Good practice in bird baselines and collision risk modelling

Why good practice ? accountability reputation efficiency

repeatable systematic representative Indicators of good practice documented

Bird survey design at any proposed development should focus on: Adequately characterising bird importance of the survey area. Generating data that can robustly assess bird impacts for ESIAs and CIAs. High conservation priority and wind-farm vulnerable species.

Displacement Collision Distribution and abundance surveys Generic and Migration vantage point flight activity surveys Assessing negative effects Habitat loss Photo: P. Whitfield Desholm

Early design stage tasks Assess existing bird information Priority list of species Literature Experts Location Assess site Turbines Topography Species specific hazards Assess skills Surveyors Skilled team + contingency Project management Assess surveys required Surveys focused on at- risk species Species Flight activity

Good survey design defines in detail: survey boundaries visit strategy, duration and survey spread monitoring period

© P. Whitfield © D.B. Jackson Collision risk modelling and vantage point flight activity surveys

The ‘Band’ Collision Risk Model: what does it do ? Predicts the number of fatal bird collisions per year for a specified design and number and of turbines Types of Collision Risk Model calculation predictable bird movements less predictable bird movements

Calculating predicted number of birds colliding per year (Band Model) Flight activity at rotor height Stage 1 X Probability of birds flying through rotor being hit Stage 2 = Predicted collision mortality rate assuming no avoidance

Calculating predicted number of birds colliding per year (Band Model) Vantage point flight activity survey data Stage 1 bird size flight speed turbine blade rotation speed Stage 2 Predicted collision mortality rate assuming no avoidance

Avoidance rates Species% avoidanceReference Pink-footed Goose99.8Zehtindjiev and Whitfield (2011) Barnacle Goose99.8Zehtindjiev and Whitfield (2011) Red Kite98Whitfield and Madders (2006) Hen Harrier99Whitfield and Madders (2006) Golden Eagle99Whitfield (2006) White-tailed eagle98May (2011) White-tailed eagle example No avoidance collisions24.97per year Allowing for avoidance0.50per year

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