Forthbank Wind Energy Development - Partnerships for Renewables

Forthbank Wind Energy Development
disturbance on birds, for example erecting screening fencing and avoiding noisy activities
during particularly sensitive times of year.
Legal Issues Associated with Breeding Birds
12.4.11 In addition to the potential impacts of habitat loss and disturbance on individuals and
populations, any construction work undertaken during the bird breeding season (March to July,
inclusive) carries a risk of illegal destruction, damage or disturbance to occupied bird nests.
The nests of nearly all bird species are protected by the law and it is necessary to take
measures to ensure compliance with the appropriate legislation.
12.4.12 Details of the law protecting nesting birds and the best practice measures to be adopted to
ensure compliance are given in Section 12.6: Mitigation.
Operational Effects
Habitat Loss
12.4.13 There will be no further loss of habitat during the operational phase of the proposed wind
energy development.
Disturbance/Displacement
12.4.14 The operation of turbines and the associated human maintenance activities has the potential to
cause disturbance and displacement of birds from the wind energy development area.
However, disturbance effects will be far less intensive at this stage compared to during the
construction phase. Review studies have shown that in general, species are not disturbed
beyond 800m from turbines and in some cases, birds have not been disturbed at all 30, 31, 32 .
Consequently it is likely that some birds will habituate to the presence of the turbines and that
the proposed wind energy development will at most have only minor effects on the use of the
Forth Estuary and adjacent habitats by wetland birds.
Barrier Effects
12.4.15 While birds may become habituated to the presence of the wind energy development and any
disturbance generated by it, individual turbines, or the wind energy development as a whole
may still displace birds by presenting a barrier to their movement restricting or displacing birds
from much larger areas. If birds regularly have to fly over or around obstacles or are forced
into suboptimal habitats, this may result in greater energy expenditure. By implication, this will
reduce the efficiency with which they accumulate energy reserves, potentially affecting their
survival or breeding success.
12.4.16 The effect this would have on a population is subtle and difficult to predict with any certainty
but is most likely to affect those species which frequently fly through the WP (i.e. between the
Forth Estuary and Black Devon Wetlands or nearby arable fields). However, given the
relatively small size of the proposed wind energy development (an area of approximately 14ha
November 2010 Chapter 12 Page 39
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