Abstract
Glacier Sands Wind Power, LLC (Glacier Sands) is developing the Glacier Sands Wind Project (Project) in central Illinois (Figure 1). Glacier Sands contracted Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. (WEST) to conduct pre-construction field surveys to assess avian use, particularly use by eagles and other diurnal raptors, within the Project area. WEST followed a survey methodology consistent with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines (USFWS 2012) and Eagle Conservation Plan Guidance (ECPG; USFWS 2013).
Two years of pre-construction avian use surveys were completed for the Project. This report contains the results of Year 1, May 19, 2017 – April 30, 2018, and Year 2, June 25, 2018 – May 30, 2019, fixed-point avian use surveys conducted in the Project area. The objective of the study was to provide information regarding levels of use by birds in the Project, with a particular focus on bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and other large bird species.