Mainstream Neart Na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm Ornithology Technical

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Mainstream Neart Na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm Ornithology Technical Mainstream Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm Ornithology Technical Report June 2012 Brathens Business Park, Hill of Brathens, Banchory, Aberdeenshire, AB31 4BY www.natural-research.org C ORK ♦ E COLOGY Long Strand, Castlefreke, Clonakilty, Co. Cork, Ireland www.corkecology.net Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................4 1.1 Effects Assessed ................................................................................................................................................ 5 2 GUIDANCE, LEGISLATION AND POLICY CONTEXT ..................................................................6 2.1 Guidance ............................................................................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Legislation .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Planning Policy and EIA Context ................................................................................................................ 6 2.4 Designated Sites ............................................................................................................................................... 8 2.5 Data Sources ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 3 METHODS ......................................................................................................................... 10 3.1 Baseline Surveys ............................................................................................................................................ 10 3.2 Data analysis methods ................................................................................................................................. 12 3.3 Impact Assessment Methods ..................................................................................................................... 12 3.3.1 The Approach to Impact Assessment................................................................................................................. 12 3.3.2 Sensitivity ....................................................................................................................................................................... 15 3.3.3 Evaluation of Nature Conservation Importance ........................................................................................... 15 3.3.4 Determining Significance under EIA .................................................................................................................. 16 3.3.5 Overall Significance .................................................................................................................................................... 17 3.4 Assessment calculations ............................................................................................................................. 18 3.4.1 Construction and Decommissioning effects .................................................................................................... 18 3.4.2 Operational Effects ..................................................................................................................................................... 18 3.4.3 Definition of Assessment Periods ........................................................................................................................ 18 3.4.4 Estimation of Potential Collision Mortality ..................................................................................................... 19 3.4.5 Estimation of Potential Displacement ............................................................................................................... 20 3.4.6 Estimation of Potential Barrier Effect ................................................................................................................ 22 3.4.7 Estimation of disturbance from vessels ............................................................................................................ 27 3.4.8 Connectivity to Designated Sites .......................................................................................................................... 29 3.4.9 Estimating Likely Realised Effects ...................................................................................................................... 31 3.1 Cumulative Impact Assessment Approach ........................................................................................... 31 4 BASELINE DESCRIPTION ..................................................................................................... 34 4.1 Survey effort .................................................................................................................................................... 34 4.2 Raw numbers of seabirds in the Neart Na Gaoithe Study Area in Years 1 and 2 .................... 36 4.3 Flight height of birds .................................................................................................................................... 37 4.4 Species Accounts ............................................................................................................................................ 41 4.4.1 Red-throated diver Gavia stellata ....................................................................................................................... 41 4.4.2 Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis................................................................................................................... 43 4.4.3 Sooty shearwater Puffinus griseus ...................................................................................................................... 59 4.4.4 Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus ..................................................................................................................... 68 4.4.5 Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanica ...................................................................................................... 72 4.4.6 European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus ................................................................................................ 73 4.4.7 Northern Gannet Morus bassanus ........................................................................................................................ 74 4.4.8 Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo ......................................................................................................................... 95 4.4.9 European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis ........................................................................................................ 97 4.4.10 Common Eider Somateria mollissima ......................................................................................................... 99 4.4.11 Common scoter Melanitta nigra ................................................................................................................. 101 4.4.12 Grey phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius ...................................................................................................... 102 4.4.13 Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus ............................................................................................ 103 4.4.14 Pomarine skua Stercorarius pomarinus .................................................................................................. 104 4.4.15 Arctic skua Stercorarius parasiticus .......................................................................................................... 105 4.4.16 Great skua Stercorarius skua ....................................................................................................................... 108 4.4.17 Little gull Larus minutus................................................................................................................................. 112 4.4.18 Sabine’s gull Larus sabini ................................................................................................................................ 126 4.4.19 Black-headed gull Larus ridibundus ........................................................................................................... 127 4.4.20 Common gull Larus canus ............................................................................................................................... 129 4.4.21 Lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus ...................................................................................................... 133 4.4.22 Herring gull Larus argentatus ..................................................................................................................... 147 4.4.23 Great black-backed gull Larus marinus .................................................................................................... 166 4.4.24 Black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla .................................................................................................... 182 4.4.25 Common tern Sterna hirundo ...................................................................................................................... 204 4.4.26 Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea ...................................................................................................................... 208 4.4.27 Common Guillemot Uria aalge ...................................................................................................................
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