A two-year digital aerial survey has so far documented the habits of over 75,000 birds following industry leading collaboration between ScotWind developers.
Four aircrafts flying simultaneously once a month have completed 690 hours of flight time to collect high-definition images across an 11,550 sq km area in the North Sea.
The survey was designed and completed by HiDef Aerial Surveying.
ScotWind developers Fred, Olsen Seawind, Vattenfall, Scottish Power Renewables, Shell, SSE Renewables, CIP, Marubeni, Bluefloat, Renantis, BP and EnBW cooperated to gather the important ornithological data.
The survey was fast tracked by the partnership to ensure the information was collected across two full seabird breeding seasons and has to date been flying monthly for 15 months.
Fraser Malcolm, Ossian Offshore Consents Manager, said: “Preservation and enhancement of the natural environment is a responsibility we take very seriously.
“Delivering this survey with the collaboration of other developers is an industry-leading example of joint working that is providing vital data on bird species and activity in this expansive area.
“It will help inform the Marine Directorate and the Scottish Government’s understanding of the area, as well as providing us with a platform to develop collaborative initiatives for further bird studies and wider initiatives.
“Collaboration in this area has led to further co-operation among developers which represents a win-win for everyone.
“We are all proud to have played our part.
“By working together, we hope to accelerate successful project delivery to help Scotland meet their net zero targets.”
The Sectoral Marine Plan (SMP) published by the Scottish Government in advance of the leasing round required developers to undertake regional surveys across two of the Plan Option Areas, E1 and E2, as mitigation for ornithology risk.
Michelle Quinn, Director, Offshore Wind Directorate, said: “The outputs from this study have helped our understanding of bird activity off the east coast of Scotland for our ongoing planning work and will continue to inform our future planning and consenting processes.
“Offshore Wind energy has an important role to play in the transition to low carbon energy sources and we continue to support sustainable development that considers potential environmental, social and economic impacts.”