Bird and Bat Utilisation Survey

Land Eco Consulting provides comprehensive Bird and Bat Utilisation Surveys (BBUS) for wind energy developments across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria Australia. Our team delivers high-quality, regulator-ready data to support project planning, environmental approvals, and operational compliance.

We combine field expertise, advanced monitoring technology, and strong regulatory knowledge to help wind farm proponents understand ecological risk, design effective mitigation measures, and demonstrate compliance throughout the project lifecycle.

Bird Utilisation Studies

Informing project design and impact assessment

Understanding how birds use a site is critical for assessing collision risk and potential impacts on populations. Land Eco Consulting designs and implements Bird Habitat Utilisation Monitoring programs tailored to wind farm developments, providing data on:

• Species      presence, diversity, and conservation status
• Flight      height, direction, and behaviour
• Seasonal      movement patterns and migration periods
• Use      of foraging areas, nesting habitat, and movement corridors

These studies support environmental impact assessments, turbine layout optimisation, and avoidance or mitigation strategies.

Bird mortality monitoring and compliance

Following construction, we provide operational bird mortality monitoring to meet approval conditions and adaptive management requirements. Our services include:

• Systematic      carcass searches and detection trials
• Scavenger      removal and searcher efficiency trials
• Data      analysis and reporting for compliance
• Advice      on mitigation triggers and management responses

This ensures wind farms can demonstrate compliance with approval conditions and minimise impacts on avifauna.

Bat Utilisation Surveys

Wind energy projects require detailed understanding of bat activity due to potential collision and barotrauma risks. Our Bat Utilisation Surveys (BUS) provide:

• Identification      of bat species, including threatened microbats
• Activity      levels across habitats and turbine height bands
• Seasonal      and nightly activity patterns
• Identification      of high-risk areas and movement corridors

These insights inform risk assessments and the development of Bird and Bat Adaptive Management Plans (BBAMPs).

Best-practice survey methods

Land Eco Consulting applies industry-leading techniques to collect robust datasets:

• Avifauna      utilisation surveys (vantage point and transect methods)
• Ultrasonic      bat monitoring using full-spectrum detectors
• Height-stratified      monitoring via met masts or elevated platforms
• Thermal      imaging to capture nocturnal flight behaviour
• Roost      and habitat assessments for bats and key bird species
• Long-term      seasonal monitoring programs

Supporting approvals and regulatory compliance

Our BBUS programs are designed to align with Commonwealth and state frameworks, including:

• Environment      Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
• Environmental      Impact Statements and major project pathways
• State      biodiversity assessment frameworks
• Wind      farm approval and compliance conditions

We provide clear, defensible reporting and work closely with proponents and regulators to ensure ecological risks are well understood and managed.

End-to-end support for wind energy projects

Land Eco Consulting partners with developers from early feasibility through to operation, providing:

• Site      constraints and feasibility assessments
• BBUS      design and implementation
• Impact      assessment reporting
• Approval      support and regulator liaison
• Post-construction      monitoring and adaptive management

If you would like advice regarding fauna surveys, bat surveys, bird surveys or raptor surveys for your next project, contact the experts at Land Eco Consulting.

Contact Land Eco Consulting for a Free Quote Today

P: 0408 765 832

E: info@landeco.com.au