Drones are a practical alternative to more traditional methods of counting seabirds for environmental assessments of offshore wind farms, a trial in the UK has proved. NIRAS has completed a successful trial using drones for a bird study on the east coast of England. The innovative study was funded by DONG Energy in order to support the ornithology assessment for the Hornsea Project Three Offshore Wind Farm.

“The breeding grounds and migration routes of birds play a significant role in the planning of offshore wind farms, as large wind farms can pose risks such as collision, displacement and disturbance to birds,” says Tim Norman, Managing Director NIRAS Consulting UK.

In the trial, which was concluded in partnership with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, NIRAS used drone captured imagery to survey cliff-nesting seabirds at Bempton Cliffs on the east coast of England.   Drones an alternative to boats   “Previously, cliff-nesting seabirds at this colony have been counted visually from a boat with such surveys reliant on favourable weather conditions, a factor that has significantly limited the number of years in which complete colony counts have been possible,” says Tim Norman. Click here to read more.