2433f18e35b572c10579836da863a7aa English series SSE Renewables SSE Renewables dassh.enquiries@mba.ac.uk pointOfContact 2022-02-25 MEDIN Discovery metadata standard 2.3.8 urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326 2016; Royal Haskoning DHV, ESS Ecology, BioSS; Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm; Final Ornithological Monitoring Report 2016-12-19 publication 2016-12-19 revision PB4358 As the final report for the ornithological monitoring programme at Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm (GGOWF), this report provides the collation, analysis and presentation of the full survey data from the monitoring programme. The monitoring programme covers the period from April 2004 to August 2015 and encompasses preconstruction, construction and post-construction periods of the wind farm development (with a break in survey coverage from May 2006 to May 2008). The findings reported here are intended to meet the ornithological monitoring objectives of the Marine Licence. These findings supersede those presented in previous annual reports for the GGOWF monitoring programme. Royal Haskoning (UK Head Office) Data Officer +44 (0)1733 334455 +44 (0)1733 262243 Rightwell House Bretton Peterborough PE3 8DW dassh.enquiries@mba.ac.uk originator The Crown Estate +44 020 7851 5000 16 New Burlington Place London W1S 2HX enquiries@thecrownestate.co.uk custodian notPlanned Marine Environmental Data and Information Network NDGO0005 Species distribution GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2008-01-06 revision Bird counts Bird behaviour SeaDataNet P021 parameter discovery vocabulary 2009-11-16 revision https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/content/info/faq otherRestrictions Publicly available English biota International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas 1954-01-01 creation North Sea SeaDataNet vertical extent keywords 2010-01-01 revision troposphere 1.8500 2.0000 51.7200 51.9800 2004-04-01 2015-08-31 The Crown Estate +44 020 7851 5000 16 New Burlington Place London W1S 2HX enquiries@thecrownestate.co.uk distributor https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/details/3524/summary A link to the web service or dataset. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk A link to the general host site. series Surveys were undertaken following standard methods (Komdeur et al. 1992, Camphuysen et al. 2004). Thus, parallel transect routes were followed (Figure 4.2) using a vessel that met the recommendations of COWRIE for speed (5 – 15 knots),length (20 – 100m)2 and height of viewing platform (5 – 25m). Survey vessels were fitted with a Differential Global Position System (DGPS) and appropriate equipment to enable automated logging of the vessel’s position at 30 second intervals. A minimum of three surveyors were present on all surveys, to enable rotation of duties and to ensure that observer fatigue was minimised. On some surveys one additional surveyor was available to observe migratory species (in spring and autumn) and/or to undertake continual forward scanning to detect birds that were flushed from the sea surface. The times recorded on the surveyors’ watches were synchronised with the vessel’s DGPS (as well as hand-held back-up GPS units) prior to the start of each survey. Counts and associated observations were made for all species recorded during the surveys. For birds on the water, records were assigned to standard distance bands (as estimated by eye with the aid of a measuring stick as per Komdeur 1992) out from the strip transect - i.e. 0 – 50m, 50 – 100m, 100 – 200m, 200 – 300m and >300m (Camphuysen et al. 2004). These counts were conducted by two observers each operating on different sides of the vessel, with a 90o scan on each side. Only the records from the first four distance bands were used in subsequent analyses to estimate the densities of birds on the water (see Section 4.2). For birds in flight, numbers were recorded within ‘snapshots’ (Komdeur et al. 1992, Camphuysen et al. 2004). ‘Snapshot’ counts involved splitting the time ‘in transect’ into one-minute intervals, and each observer recording the numbers of each species observed in flight over a 300m x 300m square (within a combined 180o scan) at the end of each interval. To account for effects of variation in boat speed on the coverage by the ‘snapshot’ counts, the actual time the vessel spent in each reporting region was calculated and used to estimate the number of ‘snapshot’ samples recorded within each reporting region on each survey. This ensured that area sampled by the ‘snapshots’ was correctly scaled. In addition to recording the numbers of each bird species, flight height and direction and other general behaviour (e.g. foraging) were recorded during surveys. As for the distance bands for birds on the water, flight heights were estimated by eye, assigning each bird in flight to the nearest 5m height band. Flight heights considered to be more than 40m above sea level (asl) were not differentiated in surveys before February 2009, but subsequently were estimated to the nearest 10m. Following the installation of WTGs (with the first 104 installed between June 2010 and April 2011), surveyors were able to visually calibrate their flight height estimates against WTG features of known height. It is possible that this may have led to increased accuracy of flight height estimation compared to the pre-construction surveys.