possibility of strikes
occurring, although birds run into wires
regularly even in clear, calm, bright weather; (3) the impact on easily-found species is
usually an overestimate; and (4)
scavenging, though it occurs, is probably trivial.
456. Willard, D.E. and B.J. Willard. 1978. The interaction between some human obstacles
and birds. Environmental
Management 2(4):331-340.
The history of avian interactions with human obstacles is discussed, citing various
studies. Willard and Willard researched the
non-lethal effects of power lines, such as how birds alter flight patterns in response to
obstacles. TV towers can cause a high
number of mortalities in a short amount of time, and "though this problem has often
not been documented, it is widespread."
The authors note that Mayfield (1967) felt that the frequency of death is correlated to
the frequency of that species' occurrence;
however, the percent distribution of power line-caused fatalities is probably more than
Mayfield predicts because "the amount
of area over which utility lines may cause death or injury is immense, so that a large
effect could be scattered so widely that
each case is not notable."
457. Willdan Associates. 1982. Impact of the Ashe-Slatt 500-kV transmission line on birds
atCrow Butte Island:
postconstruction final report. Prepared by Willdan Associates, Portland, Oregon. Prepared
for Bonneville Power
Administration, Portland, Oregon. 155 pp.
This postconstruction report of a 500-kV line focuses on flight observations near the
line, bird use of habitat in the line vicinity,
dead bird searches, estimates of total collisions, and evaluation of an electronic
collision sensor. In the two years following
construction, an estimated 46 ducks were killed by line collision; 33 ducks were killed at
the study site in the third year of
research. "Overall, the number of waterfowl killed from wire strikes...is very small
compared with the total regional population
and the number of birds crossing the lines in the study areas." Waterfowl habitat use
was significantly reduced by the
transmission line.
458. Williams, R.D. and E.W. Colson. 1988. Associations of western raptors with linear
rights-of-way. Pacific Gas
and Electric (PG&E), San Ramon, California. 49 pp.
Benefits of rights-of-way (ROW) are discussed, including provision of migratory corridors
for open-land raptors (red-tailed
hawks and northern harriers) and the increase of nesting, perching, and roosting sites
offered by power line towers. "Although
collision mortality can be significant to waterfowl, shorebirds, and upland game birds, it
does not appear to pose a major
problem for raptors. However, raptors can be susceptible to collision problems with power
lines during times of distractions
such as when involved in prey pursuits, courtship flights, and territorial defense. Also
raptors are susceptible to collision with
lines during inclement weather.... Overhead wires, unlike most other linear ROW, encroach
on air space used by raptors ... and
create many unique hazards." Some evidence suggests that birds may become habituated
to the presence of a line, resulting in
fewer collisions over time.
459. Williams, R.D. and E.W. Colson. 1989. Raptor associations with linear rights-of-way.
Pages 173-192 in: B.G.
Pendleton, ed. Western Raptor Management Symposium and Workshop, Boise, Idaho, 1987.
National Wildlife
Federation Scientific and Technical Series #12.
Linear rights-of-way (ROW) include those for electric power lines and communication lines.
At least 32 raptor species in the
western United States are known to have been influenced by linear ROW. Tables and
overviews of known adverse and
beneficial impacts of ROW on western raptors are included. "Benefits provided to many
raptors include preservation of habitat,
provision of nest and perch sites, and increased availability of prey. The primary adverse
impacts of linear ROW are loss and
modification of habitat, collisions with overhead wires and automobiles, electrocutions,
and increased harassment and
persecution by humans." Recommendations for raptor protection include avoiding
construction in sensitive habitat areas,
adjustments of construction schedules and methods, and engineering modifications on power
and communication lines.
460. Wilmore, S.B. 1974. Swans of the world. Taplinger Publishing, New York.
The cause of death was diagnosed for 1,051 of 2,156 mute swans recovered in Britain
between 1960 and 1965, and "the
greatest danger to their mortality was reported to be collision with overhead wires."
During two months in 1963, a quarter-mile
stretch of power line in Kent killed 21 swans, 30 percent of the total flock. Swans' weak
frontal vision was noted as a
contributing factor.
461. Winkelman, J.E. 1985. Bird impact by middle-sized wind turbines on flight behavior,
victims, and disturbance.
Limosa 58:117-121. (In Dutch; English summary.)
In the fall and winter of 1983-84, possible impact of medium-sized wind turbines on birds
was studied at six sites in the coastal
areas of Holland. Changes in flight behavior that could be attributable to the turbines
were observed; no collisions were seen.
The results cannot be extrapolated to predict the danger of collisions at night or in
daylight during inclement weather; the
hindrance caused by other types of turbines (particularly large ones), by turbines at
sites in open fields, or by large groups of
wind turbines; or the risk at sites other than those studied.
462. Winkelman, J.E. 1992a. The impact of the Sep wind park near Oosterbierum (Fr.), the
Netherlands, on birds,
1: collision victims. DLO-Instituut voor Bos- en Natuuronderzoek. RIN-rapport 92/2. 4
volumes. (In Dutch; English
summary.)
An experimental wind park consisting of 18 wind turbines (300-kW, three-bladed, 35 m tower
height, 30 m rotor diameter),
seven meteorological towers, and three control buildings, was studied between 1984 and
1991. A series of reports was
published on avian mortality in the park (entries #462-465). In this study on collisions,
avian collision rates increased with an
increase in the number of operating turbines. Carcasses were found distributed over most
of the park with a slightly lower
concentration of carcasses in the middle section, suggesting that cluster formations of
turbines may reduce collision risk
compared to straight line or single row formation. Most collision victims were found in
autumn and spring and after nights with
poor flight and visibility conditions.
463. Winkelman, J.E. 1992b. The impact of the Sep wind park near Oosterbierum
(Fr.), the Netherlands, on birds,
2: nocturnal collision risks. DLO-Instituut voor Bos- en Natuuronderzoek. RIN-rapport
92/3. 4 volumes. (In Dutch;
English summary.)
In this portion of the study (see also entries #462-465), researchers observed a
collision rate of 68 birds per week at night. The difference in the number of mortalities
observed at the moving turbines compared to those calculated indicated that a proportion
of birds may have disappeared through predation or were missed due to insufficient
searching. Mortality rates may have been even higher due to uncounted birds that may have
collided with a turbine, flown away and died later. Illumination of the turbines was not
recommended: in conditions of "poor visibility...the illumination may even attract
birds, which may increase the risk of collision."
464. Winkelman, J.E. 1992c. The impact of the Sep wind park near Oosterbierum
(Fr.), the Netherlands, on birds,
3: flight behavior during daylight. DLO-Instituut voor Bos-en Natuuronderzoek. RIN-rapport
92/4. 4 volumes. (In
Dutch; English summary.)
In this report (see also entries #462-465), the flight behavior of birds
approaching the park in daylight is discussed and avian
flight paths examined. Comparisons of bird behavior during operation and non-operation are
given.
465. Winkelman, J.E. 1992d. The impact of the Sep wind park near Oosterbierum
(Fr.), the Netherlands, on birds,
4: disturbance. DLO-Instituut voor Bos- en Natuuronderzoek. RIN-rapport 92/5. 4 volumes.
(In Dutch; English
summary.)
In this portion of the 1984-1991 experimental wind park study (see also entries
#462-464), disturbance effects of the wind
park on avian breeding, feeding, resting, and migration are discussed.
466. *Wray, D.L. 1960. Parasitic jaeger at Raleigh TV tower. Chat 24(4):97-98.
An individual parasitic jaeger, an unusual species, was found dead on 26 August
1960 at a TV tower in Raleigh, North
Carolina.
467. *Zimmerman, D.A. 1975. The changing seasons. American Birds 29(1):23-28.
In fall 1974, thousands of birds died at TV towers in nine states and two
Canadian provinces, and 150 birds were killed at a
600-foot smokestack at a New Mexico smelter.
468. Zimmerman, D.R. 1976. The bald eagle bicentennial blues. Natural History
85:8-16.
An eagle was electrocuted in Florida when it collided with a power line while
carrying a fish.