SmartBirds
The “Safe Grid for Birds” practice guide, which was published in Bulgarian in September last year, is now also available for foreign audiences.
The guide presents valuable information and good practices for remodelling the power distribution grid to be safe for wild birds.
The guide presents the main types of electric poles from the power distribution grid in Bulgaria, the nature of the threat that this grid poses to wild birds, the methods of research and risk assessment, and technical solutions for safeguarding overhead power lines.
Birds most often die from electrocution when their body makes simultaneous contact with a current carrying conductor and a grounded part of the pole. The main cause of birds’ mortality from electrocution is the type of construction of the electric pole – the location of the crossarm, insulators, and the distance from the current carrying elements to the grounded parts of the pole.
A study by BSPB in South-Eastern Bulgaria from 2016 confirms that the most frequent victims of electrocution on the power distribution grid are crows, storks, and raptors.
Bird mortality from electrocution also has its economic dimension. Every short circuit that kills a bird causes a power outage for the end users – residential and business customers – and thus also increases the costs and carbon footprint of the electricity distribution company responsible for maintaining the grid.
You can find the “Safe Grid for Birds” practice guide:
The guide was developed by the project “Conservation of Endangered Species of Birds by Securing Hazardous Air Pipes in Natura 2000 Protected Areas in Western Bulgaria” (LIFE16/NAT/BG/000612), co-financed by the EC LIFE Programme.
