US developer Atlantic Shores is to research the movement of the endangered red knots bird species off the coast of New Jersey during the latter’s southbound migration to help support the development of an offshore wind farm off the US state’s coast.
Atlantic Shores is working with Larry Niles of the New Jersey-based Wildlife Restoration Partnerships (WRP), the US Fish and Wildlife Service and professional wildlife research organisation Normandeau Associates on the research.
Red knots are a state endangered and federally threatened shore bird, which migrate each year from as far south as Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, stopping in the Delaware Bay to feast on horseshoe crab eggs before going to the Canadian Arctic to breed.
Atlantic Shores and its partners are assessing whether, on their annual return trip south, red knots fly off the coast of New Jersey.
From this week WRP is attaching satellite tags to 30 red knots as they stop in Brigantine Bay on their way south.
The tags will allow a satellite to collect up to 60 pings of information on each bird’s precise location, flight path and varying altitude.
Data will be collected near real-time as it is available via satellite and more comprehensively analysed by researchers and Atlantic Shores over the coming months.
Atlantic Shores, a joint venture of Shell and EDP Reneawbles, will use the data to support the development of an offshore wind project within its lease area located 16-32km off the New Jersey coast.
It holds a lease to develop 2.5GW off the coast of the US state.
Atlantic Shores will also share the findings publicly to inform other researchers and offshore work.
Niles said: “Building a truly green future requires that renewable energy projects are held to a high standard in terms of ecological impact.
“I’m encouraged that Atlantic Shores approached me to launch this study, both to inform their plans for offshore wind in New Jersey and to further our knowledge of red knot migratory patterns.
“This is a great example of how private and public institutions can work together to improve the lives of people and the natural world around us.”
Atlantic Shores development director Jennifer Daniels said: “Atlantic Shores leads with science. Proactive studies like these allow us to produce renewable energy based on cutting-edge, real-time environmental data.
“The red knots study is one of the many ways we intend to use data and insights from the scientific community to responsibly develop our lease area.”