Environmental consultancy APEM has kicked-off high-resolution aerial wildlife surveys at Orsted’s operational 573MW Race Bank wind farm off east England.
The company aims to collect over 100,000 images using aircraft-mounted cameras during the summer.
Data will be analysed by scientists and regulators to determine bird monitoring requirements, in particular for species of tern such as sandwich, common and little terns.
Ten surveys will take place in 2018.
APEM ornithology boss Mark Rehfisch said: “Our scientific understanding of how birds behave around wind farms has advanced in leaps and bounds in recent years, thanks in no small part to advanced aerial monitoring techniques.
“This is equally important before, during and – in this case – after construction of the wind farm and we are delighted to be working closely with Orsted to collect high quality data.”
Race Bank features 91 Siemens Gamesa 6.3MW turbines and was commissioned earlier this year off north Norfolk.
Image: Orsted
Bird study takes flight at Race
By EBS