9ccc32cc2b425894982760a76f985b17 English series Scira Offshore Energy COWRIE Data UPloader +44 (0) 20 3204 3200 N/A Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm Statoil UK Ltd One Kingdom Street London W2 6BD United Kingdom info@scira.co.uk www.scira.co.uk pointOfContact 2011-06-30 MEDIN Discovery Metadata Standard Version 2.3.5 urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326 OGP 2009-2010, ECON Ecological Consultancy Limited, Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm, Pre-construction Ornithological Monitoring 2009-01-01 publication 2009-02-01 creation 4859 http://data.offshorewind.co.uk/ The FEPA licence issued for Sheringham Shoal OWF (REF) stipulates that ornithological monitoring will comprise “a Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) and will be undertaken at the survey areas consisting of the wind farm site, a 1km and 2- 4km buffer zone surrounding the wind farm and the selected reference site”.1 Monitoring was expected to identify any possible changes in the ornithological value of the area (since Environmental Statement surveys), and provide an immediate baseline for comparison with data collected during the construction phase. There was also a requirement to conduct post-construction monitoring to provide a minimum of three years data from the operating phase. The following objectives were specifically required by the FEPA licence: 1. To determine whether there is change in bird distribution, use and passage, measured by species abundance and behaviour, of the wind farm site, 1km and 2-4 km buffer zones and the reference site. 2. To validate the collision risk modelling to identify avoidance rates of the Sheringham Shoal Wind Farm site with reference to Tern species. This is to be achieved by a minimum of three years boat-based, plus radar study (and / or appropriate alternative) during the breeding season from 15 May to 31 July. Specific periodicity and geographic coverage is to be determined with Natural England and the Licensing Authority. It was specified that the realised monitoring programme (including both aerial and boat-based surveys, radar studies and any other appropriate monitoring techniques), would be subject to separate written agreement with the Licensing Authority following consultation with Natural England (NE), to be finalised four months prior to the proposed commencement of the monitoring work. In consultation (meeting on 12th January 2009), NE agreed with the assessment documented in ECON (2009) that there was no requirement for aerial surveys or radar studies in relation to Objective 1. However, NE outlined that a full boat-based survey programme across all seasons would be required as this has now become a standard requirement for all OWF’s. It was acknowledged, however, that a review of survey frequency could be adopted at the end of the pre-construction period, with the potential for a reduction in the number of surveys required. In addition to a full program of boat-based transect surveys to provide data to fulfil Objective 1 of the FEPA licence, NE supported the use of visual tracking of terns from a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RIB) as a means of fulfilling Objective 2, focussed on validating the collision risk for terns. It was concluded that this individual-based sampling method was more likely to provide required information on avoidance (both near-field and far-field avoidance) responses of terns to turbine presence than other available monitoring methods such as radar (Desholm Scira Offshore Energy COWRIE Data UPloader +44 (0) 20 3204 3200 N/A Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm Statoil UK Ltd One Kingdom Street London W2 6BD United Kingdom info@scira.co.uk www.scira.co.uk custodian Scira Offshore Energy COWRIE Data UPloader +44 (0) 20 3204 3200 N/A Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm Statoil UK Ltd One Kingdom Street London W2 6BD United Kingdom info@scira.co.uk www.scira.co.uk originator asNeeded PDF Renewable Energy Lease area The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Areas 2012-05-15 revision 1 Pre-Construction monitoring The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Phases 2012-05-15 revision 1 Bird behaviour SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2018-09-07 revision 109 Bird taxonomy-related abundance per unit area of surface SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2018-09-07 revision 109 Bird counts SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2018-09-07 revision 109 Marine Environmental Data and Information Network Marine Environmental Data and Information Network no conditions apply eng biota environment 1.07422162145914 1.22448867986637 53.0961222170913 53.1743332557592 2009-02-19 2010-01-05 Origin: SCIRA OFFSHORE ENERGY dataset All surveys were conducted by a team of three observers, employing the standard techniques of line-transect for birds on the water supplemented by snapshot counts for flying birds as recommended by COWRIE (Camphuysen et al. 2004), but with specific modifications to improve detection of birds, estimation of population size in the survey area and data interpretation. These modifications were developed by ECON to maximise the value of the data gathered. This approach gained general approval by Maclean et al. (2009) in a review of techniques for COWRIE. Thus, while birds were generally detected by eye, forward scanning using high quality binoculars was undertaken to improve detection of divers and sea-duck in particular, that are known to flush from the sea surface at considerable distance from the vessel. Moreover, as many species were present at low density, two 900 line transects were operated simultaneously wherever possible, to improve the probability of detection of rare species and those occurring at low density. Snapshots were taken at specified distance intervals of 500m rather than time intervals to account for any deviations in boat speed according to strong tidal flow. This also meant that a consistently high number (approx. 200) of snapshots were taken in the same locations over time. All recording of birds was undertaken in real time (to the second) allowing more accurate positioning of birds. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/details/1954/summary A link to the web service or dataset. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk A link to the general host site.