In response to an inquiry from The Star, a spokeswoman for the South Fork Wind farm’s developers said they have conducted extensive research in crafting measures to minimize risk to birds.
A 2021 American Bird Conservancy model estimated that 1.17 million birds are killed by wind turbines in the United States annually, though nearly all turbines in operation at present are on land. (The five-turbine Block Island Wind Farm is the nation’s only offshore wind farm now in operation, with the 12-turbine South Fork Wind farm scheduled to be operational by the end of the year.)
That figure pales in comparison to statistics for other causes of avian mortality, according to a study in the journal Nature: an estimated 365 million to one billion killed by cats, 67 million to 90 million killed by pesticides, 60 million to 80 million killed by automobiles, and five million to 6.8 million killed by communication towers.
The South Fork Wind farm’s developers, Orsted and Eversource Energy, conducted research, including communication with New York State and federal wildlife agencies, environmental nongovernmental organizations, and academic experts, to better understand risks, identify avian species in the area, and avoid placing turbines near high-use areas, Meaghan Wims, the spokeswoman, said.
In consultation with the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, “South Fork Wind has committed to design elements that will minimize attracting birds to operating turbines, including installing anti-perching devices and using lighting methods known to have minimal attraction/behavioral alteration effects on birds,” she wrote in an email.
A post-construction monitoring plan incorporates acoustic monitoring to better understand what avian species are using or pass through the wind farm area, supporting bird-tagging studies to ascertain how species of concern interact with wind farms in the area, and vessel-based observational studies of avian behavior around turbines.
South Fork Wind participates in data-sharing networks including the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, and is a partner in regional stakeholder working groups, among them the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative, the Environmental Technical Working Group, the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, and Duke University’s Project WOW (Wildlife and Offshore Wind).
Results of a study published in 2020 indicate that painting one of three turbine blades black enhances their visibility to birds and reduces the annual fatality rate by more than 70 percent.
“While blade-painting studies from Europe are preliminary and have only indicated potential benefits to one species thus far, Orsted is highly engaged with cutting-edge research and development focused on birds,” Ms. Wims said, “including supporting new and innovative technologies for monitoring bird behavior offshore.”
As an example, she pointed to the developers’ participation in testing and commercializing a Norwegian firm’s artificial intelligence tool to monitor and track birds at offshore wind farms.
