6608f5d2-5670-4bd0-b10b-c1a4adf9e0a0 eng series ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd +44 023 8071 1840 Quayside Suite, Medina Chambers, Town Quay Southampton SO14 2AQ United Kingdom enquiries@abpmer.co.uk http://www.abpmer.co.uk pointOfContact 2020-09-21 MEDIN Discovery Profile 2.3.8 urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::32631 2009-2016, ECON Ecological Consultancy Ltd., Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm, Ornithological Monitoring during Construction and Operation 2014-07 publication 002 The ornithological monitoring of the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm (OWF) required under the conditions of Marine licence L/2011/00153/8 (updating Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 Licence 33369/10/3) was to fulfil two objectives: 1) Determine if there is any change in bird distribution, use and passage, measured by species’ abundance and behaviour, at the wind farm site, 1 km and 2-4 km buffer zones and the reference (control) site. 2) Validate the collision risk modelling to identify avoidance rates of the Sheringham Shoal Wind farm site with reference to tern species [Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis] in the breeding season. Objective 1 was delivered through a boat-based monitoring programme consisting of 151 surveys spanning seven years (February 2009 to February 2016) thereby providing one year of pre-construction (baseline) surveys, three years of construction and three years of operation monitoring. To enhance the duration of the baseline, a further 29 surveys from the characterisation phase for the site (March 2004 to January 2006) were added to the dataset (total of n=180 surveys) for the purpose of additional control-impact analysis. The quality of the results ultimately delivered by this project reinforces the view from other recent work (e.g. Vanermen et al. 2016) that boat-based surveys may be an excellent platform for studies of seabird distribution in relation to wind farms. Objective 2 was addressed using visual tracking of Sandwich Terns heading toward the wind farm from a rigid-hulled inflatable boat. This recently developed, albeit now widely used, technique has been targeted at terns but is equally applicable to all gulls and skuas. As applied in this study, the technique can provide unique insight into the behavioural response of birds to a wind farm. A key advantage of visual tracking over remote methods is that every aspect of bird behaviour can be observed. Accordingly, the level of detail provided by this study is thought to be unprecedented in the study of the interactions between a breeding seabird and wind farm development. The Crown Estate +44 020 7851 5000 1 St James's Market London SW1Y 4AH United Kingdom enquiries@thecrownestate.co.uk http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk custodian ECON Ecological Consultancy Ltd +44 (0)1603 720 477 Unit 7, Octagon Buisness Park Little Plumstead Norwich NR13 5FH United Kingdom e.skeate@econ-ecology.com http://www.econ-ecology.com/ originator notPlanned Renewable Energy Lease area The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Areas 2012-05-15 revision 1 Construction monitoring Operation and Maintenance The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Phases 2012-05-15 revision 1 Bird counts SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2015-04-09 revision 88 Pre-Construction monitoring The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Phases 2012-05-15 revision 1 Bird behaviour SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2015-04-09 revision 88 Bird taxonomy-related abundance per unit area of surface Marine Environmental Data and Information Network Marine Environmental Data and Information Network http://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/pages/terms-of-use.aspx copyright otherRestrictions copyright otherRestrictions http://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/pages/terms-of-use.aspx http://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/pages/terms-of-use.aspx eng biota 0.828491 1.231625 52.948708 53.182847 2009-02 2016-02 series The survey methods remained consistent throughout post-consent monitoring and were almost identical to those employed during baseline site characterisation in 2004 and 2005/6 to inform the ES4 (SCIRA Offshore Energy Ltd 2006). All surveys were carried out by ECON using experienced ornithologists trained to systematically record seabirds and migrant species using the methodological protocol devised by COWRIE (Camphuysen et al. 2004) following the basic European Seabirds at Sea team (ESAS) method. However, a number of specified alterations, agreed with NE, were incorporated in order to maximise the value of the data for offshore wind farm assessment and monitoring. The movement of flying birds relative to the survey vessel could bias the estimation of densities and therefore two survey methods are required. Continuous line transect observations are used for birds on the water and instantaneous point samples or ‘snapshots’ are used for birds in flight as this effectively freezes birds in space and time. Thus, snapshots are effectively independent point samples along the survey route. The snapshot method assumes all birds are visible to a distance of 300 m (but see Barbraud & Thiebot 2009). ECON employ a radial snapshot method, with radial distance bands, rather than the use of a 300 m x 300 m box, parts of which are >300 m from the observers to a maximum of 424 m at an angle of 45o. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/details/1990/summary A link to the web service or dataset. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk A link to the general host site.