Abstract
In this pilot study, a monitoring system developed by Wildlife Imaging Systems that is based on thermal imaging cameras, was tested for its ability to detect collisions of nocturnally flying songbirds and bats with offshore wind turbines. Continuous monitoring was conducted over a nine-month period at a single offshore turbine off the Dutch coast. A total of 22 collision events were detected, of which three were confirmed or with high confidence. The system proved technically feasible for deployment offshore and demonstrated its potential to generate reliable empirical data on collision events. This development is an important step towards addressing a key knowledge gap concerning the number of birds and bats colliding with offshore wind turbines. Monitoring across multiple wind farms and seasons is required to quantify collision rates offshore and to identify the environmental and operational conditions under which collisions occur.