c695b912-6f3c-4cb8-b995-1042c621131f eng 10234 series RPS Energy sharpst@rpsgroup.com pointOfContact 2018-04-25 MEDIN Discovery Profile 2.3.8 urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4236 2006, Environmentally Sustainable Systems Ltd., Kentish Flats Offshore Wind Farm, Fourth Ornithological Monitoring Report 2007-06-19 publication 10236 This Fourth Ornithological Monitoring report which covers Year 5 of an ongoing monitoring programme, presents and analyses the results of the 16 boat surveys from 7th December 2005 to 1st December 2006 for the Kentish Flats Wind Farm, and aerial data collected over four surveys from December 2005 to February 2006 in the area surrounding the wind farm. The purpose of this report is to meet the FEPA license monitoring requirements determined by DEFRA (following advice from English Nature, now Natural England) as a planning consent condition for the construction of the Kentish Flats project. Population estimates with means and standard errors for the wind farm site and buffer zone and for the control site have been calculated using the data collected during each of the 90 boat surveys since October 2001. Standard errors have been updated and improved by the larger (5-year) dataset. Relative abundance indices have been calculated with standard errors for all WWT aerial surveys covering Kentish Flats. The statistical comparisons of the boat and aerial survey data have not revealed any statistically significant changes in the abundances of bird populations (FEPA Objective 1) between the preconstruction, construction and operational periods. In particular the aerial data analyses provided no evidence of displacement of birds from the region that includes the Kentish Flats wind farm. As in previous years the boat analyses are somewhat restricted by the lack of comparable data from the control area, especially during the peak diver period, and the lack of consistency in the dates on which surveys were completed, together with the natural and in some cases extensive seasonal and interannual variation in the numbers and distributions of bird populations. Patterns of use and passage in and around the Kentish Flats wind farm, revealed by the mapped distributions of birds seen, do show some changes between years but in most cases it is not possible to attribute these changes to the construction or operation of the wind farm. In particular it is apparent that divers have not been seen within the wind farm site during the current reporting period and this may indicate some displacement of divers from the Kentish Flats wind turbine array. While no divers were seen within the operational wind farm a number were seen in flight or on the water very close to the outside edge of the wind farm, (some sitting less than 100m from a turbine). Even though no changes in bird abundance were statistically significant, the density estimates and mapped distributions suggest that the numbers of redthroated divers were lower during the operational phase than during pre-construction. Cormorant numbers were lower between December and April since the wind farm became operational, but not at other times of year. Lesser black-backed gull numbers in February were lower in the construction and operational phases. There were suggestions of differences in other months for this species and possible reductions for greater black-backed and herring gulls, but no consistent patterns were detected. Gannet and common tern numbers show no evidence of changes. As in the previous reporting period there was a suggestion from the surveyors reports that fewer common tern flights passed through the wind farm site (although no statistical difference in populations is apparent). The numbers of guillemot appear to be lower since the wind farm became operational. Vattenfall MDE@vattenfall.com custodian Environmentally Sustainable Systems Ltd. paul @environmentallysustainablesystems.com originator asNeeded Bird taxonomy-related abundance per unit area of surface SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2018-01-12 revision 106 Post-Construction monitoring The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Phases 2012-05-15 revision 1 Renewable Energy Lease area The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Areas 2012-05-15 revision 1 Bird counts Bird behaviour Cetacean abundance Cetacean behaviour Seal abundance Seal behaviour SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2017-09-06 revision 103 Marine Environmental Data and Information Network Marine Environmental Data and Information Network Data is freely available for research or commercial use providing that the originators are acknowledged in any publications produced. also refer to the T&Cs on the MDE website: http://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/pages/terms-of-use.aspx otherRestrictions otherRestrictions None Data is freely available for research or commercial use providing that the originators are acknowledged in any publications produced. also refer to the T&Cs on the MDE website: http://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/pages/terms-of-use.aspx eng biota environment 1.032700 1.142400 51.373278 51.473833 2005-12-07 2006-12-01 series This Fourth Monitoring Report analyses the results of the 12 months of boat data collected from December 2005 to November 2006 for the Kentish Flats wind farm project, and aerial data collected from 13th November 2005 to 18th February 2006 over the area immediately surrounding the Kentish Flats wind farm site. The aerial surveys cover a much greater area extending far beyond the wind farm site, and are part of the wider aerial bird survey regime that covers the Thames strategic offshore wind farm area. The purpose of this report is to meet the monitoring requirements set out by DEFRA (with advice from English Nature, now Natural England) as a condition for the FEPA consent for the Kentish Flats project. The objectives of the pre-, during and post-construction monitoring program are quoted below from Annex 2 of the Schedule to FEPA Licence No. 31780/03/0, dated March 7th, 2003: 1. Determine whether there is change in bird use and passage through the wind farm site, measured by species, abundance and behaviour. 2. Determine whether there is disruption to bird flight lines. 3. Determine the distribution of wildfowl and divers in the Thames Estuary, covering the Kentish Flats study area. This will include movements of wildfowl to and from the coastal SPA sites surrounding the Thames Estuary. 4. Determine the rate of bird collision at the Kentish Flats site. 5. Determine the effectiveness of mitigation measures implemented during wind farm construction. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/details/814/summary A link to the web service or dataset. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk A link to the general host site.