1. Beth Scott University of Aberdeen Impact Assessment: Research methods for assessing impacts on birds

2. Seabirds and Renewables Not a trade off! Using knowledge of behaviour and preferred habitats to ensure rapid and sensible development Beth Scott b.e.scott@abdn.ac.uk &

3. What we need to KNOW Will renewable developments affect seabird populations? Can devices cause direct Mortality? collision, entrapment, pollution, etc Can devices cause Displacement? Displacement from feeding / reproducing / resting locations leads to increase energy use / time away from nest (adult condition, chick mortality) Can devices cause changes to Habitats? Bio-physical changes to feeding / reproducing / resting habitats in particular influence foraging success via affects on presence/abundance/behaviour of PREY

4. Direct Mortality? Most diving species will come into contact with area of moving parts of tidal devices. Langton R, Scott BE, Davies IM (in prep) METHODS: Direct observation - Acoustic (multi- frequency)? Pressure depth tags?

5. Displacement / Energy Use METHODS: Tagging (GPS, etc) / Radar RSPB photo Ellie Owen GPS tags Rapid knowledge of foraging locations, understanding of routes and time budgets - allows modelling of energy use & population consequences – links to SPA. High individual variance within populations – but also evidence of foraging site fidelity (*low numbers)

6. Feeding locations Most effort so far into Distribution http://www.jncc.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=4564 Know where birds are – but not why? SO can not be predictive or explanatory of annual /seasonal differences in distribution or changes in breeding or winter mortality.

7. Suggested at-sea methods for defining (bio-physical) feeding areas. Tested in multi-disciplinary EU project - led by K. Camphuysen Continuously Record SEABIRD BEHAVIOUR (actively feeding vs flying through) BIO-PHYSICAL (water column characteristic) PREY - Fisheries Acoustics

8. All foraging animals grouped as one predator Abundance high in areas of higher sub-surface chl What causes these patches of chl and can renewable devices effect primary production (+ or -)? Scott et al 2010 (MEPS 408: 207–226)

9. Large numbers foraging only during maximum ebb, only on bank edge, when PREY are closer to surface. Understanding daily/seasonal/inter-annual variance in counts! Embling et al., submitting to JAE.

10. Shear Fast Flow Upwelling Standing waves Suggested near-shore High Tidal Speed methods Define Habitat Characteristics and tidal speeds /directions to quantify species foraging habitat

11. location of shear predators

12. Artic Tern Surface feeder (only during ebb tides and in upwelling habitat 3 & shear 1) Habitat TIDAL SPEED Habitat Black Guillemot Diving bird (over more tidal speeds and within Fast flow (2) and downstream of upwelling (4) Mean number of actively foraging birds IE MaxE DE IF MaxF DF Scott et al (in prep)

13. Methods that will rapidly prove if & how renewables affect seabird populations! Can devices cause direct mortality? Need to direct observations Can devices cause Displacement? Or changes to Habitat? Need to understand WHY birds use that habitat to be able to predict : Device effect vs climate / annual prey effect Seabird foraging behaviour – indicators of water column characteristics. Putting devices in for next 20-50 years – need to work together to make a win-win situation

14. Foraging seabirds predictably in areas of different levels of tidal mixing (log 10 (h/U 3) ) Identify preferred habitat via bathymetry & tides High 4.5 Low 3.2 Intermediate stratification More mixed Isle of May More stratified