The Edinburgh-based team of RPS Consulting and Danish-based DHI Group will deploy radar-camera-based digital technology on the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) off the coast of Aberdeen in Scotland.It will monitor the flight patterns and responses of gannet, kittiwake and large gulls flying through and close to the wind farm during the summer breeding season. Studies have previously focused mainly on the winter period, but as birds behave very differently during winter and breeding, it is important to capture both seasons.
The research is funded by the EOWDC test and demonstration facility’s € 3 million Scientific Research and Monitoring Programme. The study will focus on collecting evidence on seabird flight height and behavioural responses to offshore wind turbines and the ultimate objective of the study is to inform about and further refine predictive models for collision risk assessment.
