NnG Seabird monitoring study

450MW Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm

Scotland, Off the Fife Coast 2021 - 2024

This ground-breaking study is part of the post- -construction monitoring strategies for the Forth and Tay Offshore Wind Farms (Neart na Gaoithe (NnG), Inch Cape and Seagreen Alpha and Seagreen Bravo). The study aimed to improve understanding of seabird behaviour and interactions around operational offshore wind turbines with a focus on acquiring empirical measures of collision risk and three-dimensional flight behaviour around wind turbines for the key species which occur in the area. A high tech bird monitoring system was deployed to support the scientific delivery of the study. The system consisted of an interconnected network of Birdtrack dual radars with 3D tracking capacity and very high resolution cameras for species identification with AI technology. A high sensitivity collision detection system is also included to assess and manage the bird collision risk.