Satellite telemetry and digital aerial surveys show strong displacement of red-throated divers (Gavia stellata) from offshore wind farms

Heinänen, Stefan; Žydelis, Ramūnas; Kleinschmidt, Birgit; Dorsch, M.; Bürger, Claudia; Morkūnas, Julius; Quillfeldt, Petra; Nehls, Georg

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.104989

Cited by 24 publications

(28 citation statements)

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“…The mean spring population for the German North Sea was estimated by the present study at 16,330 divers (95% CI: 15,088-17,912) during 2013-2018 when most of the wind farms were built, and 15,942 divers (95% CI: 14,836-17,176) during 2002CI: 14,836-17,176) during -2012CI: 14,836-17,176) during (excluding the years 2006CI: 14,836-17,176) during and 2007 with few or no wind farms built. Our estimates for the early years are thus in the range of the study by Garthe et al (2015), even if numbers from single surveys show that diver abundance fluctuates strongly during spring (Heinänen et al, 2020) and thus, some variability in the population estimates can be expected from different sets of surveys.…”

Section: Inter-annual Diver Populationsupporting

confidence: 53%

“…Divers show avoidance behavior toward vessels at distances of more than one kilometer (Bellebaum et al, 2006;Fliessbach et al, 2019) and show reduced densities in areas of high ship traffic (Schwemmer et al, 2011;Burger et al, 2019). Many studies have been conducted into reactions of divers to offshore wind farms, consistently reporting avoidance behavior toward the wind farm itself and lower sighting rates within a certain buffer zone around the wind farm (Dierschke et al, 2016;Mendel et al, 2019;Allen et al, 2020;Heinänen et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of an INLA Latent Gaussian Modeling Approach to Assess Bird Population Changes Due to the Development of Offshore Wind Farms

et al. 2021

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The utilization of marine renewable energies such as offshore wind farming leads to globally expanding human activities in marine habitats. While knowledge on the responses to offshore wind farms and associated shipping traffic is accumulating now at a fast pace, it becomes important to assess the population impacts on species affected by those activities. In the North Sea, the protected diver species Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata) and Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica) widely avoid offshore wind farms. We used an explicit spatio-temporal Bayesian model to get a robust estimate of the diver population during the spring season between 2001 and 2018, based on a set of aerial surveys from long-term monitoring programs within the German North Sea. Despite the erection of 20 offshore wind farms in the study area and marked responses of divers to wind farms, model results indicated that there was no population decline, and overall numbers fluctuated around 16,600 individuals, with average annual 95% CI ranging between 13,400 and 21,360 individuals. Although, avoidance behavior due to wind farm development led to a more narrowly focused spatial distribution of the birds centered in the persistent high concentration zone in the Eastern German Bight Special Protection Area, the results provide no indication of negative fitness consequences on these long-lived species. However, more research is needed on habitat use and food availability in this regard.

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Section: Inter-annual Diver Populationsupporting

confidence: 53%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of an INLA Latent Gaussian Modeling Approach to Assess Bird Population Changes Due to the Development of Offshore Wind Farms

et al. 2021

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“…Red-throated divers (RTDs; Gavia stellata) are a northerly distributed species of aquatic bird, generally occupying latitudes above 50°N (Carboneras et al 2020). This species faces many of the threats previously mentioned (Schmutz et al 2009 and is known to be vulnerable to anthropogenic presence (Schwemmer et al 2011, Nummi et al 2013, Uher-Koch et al 2015 and structures (Furness et al 2013, Mendel et al 2019, Heinänen et al 2020. This aversion to anthropogenic presence could be detrimental to demographic rates, through displacement effects (Drewitt and Langston 2006), but these effects are hard to observe and measure directly, as the birds are often in inaccessible locations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The limited information available on RTD foraging allowed us to generate broad predictions on how foraging behaviour could differ between regions. Surveys of non-breeding season distribution show RTDs tend to favour habitats with water depths less than 20 m (Petersen et al 2010, O'Brien et al 2012, but can also be found in deeper waters (Heinänen et al 2020). Biologging data from a single RTD in the breeding season provided some evidence to support this shallow depth usage, with the individual showing few dives reaching depths deeper than 20 m (Duckworth et al 2020b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and temporal variation in foraging of breeding red‐throated divers

Duckworth

O'Brien

Petersen

et al. 2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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Differing environmental conditions can have profound effects on many behaviours in animals, especially where species have large geographic ranges. Seasonal changes or progression through life history stages impose differential constraints, leading to changes in behaviours. Furthermore, species which show flexibility in behaviours, may have a higher capacity to adapt to anthropogenic‐induced changes to their environment. The red‐throated diver (RTD) is an aquatic bird, that is able to forage in both freshwater and marine environments, though little else is known about its behaviours and its capacity to adapt to different environmental conditions. Here, we use time‐depth recorders and saltwater immersion loggers to examine the foraging behaviour of RTDs from three regions across northwest Europe. We found that in the breeding season, birds from two regions (Iceland and Scotland) foraged in the marine environment, while birds from Finland, foraged predominantly in freshwater. Most of the differences in diving characteristics were at least partly explained by differences in foraging habitat. Additionally, while time spent foraging did not change through the breeding season, dives generally became more pelagic and less benthic over the season, suggesting RTDs either switched prey or followed vertical prey movements, rather than increasing foraging effort. There was a preference for foraging in daylight over crepuscular hours, with a stronger effect at two of the three sites. Overall, we provide the first investigation of RTD foraging and diving behaviour from multiple geographic regions and demonstrate variation in foraging strategies in this generalist aquatic predator, most likely due to differences in their local environment.

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“…They are Arctic or subarctic breeders and opportunistic foragers, mainly mid‐water or benthic fishes in both freshwater and coastal marine environments (Rizzoloet al, 2020). In Europe, they have been documented to strongly avoid offshore wind developments (Dierschke et al., 2016), initiating an avoidance response as far as 16 km from an operational facility(Heinӓnen et al., 2020; Mendel et al., 2019), and may also be displaced by boat traffic associated with construction and maintenance activities (Mendel et al., 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the exposure of three diving bird species to offshore wind areas on the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf using satellite telemetry

Stenhouse

Berlin

Gilbert

et al. 2020

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim The United States Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) has considerable offshore wind energy potential. Capturing that resource is part of a broader effort to reduce CO2 emissions. While few turbines have been constructed in U.S. waters, over a dozen currently planned offshore wind projects have the potential to displace marine birds, potentially leading to effective habitat loss. We focused on three diving birds identified in Europe to be vulnerable to displacement. Our research aimed to determine their potential exposure to areas designated or proposed for offshore wind development along the Atlantic OCS. Methods Satellite tracking technology was used to determine the spatial and temporal use and movement patterns of Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata), Red‐throated Loons (Gavia stellata) and Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus), and calculate their exposure to each offshore wind area. We tagged 236 adults in 2012–2015 on the Atlantic OCS from New Jersey to North Carolina; an additional 147 birds tagged in previous tracking studies were integrated into our analyses. Tracking data were analysed in two‐week intervals using dynamic Brownian bridge movement models to develop composite spatial utilization distributions. For each species, these distributions were then used to calculate the spatio‐temporal exposure to each offshore wind area. Results Surf Scoters and Red‐throated Loons were exposed to offshore wind areas almost exclusively during migration because these species were distributed among coastal and inshore waters during winter months. In contrast, Northern Gannets ranged over a much larger area, reaching farther offshore and south in winter, thus exhibited the greatest exposure to extant offshore wind areas. Conclusions Results of this study provide better understanding of how diving birds use current and potential future offshore wind areas on the Atlantic OCS, and can inform permitting, risk assessment and pre‐ and post‐construction impact assessments of offshore energy infrastructure.

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Satellite telemetry and digital aerial surveys show strong displacement of red-throated divers (Gavia stellata) from offshore wind farms

Cited by 24 publications

References 45 publications

Use of an INLA Latent Gaussian Modeling Approach to Assess Bird Population Changes Due to the Development of Offshore Wind Farms

Use of an INLA Latent Gaussian Modeling Approach to Assess Bird Population Changes Due to the Development of Offshore Wind Farms

Spatial and temporal variation in foraging of breeding red‐throated divers

Assessing the exposure of three diving bird species to offshore wind areas on the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf using satellite telemetry

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