American Golden Plover (AMGP) migrate long distances and rely on important stopover habitats in the midwestern US during spring for staging. Studies of AMGP displacement during migratory stopover from operating wind farms are limited and inconclusive. Steelhead evaluated and compared relative AMGP activity in an area proposed for wind energy development in Benton County, Indiana, which included an Audubon Important Bird area specifically designated for AMGP stopover, and in areas with operating wind turbines. Results documented similar to lower AMGP activity in the IBA relative to the surrounding landscape, and documented higher activity in some areas of the operating wind farms than in the area under consideration for development containing no wind turbines. No evidence of displacement by operating turbines was evident at distances of 100m, 200m and 300m from turbines. Findings indicate that AMGP stopover activity appears compatible with wind energy development.
