Advancing bat monitoring : assessing the impact of unmanned aerial systems on bat activity

Abstract

As wind turbines increase in height and rotor diameter, the monitoring of bat activity within the risk area becomes increasingly challenging. This study examines the influence of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) on bat activity and assesses their viability for acoustic detection. While multicopters resulted in a notable reduction in bat activity due to noise emissions, the LTA-UAS, which is quieter, did not have the same effect, making it a superior option for non-intrusive monitoring methods.