Presenter(s)

Andrew Heinisch, Aidan Minnick, Megan Stoneburner, Nicolina Valore

Comments

10:45-12:00, Kennedy Union Ballroom

Download Available for download on Tuesday, April 22, 2025

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Description

Solar prairies are becoming increasingly more popular as a sustainable energy source, but there is a current gap in research regarding animal interactions with solar panels. Birds often use solar panels as nesting sites because it provides protection from aerial predators. However, higher nest temperatures can affect bird development with the ideal nest temperature ranging from 36 to 40 degrees Celsius. In our study, we observed bird nests at two different solar prairie locations and both locations had different solar panel types from one another. The first was at Curran Place which has tilting solar panels which adjust their position to maximize sun exposure. The other location was at the Marianist Environmental Education Center (MEEC) which contained fixed solar panels that did not move at all. At both locations we measured the diameter, height, depth and angle of attachment of each bird nest found. Along with these measurements we also noted the species of bird for each bird nest, and we recorded the temperature of several House Finch nests at both locations over several weeks to compare how the temperatures of the nests varied between the two different solar panel types. We found that bird nest architecture is affected by the movement of solar panels: most bird nests had increased height, diameter, and depth on the fixed array. Findings from this study will help fill the gap of knowledge regarding animal and solar prairie interactions and ultimately provide insight into building and structuring solar prairies in eco-friendly ways.

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Project Designation

Course Project - BIO 479L M1

Primary Advisor

Chelse M. Prather

Primary Advisor's Department

Biology

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Community

Feathered Friends and Solar Trends: A Study of Bird Nest Architecture in Solar Prairies

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