Eyes in the sky – bird detection with smart cameras

IdentiFlight® has been developed by Boulder Imaging (USA) to prevent birds of prey from colliding with wind turbines. Waardenburg Ecology will use the IdentiFlight® camera system for monitoring bird flight behaviour in and around wind farms; a first in the Netherlands! In addition, we will work closely with Boulder Imaging to develop IdentiFlight® for use in offshore wind farms - combining our unique expertise of offshore ecological research and Boulder Imaging's technical know-how.

Wind turbines can pose a risk to flying birds. In the Netherlands, research has shown that on average, tens of birds can die from collisions with a single wind turbine. These are usually abundant bird species, such as black-headed gulls, mallards or starlings, but occasionally rarer species are also found as victims. Collisions involving white-tailed eagles and even a bearded vulture have received a lot of attention in the national press.

After a bird has been detected in a wind farm, a stop signal can be sent to an individual wind turbine if there is deemed to be a risk of a collision. Although there are various systems on the market to prevent collisions through active shutdown, only IdentiFlight® has the ability to cover multiple turbines with a single system.
The system is able to:

• detect a flying bird
• identify the species
• track the flight path of the bird
• send a stop command to the relevant wind turbine in a timely manner if the bird enters the risk zone.

Waardenburg Ecology is excited to be the launching customer for IdentiFlight® in the Netherlands and we are looking forward to using this innovative technology. We would like to invite you for a demonstration.