BTO Research Report Number 618 Strategic Ornithological Support Services Project SOSS-02 A review of flight heights and avoidance rates of birds in relation to offshore wind farms Authors Aonghais S.C.P. Cook, Alison Johnston, Lucy J. Wright & Niall H.K. Burton Report of work carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology on behalf of The Crown Estate May 2012 British Trust for Ornithology The British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU Registered Charity No. 216652 The idea and scope for this project was developed by the Strategic Ornithological Support Services (SOSS) steering group. Work was overseen by a project working group comprising Ian Davies (Marine Scotland), Ross McGregor (SNH), Chris Pendlebury (Natural Power, nominated by SeaEnergy) and Pernille Hermansen (DONG Energy), together with Bill Band. We thank the project working group and other members of the SOSS steering group for many useful comments which helped to improve this report. SOSS work is funded by The Crown Estate and coordinated via a secretariat based at the British Trust for Ornithology. More information is available on the SOSS website www.bto.org/soss. The SOSS steering group includes representatives of regulators, advisory bodies, NGOs and offshore wind developers (or their consultants). All SOSS reports have had contributions from various members of the steering group. However the report is not officially endorsed by any of these organisations and does not constitute guidance from statutory bodies. The following organisations are represented in the SOSS steering group: SOSS Secretariat Partners: The Crown Estate British Trust for Ornithology Bureau Waardenburg Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St. Andrews Regulators: Marine Management Organisation Marine Scotland Statutory advisory bodies: Joint Nature Conservation Committee Countryside Council for Wales Natural England Northern Ireland Environment Agency Scottish Natural Heritage Other advisors: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Offshore wind developers: Centrica (nominated consultant RES) Dong Energy Eon (nominated consultant Natural Power) EdF Energy Renewables Eneco (nominated consultant PMSS) Forewind Mainstream Renewable Power (nominated consultant Pelagica) RWE npower renewables (nominated consultant GoBe) Scottish Power Renewables SeaEnergy/MORL/Repsol (nominated consultant Natural Power) SSE Renewables (nominated consultant AMEC or ECON) Vattenfall Warwick Energy CONTENTS Page No. List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. 3 List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. 5 List of Appendices ............................................................................................................................. 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 9 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 11 2. METHODS ........................................................................................................................... 13 2.1 Flight heights ...................................................................................................................... 13 2.2 Avoidance rates.................................................................................................................. 14 3. RESULTS ............................................................................................................................. 15 3.1 Flight heights ...................................................................................................................... 15 3.1.1 Common Eider ....................................................................................................... 16 3.1.2 Long-tailed Duck .................................................................................................... 16 3.1.3 Common Scoter ..................................................................................................... 16 3.1.4 Velvet Scoter ......................................................................................................... 17 3.1.5 Red-throated Diver ................................................................................................ 17 3.1.6 Black-throated Diver .............................................................................................. 18 3.1.7 Great Northern Diver ............................................................................................. 19 3.1.8 Northern Fulmar .................................................................................................... 19 3.1.9 Sooty Shearwater .................................................................................................. 20 3.1.10 Manx Shearwater .................................................................................................. 20 3.1.11 European Storm-petrel .......................................................................................... 21 3.1.12 Northern Gannet ................................................................................................... 21 3.1.13 Great Cormorant.................................................................................................... 22 3.1.14 European Shag ....................................................................................................... 22 3.1.15 Great Crested Grebe .............................................................................................. 23 3.1.16 Red-necked Grebe ................................................................................................. 23 3.1.17 Arctic Skua ............................................................................................................. 23 3.1.18 Great Skua ............................................................................................................. 24 3.1.19 Black-legged Kittiwake........................................................................................... 24 3.1.20 Black-headed Gull .................................................................................................. 25 3.1.21 Little Gull ............................................................................................................... 26 3.1.22 Common Gull ......................................................................................................... 27 3.1.23 Lesser Black-backed Gull ........................................................................................ 28 3.1.24 Herring Gull ........................................................................................................... 29 3.1.25 Glaucous Gull ......................................................................................................... 30 3.1.26 Great Black-backed Gull ......................................................................................... 30 3.1.27 Black Tern .............................................................................................................. 31 3.1.28 Sandwich Tern ....................................................................................................... 31 3.1.29 Common Tern ........................................................................................................ 32 3.1.30 Arctic Tern ............................................................................................................. 33 3.1.31 Common Guillemot ................................................................................................ 34 3.1.32 Razorbill ................................................................................................................. 34 3.1.33 Little Auk ............................................................................................................... 35 3.1.34 Atlantic Puffin ........................................................................................................ 36 1 Page No. 3.2 Avoidance rates.................................................................................................................. 37 4. DISCUSSION........................................................................................................................ 45 4.1 Flight heights ...................................................................................................................... 45 4.1.1 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 45 4.1.2 Aerial Survey Data ................................................................................................. 46 4.1.3 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 47 4.2 Avoidance .......................................................................................................................... 47 4.2.1 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 47 4.2.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 48 4.3 Fulfilling information needs ..............................................................................................