3416a5f72f2580780dabd4266d6fb726 eng series Nick Wood RWE Npower Renewables Limited nicholas.wood@rwe.com pointOfContact 2014-01-30 MEDIN Discovery metadata standard 2.3.7 urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326 2007, WWT, Bristol Channel Atlantic Array, Aerial Surveys for Waterbirds and Seabirds in the South West of England and Wales 2008-01-31 publication AA_SouthWest_Region_Aerial_Bird_Survey Data on the numbers and distribution of waterbirds and seabirds in UK inshore waters are required for a variety of purposes, including strategic environmental assessment for the second round of offshore windfarm (OWF) development, the Environmental Impact Assessments required by Round 2 wind farms, compliance with licence conditions for constructed Round 1 windfarms, for monitoring of waterbird numbers and distribution in inshore waters, and identification of Special Protection Areas (SPAs). Prior to 2004, only limited data on the abundance or distribution of waterbirds was available for many nearshore waters in England and Wales (eg Cranswick et al 2003, Wetlands Advisory Service 2003, Cranswick et al 2004). Consequently, the then Department of Trade and Industry (now the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR)), supported by other Government departments, agencies and industry, commissioned large-scale survey of strategic areas identified for the second round of OWF development, plus adjoining areas identified as potentially important for birds. The first comprehensive survey was undertaken by WWT Consulting in 2004/05 (Department of Trade and Industry 2006), with a subsequent programme of surveys from winter 2005/06 through to summer 2006 (DBERR in press). These provided large-scale survey data covering the nearshore waters of strategic windfarm areas in Northwest England (from Anglesey to the Solway Firth), in the Greater Wash and in the Thames (from Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, to Sandwich Bay, Kent). DBERR commissioned a third programme of aerial surveys to be undertaken between January and March 2007, which included repeat surveys of many of the previously surveyed areas and included new areas in the south west of England and Wales (referred to here as the South West Strategic Area). This report provides results from aerial survey in the South West Strategic Area during the third programme of aerial surveys, undertaken between January and March 2007. This report augments the report for surveys undertaken during the same programme in the North West, Greater Wash and Thames Strategic Areas. The numbers of birds encountered are provided, and estimates of total numbers calculated using â??distance analysisâ?? are presented for the more numerous species of conservation importance. Maps are provided showing the large-scale distribution of waterbirds in the South West Strategic Area. Conservation Programmes Manager Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) +44 (0)1453 891900 +44 (0)1453 890827 Slimbridge GL2 7BT enquiries@wwt.org.uk http://www.wwt.org.uk/ originator RWE Npower Renewables Limited atlanticarray@npower-renewables.com custodian unknown .pdf Bird counts Bird taxonomy-related abundance per unit area of surface Bird behaviour SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2019-07-26 revision 113 Zone search area The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Areas 2012-05-15 revision 1 Consenting The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Phases 2012-05-15 revision 1 Marine Environmental Data and Information Network Marine Environmental Data and Information Network otherRestrictions Report and conclusions are in the public domain as a part of the Atlantic Array Environmental Statement. Data is property of WWT consulting Data is property of WWT Consulting and they should be contacted for any access requests eng biota International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas 1954-01-01 creation Bristol Channel International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas 1954-01-01 creation English Channel SeaDataNet vertical extent keywords 2010-01-01 revision atmosphere -7.2676 -1.2404 49.1111 52.1853 2007-01-01 2007-03-31 series Aerial surveys used for this report were undertaken using a methodology developed in Denmark by the National Environment Research Institute (NERI) (Kahlert et al 2000; see also Camphuysen et al 2004). This involved a â??distance samplingâ?? approach (see Buckland et al 2001), whereby the distance to each bird/flock of birds was recorded. Because birds further from the observer will be more difficult to detect, recording of distance allows the number of missed birds to be estimated. This approach allows statistical analyses of the data (eg confidence limits to be calculated for estimates of numbers) that are not possible with data collected using previous aerial survey methods. Furthermore, using a combination of the time at which birds were encountered and the track flown by the plane (recorded using a Global Positioning System (GPS)), the locations of observed birds can be calculated with considerable accuracy (in most cases, to within a few hundred metres). Aerial surveys were undertaken by WWT Consulting using experienced observers who have undertaken aerial surveys previously for many of the OWF sites and to identify sites for potential classification as SPAs in the UK between 2001/02 and 2005/06. A series of north-south transects spaced 2 km apart was designed to cover nearshore waters. Transects that run north-south reduce the effect of glare during the survey, thus aiding the detection and identification of birds. The transects are assigned to flying blocks, which represent the optimal length of survey (approximately 600 km). For the 2007 programme, any transects used in previous large-scale or regional surveys were retained to enable comparison of data with previous results. Consequently, transects in areas covered for the first time in 2007 were created by extension of those already in use. In the South West Strategic Area, one survey block on the south coast of Wales, SW3, had been partly surveyed previously, so this was incorporated in the new block design. For ease of planning the north-south transects followed northings of the GB Ordnance Survey grid. For each bird or flock of birds, the species, number, behaviour, distance band and the time at which it was perpendicular to the flight path of the plane were recorded using a dictaphone. Using a clinometer, birds were located in one of four distance bands covering an area from 44 m to 1,000 m either the side of the plane (Figure i); birds beyond 1,000 m from the flight path of the plane were not recorded. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/details/2635/summary A link to the web service or dataset. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk A link to the general host site.