East Anglia ONE Offshore Windfarm Generation Assets Monitoring Plan
September, 2016
Natural England Comment
East Anglia ONE Response
EAOL will seek to utilise the previous data for contextual purposes and to inform comparisons, but would note that the inclusion of these data is neither necessary nor critical to the value of the proposed monitoring design.
There is no information in the method statement regarding how the data will be analysed (reference to London Array approach)
The analysis methods will be the same as those employed in the power analysis (see Appendix B). This will take two forms: 1) Spatial modelling (using Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM) developed methods) to assess overall distribution changes; and, 2) Fine scale modelling of bird locations in relation to turbines.
The first stage permits the detection of wide scale effects of avoidance and is particularly suitable for gannet (e.g. macro-avoidance), while the second considers the distribution of birds within and around turbines and is particularly well suited for auks. However, it should be noted that both approaches can be applied to all species recorded. In addition to these spatial questions, flight height data will be summarised and provided in tabulated and graphical outputs.
Question a: are gannet locations and flight heights influenced by the presence of EA ONE? This question needs to consider great black-backed gull and kittiwake.
It is not clear whether the question of whether gannet demonstrate macro avoidance is being tested
It is not clear from the method statement what the size of the buffer around the OWF will be - this needs to be more explicit (inc. rationale)
Question b: are auk locations influenced by the presence of EA ONE? This question should be more explicit (extent to which it can be said auks are influenced in terms of % displacement).
Although the primary focus will be on gannet for this aspect of the monitoring, data will be collected for all species present and this analysis will also be conducted for great black-backed gull and kittiwake (as a minimum).
Gannet macro-avoidance will be monitored using this survey design.
This aspect was discussed in the Aerial Survey Power Analysis report (see Appendix B) and will be reiterated in this report for clarity.
This aspect was discussed in the Aerial Survey Power Analysis report (see Appendix B) and will be reiterated in this report for clarity. In summary, auk locations will be assessed in relation to turbines, which will permit estimation of avoidance distances and from the overall displacement percentages.
2.1.1 Development and updates of the Monitoring Plan 13.
It is important to note that the ornithological monitoring plan will be updated alongside the wider Monitoring Plan throughout the course of the monitoring and construction programme, as appropriate. As detailed in the generation assets DML, the Monitoring Plan must present monitoring details and be approved as follows:
Detail of the pre-construction surveys and an outline of all proposed monitoring must be submitted to the MMO at least four months prior to the first survey (represented in this document); and
Detail of post-construction monitoring must be submitted to the MMO for approval at least four months prior to commissioning
14.
With regard to the first point, EAOL have agreed with the MMO that the final detailed ornithological survey methodology could be submitted outwith the timescales stipulated in the DML. In addition, a detailed method statement was submitted to Natural England in July 2016 in order to progress the agreement of the detailed methodology (see further detail in Section 2.1 above).
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