The honey buzzard and the wind turbine

The honey buzzard is a bird of prey that earned its name through searching for and digging out wasp nests, which breeding birds typically do in order to feed the wasp larvae and pupae to their chicks. In Gelderland, the Veluwe is an important honey buzzard stronghold, potentially putting the local population at risk of colliding with wind turbines that will be constructed in the vicinity of the national park. For that reason, the wind turbines would need to be turned off all day during the breeding season (May – September). But is that really necessary, or is there a smarter solution?

In our two-year research programme, we are answering this question by combining field observations with camera images. We work with an advanced camera detection system: IdentiFlight, developed in the United States. This smart system can independently recognise target bird species as they approach and make a decision about whether or not a given wind turbine needs to be temporarily stopped. IdentiFlight was already good at identifying large birds of prey, such as eagles and kites, but during the first year of our research we were also able to verify that smaller species, such as buzzards and honey buzzards, were also recognised by the system. In the upcoming breeding season, we plan to train the system further in order to protect honey buzzards in future wind parks.