Factor analysis of the Wind Farm LLC wind park (Donetsk region, Ukraine) impact on bats based on the index of their activity and dynamics of species diversity

In 2019-2020, research on the vocal activity of bats was carried out on the territory of the Wind Farm LLC wind park (800 MW), which is planned to be built near Mariupol (Donetsk region, Ukraine). There were used three methods of material collection: research on the vantage points, on transects and at a stationary point throughout the night. The total number of registered voices is 1554 signals, 695 of which are recorded in 2019 and 859 in 2020. The article shows the dynamics of voice activity by seasons and phases of the life cycle. Based on the activity index of mice, the dynamics of this indicator by months is shown. Forage and migratory behaviour of bats, calculated by determining the index of their activity, shows the average values. An analysis of the territorial distribution shows that bats confined to settlements and open water bodies. The species composition of bats, identified for 1235 signals registered in the territory of the projected wind farm, is stable and represented by widespread at least 10 species belonging to 6 taxonomic ranks. There were revealed some wind turbine generators near which the implementation of minimization measures is required. In total, according to forecasts, there are 10-16 such wind turbine generators within the Wind Farm LLC wind park. Monitoring the state of bats in the project area both during the construction of the wind farm and its operation is mandatory for the development and implementation of measures to minimize the possible negative impact on bats.


Introduction
The main purpose of the methodological approaches is to summarize the basic requirements for studying the activity of bats for the needs of the Project, which relates to the construction of a wind farm together with ancillary infrastructure including a power transmission line.

Material and methods
Methods for collecting and analyzing information on the behavior of bats are based on national and international practices [1][2][3].

Research area
The research area is located 17 km west of Mariupol (Donetsk region, Ukraine), where the construction of the wind farm is planned (figure 1).The research area covers the entire territory of the Wind Farm LLC wind park together with the 330 kV power transmission line (PTL-330).
The current location of the planned project with the proposed location of vantage points is presented in figure 1 and their characteristics is in table 1.

Duration and survey methods
Detector monitoring of bat activity is carried out within one year from the moment when bats come out of hibernation (March) and until the cessation of autumn migration and search for winter roost sites (October-November).

Main provisions of the methodological approaches
Determination of monitoring sites was carried out taking into account the main habitats presented within the wind farm.There were used ultrasound detectors.Surveys were carried out in the period shortly before sunset and for at least three hours after dark.Three research methods were initiated: ultrasound detection in separate vantage points; ultrasound detection on transects: ultrasound detection at a stationary vantage point throughout the night.
To characterize the Bat fauna of the region, there were used retrospective data obtained both within the project area and in adjacent areas.

Main requirements for environmental safety of the local populations of bats
All surveys were carried out within the wind farm after coordination of the work schedule and basic methods with the land users.During surveys in all cases there were used headlamps with electric light.Duration of surveys did not exceed the time intervals established by the method.No catching was carried out during surveys.Number of researchers was 1-2 persons.Within the project study area there was not found any colony of bats and swarming sites for day rest or hibernation.During the study period certain individuals, roosts, potential habitats of bats were not adversely affected by.
Taking into account the peculiarities of behaviour and biology of certain species of bats, to determine the species composition, vocal activity and patterns of distribution of the Priazovie species, the results of research in the adjacent areas were analyzed, which correctly characterizes certain aspects of the existence of bats at the Wind Farm LLC wind park.

Method 1. Ultrasound detection in separate survey vantage points
The study of territorial distribution, species composition, migration activity of bats was carried out according to generally accepted methods, using mainly their remote component.The studies were performed when bats were coming out of hibernation, during seasonal migrations and in the breeding season.In the twilight, as far as the lighting allowed, visual observations were made, and as darkness fell, there was used a "Pettersson D 240x" ultrasound detector.While driving, certain vantage points were detected counting the number of bat signals received for 10 minutes and capturing geographical coordinates with the "GARMIN GPSMAP 78s" navigator for their further processing in the Google Earth computer program.The signals of bats were recorded with a "ZOOM HandyRecorder H2" digital device.
The spatial distribution and flying activity of bats within the wind farm and buffer zones were determined at 18 vantage points counting the number of signals perceived by the ultrasound detector for 10 minutes of detecting (table 1; figure 1).
All 18 vantage points are located within the wind farm in places with the highest density of future wind turbines in accordance with the planning scheme.To compare the results of the research, the vantage point number 19 was located in the village of Nova Yalta.
Thus, the total number of vantage points, the information from which we used to characterize the activity of bats, is sufficient to objectively assess the status of chiroptera complexes of the project area.Driving the car from point to point, the visual observation, as far as the lighting allowed, has been carried out.This further characterized the altitudes and flight directions of the animals.

Method 2. Ultrasound detection on transects
Taking into account the recommendations of "Surveillance and Monitoring Methods for European Bats Guidelines produced by the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS)", as well as the example of carrying out similar surveys in Germany [4], 6 transects with a total length of 46 km were created within the Wind Farm LLC wind park (figure 2; table 2).Transects are located so as to cover the main habitats.Agricultural lands, which are divided into separate fields by forest belts, dominate within the Wind Farm LLC wind park.In the north-eastern and south-western parts of the wind farm there are ravine-beam systems in the relief and from the point of view of cracks, caves or underground roosts, these areas are not very attractive for bats, but can serve as forage places for animals.Among the transport infrastructure elements, there are two asphalt roads with medium load within the wind farm.High-voltage power transmission lines and a network of dirt roads also run through the territory.The main criteria for selecting transects.Taking into account the approximate standard of 1 km of transects for every 500 hectares of the project area, the transect of 46 km covers about 23.0 thousand hectares, which fully reflects the needs of research.Within this transect there are 18 vantage points, the distance between them is approximately the same.The frequency of detection is determined 10 times a year (1 -start of bat activity after hibernation; 3 -spring migration; 2 -breeding season; 1 -summer period; 2 -autumn migration; 1 -search for winter roost sites).When planning expeditions, favourable weather conditions for bat activity were taken into account.
According to the functional zones, each transect is 100% located within the wind farm.

Method 3. Ultrasound detection throughout the night at a stationary vantage point
There was also used the Pettersson D500x ultrasound detector, which was installed to determine the daily activity of bats on the wind farm territory not far from the planned location of the wind turbine generator № 130 (figure 3).Working conditions.Detector installation height -2.0 m.Parameter settings of the Pettersson D500X ultrasonic detector (figure 3).Duration of detection from 18:00 to 06:00.Frequency of detection -March (1), April (3), May (2), June (1), August (1), September (4), October (4), November (1); total 17 nights.Weather conditions did not interfere with the free behaviour of bats (no precipitation, strong winds, low temperatures).

Analysis of collected data
Data analysis was performed according to generally accepted methods of statistical, mathematical, tabular, graphical, cartographic and photographic processing using the following services: Microsoft Office Excel; Microsoft Office Word; Foxit Phantom; STATISTICA 8; Google Earth Pro; FastStone ImageViewer 4.9 Final.

Determination of bat activity indicators
It is a common international practice to carry out such studies to determine activity indicators in order to assess the possible impact of a project wind farm on bats objectively.Based on the results, the activity index for all bats is determined using the following formula: where: I x -activity indicator for the species or group of echolocation "x"; N x -number of bat flights of the species or group of echolocation "x" observed during registration at the vantage point / transect (or during all registrations taken into account); T -total duration of the analyzed registration at the vantage point / transect (or all registrations taken into account), indicated in minutes.Such calculations make it possible to characterize the periods of minimum and maximum activity of bats for further action and measures for the management of natural environmental complexes.

Research at vantage points (Method № 1)
During expedition trips to the project area from September 2019 to August 2020, 18 detections were carried out at separate vantage points.Detailed characteristics of the obtained field data are given in table 3. Thus, in 2019, 190 signals were received at vantage points, and in 2020 -173.To determine the role of separate vantage points, we'll analyze the number of registered signals at each of them.We will remind that VPs 1-18 are located within the project wind park, and VP 19 is in the village of Yalta (Donetsk region, Ukraine).As we can see from the results of surveys (table 3  and figure  VPs had more than 30 signals.The vantage points that gained maximum values were located as follows.VP 2 was next to the wind turbine generator 57, VP 8 -between the WTG 28 and the WTG 24 (in the north of Manhush and not far from the pond), and VP 10 -next to the WTG 126 near the village of Demianivka.In our opinion and according to the results of previous studies in the Azov-Black Sea region, such a relatively high activity of animals is associated with the close location of the water area and settlements where bats have the opportunity to rest and forage in the lighted areas.This assumption is confirmed by the results of detection at VP 19 near the village of Yalta, where in total 53 signals were registered.
One of the indicators of animal behaviour is the activity index, which characterizes the theoretical possibility of registering bats over a period of time.Figure 4 shows how the values of this index change at separate vantage points.However, international practice focuses on the   As we can see from table 4, the activity of animals, depending on the phenological phase of their annual cycle, ranged from 0 signals per hour up to 10.78 signals per hour.Such indicators are quite typical for the region and indicate the absence of natural and anthropogenic conditions for increased activity of bats within the wind farm.The maximum activity of animals was registered in August (10.78signals per hour) and in September (10.64 signals per hour), which is also traditional for bats, as it is during this period that the first migratory movements and peak migrations for some species take place.The complete absence of signals at vantage points in March, when nighttime temperatures drop sharply in relation to daytime temperatures, is a fairly expected picture, in contrast to the relatively low values of the activity index in April -only 3.39 signals per hour.This can be explained by fluctuations in air temperature and atypical weather conditions (at night in the second half of April, air temperatures dropped to + 3-4 • C).Surveys in May and June revealed no differences from the average annual bat activity indicators in the region.

Vocal activity of bats on transects (Method № 2)
The study of vocal activity of bats on transects was carried out during 12 expedition trips in the period from November 2019 to August 2020.A total of 104 signals of bats were recorded.The amplitude of vocal activity indicators within a single transect ranged from 0 to 10 sounds.
The characteristics of the vocal activity of bats during different phases of the life cycle indicate the absence of periods of unconditional dominance.Thus, on April 13-14, 2020, a maximum of 20 signals was recorded on transects, and 10 of them were registered on the transect №1.This is not a very typical picture, as according to our retrospective data in the region in mid-April, activity indicators are not maximum.Instead, in May the activity of animals has always been high, but within the transects in the project area we can see a rather unusual picture when at night of May, 11-12, 18 signals were recorded, and the next night of May, 12-13, only 11.
The lack of results during the research in March and November is expected, because during these periods bats are not very active and located near winter roosts, which are situated more often than other places in the settlements, outside the transects.A more detailed description of the summary results of research on transects is shown in tables 5-6.Using the methodology of research on transects, data on the activity of animals in settlements and at crossings between transects were additionally obtained.The LunaBAT DFR-1 PRO ultrasound detector did not turn off during the entire route, and the capabilities of the built-in GPS module allowed to "tie" each signal to the terrain.Thus, table 6 presents the results of research obtained not only on transects but also in adjacent areas.
As we can see from table 6, the number of signals recorded in the settlements (Manhush, Demianivka, Komyshuvate) is equal to 60, which is a high indicator compared to the short travel time of these settlements.During the crossings between the transects, 73 signals were received, which also indicates the high activity of bats, but this is due to the presence of two large water bodies along which the expedition car was moving at a low speed.It is above the waters of these reservoirs that bats find a satisfactory forage base.
To reflect the level of activity of bats within the transects, we use not only absolute values, but also the calculated index of activity, which takes into account the detection time.Table 7 presents the results of such calculations.We can see that despite the largest absolute number of signals within the transect № 1 (51 signals), the activity index here is equal to 4.25 signals per hour, which is considered the average result.Within the transects № 2 and № 5, the activity of animals is the lowest -2.5 signals per hour.A total of only 15 signals were recorded on the transect № 6 during the research period, which gives us a result of 5.0 signals per hour taking into account the transect length and the duration of detection.Although this is the highest indicator of bat activity on all transects, these values are average in terms of the possible negative impact of wind turbines on animal populations.
Speaking of the average calculated indicator of vocal activity of bats, we state that for a 46-kilometer total transect within the Wind Farm LLC wind park, 3.85 signals can be recorded per hour of detecting, which is considered to be a low number of animals.

Surveys at a stationary vantage point (Method № 3)
The method of obtaining additional information is to survey at a stationary vantage point throughout the night using the Pettersson D500x ultrasound detector.Such studies primarily provide information on the species composition of bats and their daily activity.In previous years, such studies have given us a complete list of bat species in the Azov-Black Sea region.Moreover, we have consolidated results from the territories of the Prymorsk wind farm (2 years), the Botiievo wind farm (7 years), the Orlovka wind farm (2 years), the Prymorsk wind farm-2 (2 years), the town of Melitopol (5 years), the village of Stepanovka-Persha (fragmentary), the Obytichna Spit (fragmentary).Comparison of the species composition allows us to state a fairly stable list of species, so it is absolutely correct to use such consolidated regional data to characterize the species composition and vocal activity of bats for any area of the Pryazovie region.
For example, the stationary Pettersson D500x ultrasound detector has been recording the signals of bats in automatic mode from 18: 00 to 06: 00 (for 720 minutes).A total of 14 surveys were carried out (6 in 2019 and 8 in 2020).
Analyzing data presented in tables 8-9, we state that the activity of bats in their seasonal dynamics was rather unstable.Thus, in March and November the lowest rates are traditional, but behaviour of bats in April was extremely contrast.Even within neighbouring nights of the detection we can see that in April, 13-14, 106 signals were registered, and the next night under the same weather conditions there were only 6 signals.Sharp cooling in the second part of April affected the results of the detection when on the night of April, 22-23, the device recorded only one signal.Since May, the activity of animals was traditional for the region showing maximum values in September, 2019 and August, 2020.
Surveys during all night allow to give characteristics of a daily behaviour of animals and define periods of the highest activity and periods of attenuation.
Table 8 presents data regarding moments of the first and the last registration of bats according to the duration of activity and shows the time of the median of signals (50 % of their total).
Analysis of tabular data (table 8) shows that half of the sounds heard throughout the night was recorded before 24:00, and on colder nights (March, first half of April, October and November) bats are active only during 2-3 hours, then their vocal activity decreases sharply.In August and September, the duration of the period of animal activity is the largest (more than 8 hours), but the peak of this activity is at the first 2.5-3.5 hours.Such calculations are the basis for specific well-grounded recommendations to minimize the possible negative impact of operating wind turbines and the basis for environmental management measures.

Species diversity of bats
To obtain information on the species composition of bats that occur in different seasons within the Wind Farm LLC wind park, three methods of data collection were used: ultrasound detection on transects, detection at vantage points and a stationary method of detecting automatically with a detector throughout the night.To these data there were added the signals obtained as a result of their recording in settlements (accidental counts), during crossings between transects and vantage points.A total of 1687 signals were obtained, 1235 of which were identified to the species, using the most modern techniques [5].Characteristics of counts, the number of signals of certain species and their dynamics in 2019-2020 are shown in figure 5.
The species diversity of bats on the territory of the Wind Farm LLC wind park in autumn Note: * -night duration is calculated according to the astronomical calendar as the interval between civil twilights; * * -activity duration is the interval between the first and last registration of bat signals.
recorded 68 times, which is 5.5% of the total.Other species were extremely rare and each of them did not score 3% of the total number of signals.This situation is typical for the entire south of Ukraine and the Sea of Azov region in particular [6].
In relation to all species of bats in Ukraine, the bats of the project area are less than 40%, which is a sign of relatively low species diversity.

Assessment of the impacts caused by the construction and operation of the Wind Farm LLC wind park (800 MW) on bats in 2019-2020
To assess the possible impact of the wind farm during its construction, an important indicator is the index of animal activity at the project area.Tables 3-9 show the results of such calculations.As we can see, the index of bat activity calculated from the results of surveys at separate vantage points, at the stationary vantage points and within the transects was quite diverse.
Thus, with a time-limited study of the vocal activity of bats (the first 4-5 hours after twilight) using detection methods at vantage points, the activity index on average was equal to 6.27 signals per hour (lim: 0.0-10.78).During the detection on transects, this indicator was slightly lower -3.85 signals per hour.A possible explanation for this is the presence of repeated sounds of one individual in the records of signals for 10 minutes of the detection in one place, which is almost impossible to assume when recording signals, constantly moving in the car across transects.
Stationary detections throughout the night gave a little more importance, but we should take into account some features of such calculations.Table 9 shows the results of the vocal activity of animals taking into account the time interval between the first and last registration of bats (period of activity) on the one hand, and the night duration (interval between evening and morning twilight) on the other hand.In our opinion, the latter index is more indicative, as it theoretically includes periods when bats are active but were not in the coverage area of the detector.Thus, using the method of the stationary detection, we obtained the activity index which amounted to 12.65 signals per hour for the period of activity, and 7.80 signals per hour for the dark period of the day (per night).
The estimated total activity index, taking into account the results of three research methods, was 6.93 signals per hour, which characterizes the project area as the average attractiveness for bats (table 10).

Research area zoning in terms of bat sound density
To obtain more specific information on the territorial distribution of bats in the project area, we used the Kernel Density method for point objects.The result of applying this technique is the construction of zones of increased activity of bats, both in certain periods and for all observation seasons, on a cartographic basis.Such zoning allows to identify places of potential risk for bats and to provide appropriate recommendations on environmental management and minimization of impacts.The Kernel Density method was described by us in previous articles [7][8][9].

Characteristics of the functional zones of the Wind Farm LLC wind park (800 MW) 5.3.1. The period of leaving winter roosts by animals (13-14.03.2020).
In total, only one signal was registered in the vicinity of Manhush, an urban-type settlement.Bats were not registered within the wind farm, which may indicate the absence of conditions for wintering animals.According to our surveys, the activity of bats in this period depends on weather conditions.In the Azov-Black Sea region in all the areas where research has been carried out during the last 10 years, the activity of animals was minimal.The forage base for bats in this period was also depleted.We state that during the period when the animals leave their winter roosts, no negative impact of the operating wind farm is expected on them.(13-14.03 -13-14.04.2020).The increase in the number of signals, as an indicator of the activity of bats, occurred in the next phenological period after the March studies -the spring migration and the formation of breeding colonies.There were obtained a total of 29 signals, which were unevenly distributed throughout the project area.Thus, 20 signals were recorded on transects within the wind farm, 6 signals in settlements and 2 signals in adjacent areas.

The period of the spring migration and the formation of breeding colonies
The highest density of signals was obtained in the following areas: 1) between the wind turbine generators № 45, 47 and 57; there is a small beam system with wet areas, which presumably attract bats; 2) northeast of the village of Ukrainka, where the nearest wind turbine generator № 17 is located at a sufficient distance to reduce the negative impact; 3) in the vicinity of the village of Manhush near the pond with a large area of open water; the nearest wind turbine generator is № 24 which is in the zone of increased signal density.

The period of reproduction and the peak activity of local bat populations (22.04-13.05.2020).
During this period, 58 signals were recorded.Analysis of the distribution of bats and identification of areas of high signal density show us the following picture: • the village of Demianivka and the forest in its vicinity, this zone includes the wind turbine generators № 118, 125, 126 and 157; • with a lower density of points is the next zone which includes the branch of the village of Demianivka (southwest); no wind turbine generator entered this area; • within the transect № 1 between the vantage points № 2 and № 3 in the wet descent there is a zone of medium density, which includes the wind turbine generators № 45 and 47.

The period of summer flights (08-09.06.2020).
During this period, we have information about 35 signals, 14 of which were registered on transects within the wind farm.The rest of them were in the settlements and during crossings between transects.This number of signals allows to outline zones of high density of bats: • the village of Demyanivka and its vicinity close to the wind turbine generator № 126; the wind turbine generators № 157 and 118 are also in the zone of impact; • the vicinity of the village of Manhush near the pond with a large area of open water; the nearest wind turbine generator is № 24 which is in the zone of increased signal density.• the zone of maximum density is located northwest of the village of Manhush; the wind turbine generators № 21, 22, 23, 24, 27 and 28 are in this zone; • the medium density zones are located on the transect № 1 (wind turbine generators № 17 and 34), the transect № 4 (wind turbine generators № 126, 127 and 130) and near the village of Demianivka (outside the wind farm and transects).(11.09 -19.10.2019).71 signal recorded in this period showed that the greatest density is located in the following locations:

The period of autumn migrations and grouping in flocks
• the vicinity of the village of Manhush, wind turbine generators № 23, 24 and 28; • the village of Demianivka and the forest in its southern vicinity; wind turbine generators are absent.The period of the last flights between roosts and the beginning of hibernation (12-13.11.2019).The decrease in the activity of bats during this period led to accidental registrations of animals.We operate with only 2 signals that did not have places of high density.Both signals were recorded outside the wind farm on the Yalta-Manhush highway.Thus, the activity of the wind farm during this period will not have a negative impact on bats.5.3.8.Analysis of the density for the entire study period (September, 2019-August, 2020).Thus, applying the Kernel Density technique, we will show the zones of maximum indicators of bat activity within the project area.Figure 6 shows these areas.
Most bats were registered in the north-western vicinity of the village of Manhush where the transect № 1 partially passes, and there is a large pond too.This zone can also be divided into areas (subzones) with different levels of impact on bats.The red, most dangerous subzone includes wind turbine generators № 23 and 24.The lower risk subzone (orange) includes wind turbine generators № 22 and 28.The yellow and green subzones are not endangered for animals.
The next thickening of bat registration points is located near the wind turbine generators № 45 and 47 (the transect № 1).
Also within the transect № 1 between VPs № 5 and 6 there is another accumulation of bat registration points, but this zone lies outside the wind farm and none of the wind turbine generators is planned to be installed here.
In the village of Demyanivka and around it there was another zone of average frequency of bat counts.There is only one wind turbine generator № 126, the rest of the turbines are at a safe distance.
The least risk zone is located at the beginning of the transect № 4, near the Yalta-Manhush highway.Bats were found here quite regularly, but this area lies outside the wind farm.No wind turbine generator will be installed there either.

The impact of the Wind
Farm LLC wind park on the life of bats 5.4.1.Impacts caused by the construction.The construction of the wind farm is carried out in a way that involves the location of the wind turbines in the forest belts.The quality of the forest belts within the project area in some places is quite high, so site clearing for separate wind turbine generators can have a negative impact on bats, dendrophiles.

Emissions of harmful substances.
In the open environment the concentration of pollutants is not higher than in industrial centers with a high level of air pollution, where bats live permanently.In addition, during the construction emissions of harmful substances will not exceed the permissible norms due to the absence of stationary sources of pollution and a relatively short period of construction work.There is no negative impact on migrating bats.2. Deterrence by visual effects and noise.Periods of daily activity of builders and bats may not coincide.Humans and bats coexist in large cities, where traffic does not stop around the clock.There are equally significant sources of noise in the surrounding areas (settlements, agricultural machinery, roads).Judging by the fact that we have registered animals everywhere, deterrence by visual effects is not threatening and the impact of these factors on resident bats and migrants is at least insignificant.

Occupation of the territory by the working sites and equipment.
There is plenty of space on the working sites to avoid obstacles.In addition, the distribution of working sites and equipment is insignificant and does not interfere with forage flights of the bats because of the great wind farm area and and big distances between the wind turbine generators (up to 500 m).Negative impact on bats from temporary placement of equipment is absent.4. Loss of breeding sites.The roosts of bats, where they spend the day and breed, are usually located in settlements and farm buildings among the agrocenosis.If the buildings are not subject to liquidation during the construction process, the breeding sites are not lost.Certain risks of loss of breeding sites exist for bats of the dendrophile group (Pipistrellus), when areas of forest belts will be cut down to install some wind turbine generators.This phenomenon is mosaic in nature, continuous deforestation is absent in the project, so for most bats there is an opportunity to find alternative forest belts for breeding.It is for this group of bats during the breeding period that the risk of negative impact is assessed as medium, and it is absent during the periods of migration and hibernation.5. Loss of individuals of certain species.The space on the sites is quite enough to bypass the obstacles by the animals that have echolocation.As a rule, forage migrations were registered at altitudes not exceeding 20 m and this altitude interval is safe for bats.Migrants are represented by widespread species and the loss of individuals, which in one way or another occurs in nature, will not lead to a critical status of populations as a whole.The negative impact on migrating bats is characterized as low.Thus, the impact on bats during the construction of the wind farm is from medium to minimal, and after this short period it is absent.

Impacts caused by equipment
1. Long occupation of the territory and change of characteristics of the territory.Among the equipment used in the construction of the wind farm and its infrastructure, heavy machinery (trucks, tractors, cranes, etc.), cars, and storage of construction materials can impact on bats.These types of work are accompanied by the formation of large amounts of dust, which can be an obstacle for bats if the work is carried out at night.According to our surveys, the night work at the already built megawatt-class wind farms lasted a short period of time and was limited to small sites.Thus, the negative impact on bats during foraging had signs of medium level, and for breeding individuals it was insignificant.2. Deterrence by mast vertical structures.A high-voltage power transmission line runs near the wind farm.Visual and detective surveys did not reveal a negative impact on migrating bats from both vertical structures (supports) and horizontal ones (electric wires).The influence of dense power transmission lines in settlements, which are the main habitats of bats, has not been recorded either.There is enough space on the wind farm and in the buffer zones to bypass the barriers by animals that have echolocation and are easy to maneuver amid obstacles.There is no negative impact on bats that make forage and migration flights.3. Barrier effect and obstacles for flight.Bats do not have a well-established narrow forage migratory corridor, their movements depend more on a satisfactory forage base (insects), which, in turn, is directly related to crop rotations in agrocenoses.There is a certain element of a chaotic movement of bats through the wind farm.The distance between the wind turbine generators is from 550 meters and more, and does not constitute any barrier effect for small animals, like bats, which have echolocation and are easy to maneuver even in forests.Obstacles to the flight from the construction of the power transmission line are also minimal, as the power transmission lines of different capacities are laid throughout the region, and no negative impact on the bat population has been established.
The negative impact on bats is low, and during their reproductive cycles it is absent.

Impacts caused by the operation of the wind farm (at the level of forecasts)
1. Deterrence due to the rotor movement, flickering shadows, glare of light.The analysis of researches shows that the altitude interval within the wind farm during the forage flights for the vast majority of bats does not exceed 20 m.Deterrence due to the rotor movement, flickering shadows and glare of light according to our surveys are not recorded.Thus, the negative impact due to the rotor movement, flickering shadows, glare of light effects is estimated to be low.The effect of these factors require further study, but surveys show that they are characterized as low and this is due to the small number and vocal activity of bats during the main reproductive cycles.2. Additional development of the territory.Potentially, bats can use various niches in the wind farm structures and technical constructions for day roosts.The negative impact on bats is estimated to be low.3. Disturbance due to the night illumination.Bats, on the one hand, avoid light and, on the other hand, hunt near lanterns which attract insects with their light.Within the wind farm, night illumination is localized at amplifying stations, offices and other infrastructure buildings, as well as at the wind turbine generators (at altitudes above 100 m).In the settlements it is proved that near the illuminated areas the vocal activity of bats is higher than near the unlit ones.Disturbance due to night illumination is unknown.The negative impact on bats is low.4. Collision with wind turbine generators.The low number of bats in the local group, insignificant forage movements on the territory of the wind farm, the lack of transit migration routes give grounds to assess the impact of this factor as low.However, according to the literature, cases of collisions of bats with wind turbine generators are known for the entire species spectrum of animals encountered in the study area, and this makes them potentially dangerous animals.After the commissioning of the wind farm, the effect of this factor should be studied additionally.The probability of collisions of bats with wind turbine generators is prognostically left at the average level of danger.

Conclusion
Thus, a comparison of the data obtained in autumn 2019 and in 2020 concerning the study of foraging behaviour and vocal activity of bats allows us to draw the following conclusions: projected wind farm, is stable and represented by widespread at least 10 species belonging to 6 taxonomic ranks.The undisputed dominant was Pipistrellus kuhlii, the part of which was 61.1% of the whole complex.According to the Eurobat commission, this species is in the group with a low risk of collisions with wind turbine generators, while Nyctalus noctula with 138 signals, or 11.2% of the whole bat complex, has a high risk of falling under a moving rotor.6.There are no species of the category "endangered" among the identified bats.The distribution areas of all species of the project area are quite wide.Within the Wind Farm LLC wind park there are no endemic species or unique habitats of their existence.7. Analysis of the bat distribution, carried out by the Kernel Density method, revealed several areas of the increased activity of animals.Most bats were attracted to the settlements (Manhush, Demianivka, Ukrainka) and to open waters.There were revealed some wind turbine generators near which the implementation of minimization measures is required.In total, according to forecasts, there are 10-16 such wind turbine generators within the Wind Farm LLC wind park 800 MW.
We state that the construction and operation of the Wind Farm LLC wind park at the level of objective forecasts will not have a negative impact on the bat populations of the study area.
Monitoring the state of bats in the project area both during the construction of the wind farm and its operation is mandatory for the development and implementation of measures to minimize the possible negative impact on bats.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Location of bat detector vantage points within the Wind Farm LLC wind park (a white line -wind farm boundaries; grey circle is a wind turbine generator (WTG); white circle are the bat detector vantage points).

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Location of transects (a double white line) for detection of the vocal activity of bats within the Wind Farm LLC wind park (a white line) in comparison with vantage points (1-18).

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Installation location of the Pettersson D500x ultrasound detector and its settings.
4), in 2019-2020 the total number of recorded signals of bats was in the range of 6-35, on average 17.22 signals for a vantage point.At five points the total number of signals was less than 10, at 8 VPs it reached 11-20 signals, two points showed a result of 21 and 22 signals and 3 .1088/1755-1315/1254/1/012021 8

Figure 4 .
Figure 4.The ratio of the survey duration to the number of signals and the index of bat activity at the vantage points of the Wind Farm LLC wind park in autumn 2019 and in 2020.
15-16.08.2020).The maximum indicators of the vocal activity were obtained during the beginning of autumn migrations -42 signals.Analysis of the registration points of these signals allows us to show the areas of the wind farm with the highest density:

Figure 6 .
Figure 6.Kernel Density of count points of bats within the Wind Farm LLC wind park in autumn 2019 and in 2020 (12 expedition trips; 237 signals).

1 .
The total number of registered voices is 1554 signals, 695 of which are recorded in 2019 and 859 in 2020.2. Index of bat activity depending on the research methodology ranged in the interval 3.85 (on transects) -7.80 (at a stationary vantage point), and was in average 6.93 signals per hour (for comparison: Myrne wind farm (the Kherson region) -7.14 signals per hour; Kalanchak wind farm (the Kherson region) -6.62 signals per hour; Overianivka and Novotroitsk wind farms (the Kherson region) -10.53 signals per hour; Prymorsk wind farm (the Zaporizhzhia region) -7.07 signals per hour; Prymorsk-2 wind farm (the Zaporizhzhia region) -8.10 signals per hour; Botiievo(the Zaporizhzhia region) -6.70 signals per hour; Zaporizhzhia wind farm (the Zaporizhzhia region) -8.30 signals per hour).3. Forage and migratory behaviour of bats, calculated by determining the index of their activity, shows the average values.4. The distribution of bats in the project area, defined as the difference between the number of recorded signals in individual habitats, indicates the attraction of animals to settlements and open waters, while the wind farm area is less attractive to them. 5.The species composition of bats, identified for 1235 signals registered in the territory of the

Table 1 .
Characteristics of bat detector vantage points within the Wind Farm LLC wind park (number according to figure1).

Table 2 .
Characteristics of transects within the Wind Farm LLC wind park.

Table 3 .
Characteristics of the intensity of bat signals in 2019-2020 at the vantage points of the Wind Farm LLC wind park.
Notes: T -survey duration, min; N -number of registered signals; I x -index of bat activity (see the Method).ND -(no detection) surveys were not carried out due to a sharp drop in temperature and lack of animal activity.

Table 4 .
Monthly dynamics of vocal activity of bats at the vantage points of the Wind Farm LLC wind park in autumn 2019 and in 2020.
YearMonth Duration, min N Activity index, I x monthly dynamics of the bat activity index, which we calculated in table 4.

Table 5 .
Dynamics of vocal activity of bats (signals) on transects (T1-T6) of the Wind Farm LLC wind park in autumn 2019 and in 2020.

Table 6 .
Vocal activity of bats (signals) during research on transects of the Wind Farm LLC wind park in autumn 2019 and in 2020.

Table 7 .
Index of vocal activity of bats on transects of the Wind Farm LLC wind park in autumn 2019 and in 2020.

Table 8 .
Activity of bats in autumn 2019 and in 2020 at the Wind Farm LLC wind park according to the results of the ultrasound detection at a stationary vantage point.

Table 9 .
Indicators of the bat activity index at a stationary vantage point within the project area of the Wind Farm LLC wind park.

Table 10 .
Estimated total index of bat activity on the territory of the Wind Farm LLC wind park in autumn 2019 and in 2020.