Birds & Bats Unlimited

RESEARCH & INNOVATION

At Birds & Bats Unlimited we believe in solutions and much of our work aims to find ways to mitigate impacts of development.

Collision-prone bustards and raptors – power line surveys

A Kori bustard found beneath power lines after a rain-storm in the Northern Cape.

Some collision-prone species require special survey techniques to understand where they breed and how they are affected by power lines.

We have undertaken:

  • several specialised studies of Bustards, Verreaux’s Eagles and Black Harriers to determine how they are affected by power lines and proposed wind farms
  • power line surveys to determine the mortality rate of bustards, Blue cranes and flamingoes deaths which are often under-represented in EIA studies
  • to promote the use of diurnal and nocturnal line-markers and bird diverters
  • to promote the use of staggered pylons to reduce bustard collisions. We predict that by doing so bustard deaths could be reduced by almost 45%.