Collisions and electrocutions of birds with power lines constitute a threat to some species across the globe. In order to minimise bird mortality on planned or existing infrastructure, TSOs collect significant amounts of data on birds, however, whilst these data are used to guide decision making, they are seldom used outside of the context of a specific project. RGI saw the potential to improve our collective knowledge by finding ways to more effectively share study data on “bird grid interactions”. With a systematic collation of studies, meta-analyses could be done to better understand the drivers of bird collision/electrocution risk, the effectiveness of mitigation measures and ultimately provide science-based tools to guide route planning and mitigation measures.
In 2018, RGI teamed up with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to understand which data TSOs are collecting, what TSOs and NGOs see as the opportunities of improved data sharing as well as how this could best be practically achieved. Data was collected through a questionnaire and a workshop session. The BTO and RSPB produced a report of their findings, which included the below conclusions and recommendations:
