Life Sciences Commons^™

Landscape Factors Affecting Foraging Flight Altitudes Of Great Blue Heron In Maine; Relevance To Wind Energy Development, Lauren Dolinski

Honors College

In an attempt to increase alternative energy sources, there has been greater development of wind farms across the United States. This expanded development may pose a potential threat to birds that are flying overhead (EIA 2017, Leung and Yang 2011). More information is needed on the factors that affect a bird’s behavior while flying and if the current policies and dimensions of wind turbines interfere with flight altitudes. We used data from GPS-marked great blue herons (Ardea herodias) in Maine to classify their flight altitudes relative to wind turbine height and assess different landscape factors that affect flight …