Renewable Energy Wildlife Research Fund Webinar: Eagle Flight Characteristics & Wind Turbines and Raptor Carcass Persistence

Thursday, February 23rd at 3:00-4:30 PM ET

This webinar will explore two recent studies supported by the Renewable Energy Wildlife Research Fund (REWRF) highlighting recent work on eagles and wind energy. There are many unknowns about eagles’ interactions with wind turbines and whether current eagle monitoring requirements at wind facilities are backed by the latest science. This webinar provides an opportunity to learn more about REWRF’s groundbreaking work in the renewable energy-wildlife space and what lessons can be learned from these efforts.  

Presentations

  • Flight Characteristics Forecast Entry by Eagles into Rotor-Swept Zones of Wind Turbines
    • Presentation Summary: An empirical study testing the thresholds used in automated wind turbine curtailment and successfully predicting eagle entry into rotor-swept zones at multiple wind energy facilities.
    • Presenter: Chris McClure/Peregrine Fund
    • Manuscript link, published in IBIS: International Journal of Avian Science
  • Game Bird Carcasses are Less Persistent than Raptor Carcasses, but can Predict Raptor Persistence Dynamics
    • Presentation Summary: This field-based study analyzed regional variation In the persistence of game bird versus raptor carcasses used in carcass persistence trials to produce more accurate estimates of eagle fatalities and other raptors.
    • Presenter: Eric Hallingstad/WEST and others
    • Manuscript link, published in PLOS One