Farms: Documentary on use of Avian Radar for Bird Mortality Risk Mitigation at Wind Farms

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department in early 2010 released a documentary video on the use of DeTect's MERLIN SCADA Avian Radar System technology at coastal wind farms in Texas. The video also includes footage on the use of MERLIN systems by the Texas A&M Kingsville Cesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Center for a multi-year coastal migratory bird study. The MERLIN Avian Radar is an advanced bird radar system developed specifically for detection and tracking of birds and bats that uses state-of-the-art radar and computer techniques that were originally developed for the US Air Force and NASA for critical flight safety (aircraft-bird strike avoidance). With the MERLIN SCADA software, the MERLIN radar also can be integrated with most wind farm Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) control systems to provide real-time bird activity monitoring and risk mitigation that includes automatic detection of approaching birds or bats activating automated responses ranging from issuing remote risk alerts to operators to turbine idling (with the system restarting the turbines once mortality risk conditions pass) to activation of humane deterrent devices.