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SPOTLIGHT ON SOUTH EAST COAST FEATURE SPONSOR


AERIAL BIRD SURVEYS IN THE THAMES ESTUARY


APEM Ltd has unrivalled expertise in aerial bird surveys. It operates a fleet of five aircraft fitted with ultra- high resolution bespoke camera systems, as well as a thermal imaging capability.


The company was actively engaged in the Thames Estuary area recently, conducting surveys for Natural England. These aerial surveys over the Outer Thames Special Protection Area (SPA) revealed the highest numbers of red-throated divers ever


CLIENT REPORTS Accuracy is ensured as the images are checked by APEM’s ornithologist and the British Trust for Ornithology (birds) and Sea Mammal Research Unit (marine mammals), before the data are used in consultancy reports to the client. These reports provide essential information on any environmental impacts that wind energy sites and other offshore developments may have on bird and mammal populations.


NATURE CONSERVATION As well as wind energy clients, the company offers a service to statutory nature conservation bodies such as Marine Scotland,


found in one site in Europe, underlining the importance of the Thames Estuary as valuable wildlife habitat.


SPREADING THEIR WINGS Since conducting its first aerial survey in 2009, APEM has collected millions of images and completed over 200 surveys, the most recent of which being conducted over an island forming part of the Hawaiian archipelago. Other surveys include wind energy sites off the coasts of Scotland, England and North Wales.


ACCURATE SURVEY INFORMATION Once the aerial images have been collected, they are analysed by a team of highly trained graduates. Their task is to identify and record the birds and marine mammals to species level using the company’s specialised and unique software.


This software, developed in-house, shows the flight heights and headings of the birds in the survey images. It also uses spectral analysis to speciate birds that can appear very similar in images, such as wintering auks.


86 www.windenergynetwork.co.uk


Countryside Council for Wales (Natural Resources Wales) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.


UKAS ACCREDITATION


In 2012, APEM became the first company in the UK to gain UKAS accreditation for the enumeration and identification of birds in digital photographs.


APEM


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