ABSTRACT 7th International Symposium on Environmental Concerns in Rights-of-Way Management
TITLE:	Mitigating Collision of Birds Against Transmission Lines in Wetland Areas in Colombia, by Marking the Ground Wire with Bird Flight Diverters (BFD)
AUTHOR(S):	Susana De La Zerda - sdelzerda@yahoo.com Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. Bogotá, Colombia Loretta Rosselli Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. Bogotá, Colombia
Collision of birds against the ground wire and conductors of high tension lines can be a serious problem in some habitats and for some bird species. Data on collision were gathered in a wetland locality crossed by a 2 circuit 500kV line in northern Colombia. After 2 years of study, mitigation devices (yellow plastic spirals) were installed on one circuit and observations were carried on after the installation in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the spirals. The bird flight diverters proved to reduce mortality of birds as shown by fewer birds reacting close to the line, fewer birds flying at the height of the conductors and lower collision rates with the marked line. Keywords: High tension lines, ground wire marking, bird flight diverters, collision rates, neotropics Ref#: 6-12