2018

Effectiveness of bird markers at high-voltage power lines in the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein – Calculation of species-specific collision rates and reduction values

To evaluate the efficiency of bird markers on ground wires a study was started in the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein in a very bird rich area at the lower Elbe. The investigations em- braced the search of carcasses as well as the counting of crossing birds over a period of two years. In several sections of the power line black and white bird deflectors were fixed at the ground wires within the second investigation period.

To identify the species-specific efficiency of the markers a statistical analysis has been conducted for select species and several groups of species. The results revealed significant values for the five species Barnacle Goose, Greylag Goose, Mallard, Carrion Crow, and Wood Pigeon, showing an efficient reduction of the collision risk by 79 % to 91 %. In addition, for several species their specific collision rate was calculated by correlating numbers of carcasses found and flight numbers in well-defined temporal and spatial units. For Barnacle Goose, White-Fronted Goose, and Cormorant the collisions rates were very low ranking between 0.004% and 0.009%. Other statistically validated values varied between 0.012 % und 0.038 %. The results show that ground wire marking is an efficient measure to reduce bird collision. An extensive data base allows the calculation of species-specific collision rates and reduction values.