Hornsea Four Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) Volume 2, : Offshore & Intertidal Ornithology Prepared APEM Ltd, 01 July 2019 Checked GoBe Consultants Ltd, 02 July 2019 Accepted Eleni Antoniou, Ørsted. 31 July 2019 Approved Julian Carolan, Ørsted. 1 August 2019 Doc. no. A2.5 Version A Table of Contents 5.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................9 5.2 Purpose ...................................................................................................................................................9 5.3 Planning, Policy and Legislative Context.................................................................................... 10 5.4 Consultation ....................................................................................................................................... 16 5.5 Study area ........................................................................................................................................... 22 5.6 Methodology to inform baseline ................................................................................................... 27 5.7 Baseline environment ...................................................................................................................... 31 5.8 Project basis for assessment .......................................................................................................... 42 5.9 Maximum Design Scenario .............................................................................................................. 44 5.10 Assessment methodology .............................................................................................................. 50 5.11 Impact Assessment .......................................................................................................................... 53 5.12 Cumulative effect assessment (CEA) ........................................................................................... 95 5.13 Transboundary effects ..................................................................................................................125 5.14 Inter-related effects .......................................................................................................................126 5.15 Conclusion and summary ..............................................................................................................129 5.16 References ........................................................................................................................................134 List of Tables Table 5.1: Summary of NPS EN-1 and EN-3 scope provisions relevant to Offshore and Intertidal Ornithology. ............................................................................................................................................................... 10 Table 5.2: Summary of EN-3 policy on decision making relevant to Offshore and Intertidal Ornithology. ............................................................................................................................................................... 13 Table 5.3: Consultation Responses. .................................................................................................................... 16 Table 5.4: Key sources of information on intertidal avifauna used for Hornsea Four. ........................... 27 Table 5.5: Key sources of information on offshore avifauna used for Hornsea Four. ............................. 28 Table 5.6: Summary of survey data (2010-2018) of relevance to Hornsea Four. ................................... 30 Table 5.7: Summary of existing baseline of intertidal avifauna for the Hornsea Four array and ECC derived from the desktop study. .......................................................................................................................... 31 Table 5.8: Summary of Non-estuarine waterbird peak winter counts for the coast from Hilderthorpe to Skipsea (Source: BTO). ........................................................................................................................................ 32 Table 5.9: Bird species recorded in site-specific digital aerial video surveys of the Hornsea Four study area (2016-2918); key-species in bold. ............................................................................................................... 35 Table 5.10: Summary of nature conservation value of species considered at risk of impacts. ........... 36 Table 5.11: BDMPS bio-seasons (Furness 2015). .............................................................................................. 37 Table 5.12: Average mortality across all age classes. Average mortality calculated using age specific demographic rates and age class proportions. ................................................................................................ 39 Doc no. A2.5 Version: A Page 2/139 Table 5.13: North Sea and English Channel BDMPS population sizes for seabirds (Calculated from the number of individuals at the FFC SPA and the wider juveniles, immatures and non-breeding birds). 41 Table 5.14: Biogeographic Population Sizes (Source: Furness, 2015). ........................................................ 41 Table 5.15: Impacts Scoped Out of Assessment and Justification. ............................................................. 43 Table 5.16: Relevant Offshore and Intertidal Ornithology Commitments ............................................... 44 Table 5.17: Maximum Design Scenario for Impacts on Offshore and Intertidal Ornithology ............... 45 Table 5.18: Definition of Level of Sensitivity for Ornithological Receptors. ............................................. 50 Table 5.19: Definition of Conservation Value Levels for Ornithological Receptors. .............................. 51 Table 5.20: Definition of Levels of Potential Magnitude of Impact for Ornithological Receptors ..... 51 Table 5.21: Matrix used for the Assessment / Assignment of the Potential Significance of Effect. .... 52 Table 5.22: Screening of seabird species recorded within Hornsea Four array area for risk of disturbance and displacement during the construction phase..................................................................... 55 Table 5.23: Bio-season construction displacement estimates for guillemot for Hornsea Four. .......... 56 Table 5.24: Bio-season construction displacement estimates for razorbill for Hornsea Four. ............. 58 Table 5.25: Screening of seabird species recorded within Hornsea Four array area and 2-4 km buffer for risk of disturbance and displacement. .......................................................................................................... 66 Table 5.26: Bio-season displacement estimates for gannet for Hornsea Four. ....................................... 68 Table 5.27: Bio-season displacement estimates for guillemot for Hornsea Four. .................................. 70 Table 5.28: Bio-season displacement estimates for razorbill for Hornsea Four. ..................................... 72 Table 5.29: Bio-season displacement estimates for puffin for Hornsea Four. .......................................... 75 Table 5.30: Screening of seabird species recorded in Hornsea Four array area for risk of collision.... 76 Table 5.31: Monthly collision risk estimates for seabirds for Hornsea Four. ............................................. 79 Table 5.32: Bio-season collision risk estimates for gannet for Hornsea Four. .......................................... 80 Table 5.33: Bio-season collision risk estimates for kittiwake for Hornsea Four. ...................................... 82 Table 5.34: Bio-season collision risk estimates for great black-backed gull for Hornsea Four............ 84 Table 5.35: Summary of Collision Risk Assessment on Migrant Seabirds and Waterbirds from other North OWF EIA Reports. ......................................................................................................................................... 87 Table 5.36: Summary of the impact of decommissioning activities that may result in direct disturbance or displacement from accessing important foraging and habitat areas (highest magnitude shown). ................................................................................................................................................... 94 Table 5.37: Description of tiers of other developments considered for CEA (adapted from PINS Advice Note 17). ..................................................................................................................................................................... 96 Table 5.38 - Projects screened into the offshore and intertidal ornithology cumulative assessment (from Volume 4, Annex 5.3: Offshore Cumulative Effects). ........................................................................... 98 Table 5.39: Cumulative MDS for Offshore and Intertidal Ornithology. ...................................................104 Table 5.40: Cumulative bio-season and total abundance estimates for guillemot from all Tier 1 & 2 projects’ array areas and 2 km buffers and with / without Hornsea Four. ...............................................106 Table 5.41: Cumulative bio-season and total abundance estimates for razorbill from all Tier 1 & 2 projects’ array areas and 2 km buffers and with / without Hornsea Four. ...............................................109 Table