Summary1. Wind farms generate little or no pollution. However, one of their main adverse impacts is bird mortality through collisions with turbine rotors. 2. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies have been based on observations of birds before the construction of wind farms. We analysed data from 53 EIAs in relation to the actual recorded bird mortalities at 20 fully installed wind farms to determine whether this method is accurate in predicting the risk of new wind farm installations. 3. Bird data from EIAs were compared with bird collisions per turbine and year at functional postconstructed wind farms to identify any relationship between pre-and post-construction studies. 4. Significant differences in birds recorded flying among the 53 proposed wind farms were found by the EIAs. Similar results were obtained when only griffon vultures Gyps fulvus and other raptors were considered. There were significant differences in indexes, including the relative index of breeding birds close to proposed locations, among the 53 proposed wind farm sites. 5. The collision rate of birds with turbines was one of the highest ever recorded for raptors, and the griffon vulture was the most frequently killed species. Bird mortality varied among the 20 constructed wind farms. 6. No relationship between variables predicting risk from EIAs and actual recorded mortality was found. A weak relationship was found between griffon vulture and kestrel Falco sp. mortality and the numbers of these two species crossing the area. 7. Synthesis and applications. There was no clear relationship between predicted risk and the actual recorded bird mortality at wind farms. Risk assessment studies incorrectly assumed a linear relationship between frequency of observed birds and fatalities. Nevertheless, it is known that bird mortality in wind farms is related to physical characteristics around individual wind turbines. However, EIAs are usually conducted at the scale of the entire wind farm. The correlation between predicted mortality and actual mortality must be improved in future risk assessment studies by changing the scale of these studies to focus on the locations of proposed individual wind turbine sites and working on a species specific level.
We assessed the normal values for 15 blood plasma biochemistry parameters and three indices of body condition (IBCs) in free-living Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) nestlings in Brandenburg (Germany). Values were compared with those of other raptors, and possible sexual and age-related differences were examined. In addition, we looked for possible relationships of habitat quality (measured in terms of foraging conditions and human disturbances) to nestling nutritional condition and productivity. Female nestlings showed higher mean urea levels and lower glucose values than males, which could be related to higher growth rates and nutrient demand of females at the end of the nestling period. Seven parameters also showed variation with age, probably relating to increasing body mass, metabolic rates, and physical activity during the pre-fledging stage. Conversely, the IBCs showed poor correlations with selected nutritional parameters, probably due to the homogeneously acceptable nutritional conditions of the nestlings. Finally, we found that Ospreys did not seem to adjust initial parental investment in relation to habitat quality, since productivity was not affected by habitat indicators. However, in large broods, but not in small ones, nestling nutritional condition improved as foraging conditions improved. These results suggest that females that are in better physical condition seem to produce more and better nourished nestlings in better foraging conditions. Wir beurteilten Normalwerte für 15 biochemische Blutplasma-Parameter und drei Indizes für die Körperkondition (Indices of Body Condition-IBCs) bei freilebenden nestjungen Fischadlern (Pandion haliaetus) in Brandenburg (Deutschland). Die Werte wurden mit denen anderer Greifvogelarten verglichen und mögliche geschlechts-und altersabhängige Unterschiede wurden untersucht. Zusätz-lich haben wir denkbare Zusammenhänge zwischen der Habitatqualität-gemessen anhand der Lage von Gebieten der Nahrungssuche und anhand menschlicher Störung-und dem Ernährungszustand der Nestlinge sowie der Reproduktion untersucht. Weibliche Nestlinge zeigten höhere Harnstoff-Durchschnittswerte und geringere GlukoseWerte als männliche, was mit einer höheren Wachstumsrate und einem höheren Nährstoffbedarf bei den jungen Weibchen gegen Ende der Nestlingsperiode zusammenhängen kann. Sieben Parameter zeigten Veränderungen abhängig vom Alter, wahrscheinlich im Zusammenhang mit der zunehmenden Körpermasse, mit dem höheren Metabolismus und mit der steigenden körperlichen Aktivität während der
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