this should work to some degree. Particularly if it is applied uniformly at say one hundred meters and higher to avoid bothering us. The birds may well learn to use it all.
We need a system that relys as much on the birds as us.
this is a start though.
White noise could warn birds to avoid colliding with tall structures
LIFE 28 April 2021
By Ibrahim Sawal
To keep birds from smashing into tall structures, blare white noise in their direction
Markus Reder/Getty Images/EyeEm
Projecting white noise in the direction of oncoming birds could stop them from colliding with buildings or wind turbines.
White noise could warn birds to avoid colliding with tall structures
LIFE 28 April 2021
By Ibrahim Sawal
To keep birds from smashing into tall structures, blare white noise in their direction
Markus Reder/Getty Images/EyeEm
Projecting white noise in the direction of oncoming birds could stop them from colliding with buildings or wind turbines.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2276176-white-noise-could-warn-birds-to-avoid-colliding-with-tall-structures/?
Birds keep their heads down to streamline their bodies as they fly, says John Swaddle at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. So, visual cues may not be enough to warn them of oncoming structures. That is why billions of birds around the world, particularly those that migrate long distances, die in collisions with manufactured structures each year.
“Birds fly a bit like texting while driving,” says Swaddle. He and his team used white noise at around 70 decibels – about as loud as a vacuum cleaner – to try to get their attention when they are near tall structures. “These acoustic stimuli are like someone honking at them, making them more aware of their surroundings,” he says.
The team used directional speakers around two communication towers along the Delmarva peninsula in Virginia, an area that millions of birds pass through going south during the North American autumn migration. The speakers were angled to only be heard by oncoming birds travelling from the north, and cameras recorded the flight paths of birds within a 500-metre radius.
The team broadcast two sounds within the frequency range that most birds can hear, playing them for 30 minutes at a time with 30 minutes of silence between them over a total of 3 hours. One sound fell between 4 and 6 kilohertz, the other between 6 and 8 kilohertz. The team played these sounds for six days between September and November 2019.
Compared with the periods of silence, bird activity decreased roughly 16 per cent around the towers when the 4-6 kilohertz sound was played, and 12 per cent while the sound at 6-8 kilohertz played.
When birds flew within 100 metres of the tower, they were considered at risk for a collision. But the lower sound frequencies caused them to slow down more and divert their trajectories further around the tower. Swaddle says this may be because birds hear frequencies between 4 and 6 kilohertz more clearly.
Swaddle says this suggests that certain frequencies of sounds may be more efficient at making birds aware of structures like communication towers and wind turbines. “The technology is already out there to do this so the implementation shouldn’t be that difficult,” he says.
Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2276176-white-noise-could-warn-birds-to-avoid-colliding-with-tall-structures/#ixzz6tV1MYuqp
Birds keep their heads down to streamline their bodies as they fly, says John Swaddle at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. So, visual cues may not be enough to warn them of oncoming structures. That is why billions of birds around the world, particularly those that migrate long distances, die in collisions with manufactured structures each year.
“Birds fly a bit like texting while driving,” says Swaddle. He and his team used white noise at around 70 decibels – about as loud as a vacuum cleaner – to try to get their attention when they are near tall structures. “These acoustic stimuli are like someone honking at them, making them more aware of their surroundings,” he says.
The team used directional speakers around two communication towers along the Delmarva peninsula in Virginia, an area that millions of birds pass through going south during the North American autumn migration. The speakers were angled to only be heard by oncoming birds travelling from the north, and cameras recorded the flight paths of birds within a 500-metre radius.
The team broadcast two sounds within the frequency range that most birds can hear, playing them for 30 minutes at a time with 30 minutes of silence between them over a total of 3 hours. One sound fell between 4 and 6 kilohertz, the other between 6 and 8 kilohertz. The team played these sounds for six days between September and November 2019.
Compared with the periods of silence, bird activity decreased roughly 16 per cent around the towers when the 4-6 kilohertz sound was played, and 12 per cent while the sound at 6-8 kilohertz played.
When birds flew within 100 metres of the tower, they were considered at risk for a collision. But the lower sound frequencies caused them to slow down more and divert their trajectories further around the tower. Swaddle says this may be because birds hear frequencies between 4 and 6 kilohertz more clearly.
Swaddle says this suggests that certain frequencies of sounds may be more efficient at making birds aware of structures like communication towers and wind turbines. “The technology is already out there to do this so the implementation shouldn’t be that difficult,” he says.
Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2276176-white-noise-could-warn-birds-to-avoid-colliding-with-tall-structures/#ixzz6tV1MYuqp
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