Figure 3 Seabird surveyors during survey campaign, © ESS Ecology.
Function
Ornithological surveys establish the presence and behaviour of birds within the wind farm boundary and surrounding areas. The data from these bird surveys is used to establish the risks to birds that a wind farm may pose.
What it costs*
About £2.6 million for a 1 GW wind farm.
Who supplies them
Suppliers include APEM, ECON, ESS Ecology, FLI Services, Fred. Olsen, HiDef Aerial Surveying and RPS.
Key facts
Offshore ornithological surveying is normally one of the first tasks to be undertaken at a potential wind farm site because at least two years of data are needed to establish baseline conditions given the high level of spatial and temporal variation in bird abundance and distribution throughout the annual cycle. Furthermore, offshore ornithological constraints can have an important influence on wind farm design.
Seabirds, inshore wintering waterfowl, and terrestrial birds on migration are all surveyed to determine how they make use of the proposed area and therefore the different effects that a wind farm may have, including potential collision with turbines, disturbance and displacement, and both direct and indirect habitat loss (for example through effects on prey species).
A variety of methods are available for these purposes, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Boat-based and digital aerial surveys are typically used to establish site-based population estimates and to gather behavioural data including species’ flight heights (a key variable used to assess potential collision). Other methods such as GPS tracking, radar and coastal vantage point (VP) surveys can also be used to answer site-specific questions for example to establish connectivity between a specific breeding colony of seabirds and the proposed wind farm. Increasingly, these methods are being aided by new technologies, such as artificial intelligence image recognition and unmanned aerial drones.
What’s in it
- Species identification and counting
- Impact models and reports