The grassroots citizens group Save Ontario Shores (SOS) formed in January 2015. Their intention was to clearly understand the multitude of impacts from a large industrial wind energy project proposed for their community, the towns of Yates and Somerset NY in the south coastal region of Lake Ontario.

One of their concerns was the impact of the project on migrating birds. This would be the first commercial wind energy facility in the U.S. sited within the coastal zone of a large water body. Studies around the world indicate that large concentrations of migrating birds can sometimes occur in coastal regions. The primary reason is that many species of migratory landbirds are instinctively wary of crossing large water bodies -- there is nowhere for them to land out over the water so they tend to make the crossings when there are favorable weather conditions (e.g., a good tail wind). When conditions are not favorable for crossing, the birds may accumulate in the coastal region and circumnavigate the large waterbody in a path paralleling the coast. The resulting concentration phenomenon is not well studied, especially at night when the majority of bird migration occurs (1), but some evidence suggests that the density of bird migration in the lower stratum of the atmosphere can increase by an order of magnitude or more. So, for the proposed wind project, it was a valid question: What would the collateral avian impact be?

To help answer the question, SOS contacted Bill Evans. Bill is a pioneer in studying avian nocturnal migration by monitoring their nocturnal flight calls -- calls birds give to keep in contact and work out their flight spacing while migrating through the darkness of night. Bill had carried out such acoustic studies for developers of 10 commercial wind energy projects in North America (2). He had also carried out similar studies and critical reviews of proposed wind projects for communities and organizations concerned about the avian impacts of wind energy projects. As the issue of wind energy became more polarizing, Bill was one of the few ornithologists working for both sides trying to objectively evaluate avian impacts.

From 2016 to 2018, SOS raised money from its members to provide funding for Bill's nonprofit, Old Bird Inc., to carry out an acoustic study of avian night flight calls in the vicinity of the proposed wind project. SOS worked with local, state, and national birding organizations who were also concerned about the bird mortality with the planned siting of the wind project. In addition to individual and local business donations, the Rochester Birding Association also contributed funding for the study. One of the study's goals was to determine whether any threatened or endangered species were migrating through the proposed wind project area at night. Another was to begin studying the concentration dynamics of night migrants in the coastal zone during spring migration. Results of the study are linked below (3).

After 8 years of SOS activism regarding the proposed wind energy project, the developer never submitted an application for the project and most leases had expired or been terminated. In 2024, with the wind project having folded, SOS asked Bill if his nonprofit had any ideas for further study that might tie into the work he had previously completed. It did not take long for an idea to come to mind... Bill proposed carrying out a similar study as the one he has been running along the Mexican border with Texas since 2023 (4). The focus would be documenting the large spring coastal flights, but this time over a larger span of the coastal region and involving local schools -- a project that would offer an interface for kids to learn about the incredible bird migration phenomenon occurring over their schools and homes while they sleep.

1. Studies across the eastern U.S. have shown that more than 80% of the bird fatalities at wind energy projects are from species that migrate at night.

2. Evans. W.R. 2012. Avian Acoustic Monitoring Study at the Maple Ridge Wind Project 2007-2008. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Albany, NY. NYSERDA Report 12-23. December 2012. http://www.oldbird.org/NYSERDA/Avian-Acoustic-Monitoring-Study-Maple-Ridge.pdf

3. https://oldbird.org/pubs/SY/SY.html

4. https://www.rgvnfc.org/