Zero Eagle Deaths: Bird-Saving Tech Shines at Tasmanian Wind Farms

Jul 10

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Tasmania’s wind farms are proving clean energy and wildlife protection can go hand-in-hand — thanks to cutting-edge AI bird detection tech that's slashing eagle deaths without hurting energy production.

Zero Eagle Deaths: Bird-Saving Tech Shines at Tasmanian Wind Farms

⚙️ How It Works: AI with an Eagle Eye

The 144 MW Cattle Hill Wind Farm hasn't recorded a single wedge-tailed eagle death in over 18 months, thanks to IdentiFlight – an AI-powered aerial monitoring system developed by US firm Boulder Imaging.

🔍 What it does:

Spots and tracks birds using AI and machine vision
Identifies protected species, like wedge-tailed eagles
Shuts down turbines temporarily to avoid strikes

The system was upgraded in 2023 to remove blind spots and is now also active at Musselroe Wind Farm, which has likewise recorded zero eagle deaths since deployment.

📉 Just 1% Power Loss for Big Wildlife Wins

Despite regular turbine curtailments, the impact on power output has been less than 1%. According to Goldwind Australia’s Medard Boutry, the technology has captured:

📸 Over 20 million eagle images
🕊️ 5+ million images of other bird species
🧭 700,000 eagle flight paths tracked

Interestingly, eagle activity around Cattle Hill has increased since construction began — a strong signal that the system isn’t just safe, it’s effective.