Birds & Wind Farms -high fliers?

Rowena Langston

Assessing the impacts offshore

UK Offshore Wind

• Essential contribution to energy mix, renewables

• Climate change & CO2 reduction

• UK target 10% renewables 2010

• Shallow water, <30m (50m) mostly 5-10km

• Unknowns and uncertainties• Legal framework and other

conservation obligations

Legislative framework

• EU Birds Directive – Annex 1 species, SPAs• EU Habitats Dir - key habitats or species

listed in Annex IV, SACs• W&CA 1981 & CRoW Act 2000 - Sch1 birds• UK BAP - priority habitats & species• Rare & nationally scarce species, BoCC etc• Bonn/AEWA, Bern, Ramsar Conventions etc

• Concentrations of divers, grebes, gannets, shag, seaducks, terns, auks

• Migration & movements along coast• Large numbers of turbines in

restricted area, e.g. shallow water sandbanks

• Habitat loss/change• Exclusion (disturbance) • Collision risk• Barriers to movement

Principle concerns offshore

Habitat loss or change• Small “land take” around individual turbines• Change to coastal processes, including

sediment transport• Potential cumulative changes within a wind

farm• Potential cumulative changes across wind

farms• Concern for species of conservation

importance that concentrate on substrates where wind farms proposed

• Common Scoter

Habitat exclusion• Potential disturbance arising from • Maintenance vessels & personnel etc• Construction & operation • Turbines – visual impact, noise,

vibration (COWRIE)• Size, numbers & spacing of turbines• Onshore research indicates

maximum likely effect ca 600-800m around a turbine

Collision Risk• Generally low collision rate• Poor flying conditions, dark nights with

high winds, reduced visibility in fog, rain • Large body mass in proportion to wing

surface area eg ducks, geese, swans• Species with high adult survival and low

breeding productivity - poor compensation• Age, experience, sex, breeding condition

etc• Concentrations, migrants v residents• Conservation status

Barriers to Movement

• Birds may fly around clusters rather than between turbines

• Size of wind farm and spacing of turbines

• Weather conditions• Energetic costs• Ecological function, feeding

areas, safe roosts etc

Common Scoter• Overwinter at sea from the Baltic to

Mauritania• Mainly in shallow coastal waters, <20m depth• Feed on molluscs by diving from the sea

surface• Associated with clean sand/ fine gravel

substrates• Flightless during post-breeding moult of

feathers• Large flocks during moult and over winter• Sensitive to disturbance• UK & international conservation priority,

most birds occur in only few areas• COWRIE research

Summary• Issues site & species specific• Potential mitigation• Potential habituation• Potentially irremedial problems in

places, at least with present knowledge

• New industry - impacts unknown, -ve & +ve (nursery areas for fish)

• Legal frameworks & other obligations• Early consultation & co-operation• Knowledge

Study protocol• Bird numbers and distribution, timing• Use of wind farm site and surrounding

area• Flight behaviour - direction, height &

timing – diurnal/nocturnal, tidal cycle• Frequency crossing turbines &

proximity• Collision risk• Weather conditions• Collisions• BACI

Study methods

•Distribution & numbers - transects (aerial & ship)

•Site use, flight behaviour & collision avoidance (visual & radar + sound)

•Collisions - remote (radar, IRVC)

Background- Blyth Harbour, 2001

Aerial & Boat surveysAerial• cover large areas in short time• shallow, inshore waters• assess numbers & distribution of

seaducksBoat• behavioural observations• assess numbers & distributions of

alcidsCOWRIE research to give guidance

Radar • Extension of visual observations, day & night• Movements, flight height, behavioural

response• Collisions • Migration studies (military radar)• Marine surveillance radar: vertical &

horizontal• Power: species detection • Supplementary species identification• Need UK field trials

Infra Red Video Cameras • Collision assessment at sea problematic• Remote assessment techniques• Flight behaviour & avoidance response

to turbines • Collisions & cause• Day & night• Assess effect of turbine position (wind

farm layout)• Need UK field trials

Closing points

• Importance of wind farm location and layout• Early consultation and flexibility• Standard study methods for EIA• Before, during and post-construction

monitoring• Targeted research (eg COWRIE, DTI)• SEA, cumulative impacts assessment• Clear planning framework, including marine

SPAs• Future development compatible with

conservation