Abstract
This report gives a first summary of results of seabird counts conducted in and around the OWEZ wind farm, after this offshore wind farm became operational in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. Six separate surveys were carried out, along ten pre-determined transect lines running from E-W through a survey area of about 20x20 nm, with the wind farm situated centrally. The rationale for this survey set-up is given and demonstrated by conducting an alternative “quick and dirty” be it defendable smaller set-up (January 2008 survey). Such smaller survey set-ups may yield highly deceptive results, due to underlying larger-scale distribution patterns that cannot be appreciated from small-scale survey designs.
OWEZ appears to be situated in an area that is neither inshore nor fully offshore and this transition zone has low natural (T-zero) seabird densities. In that sense, OWEZ appears to have been situated optimally: low local bird densities mean that only few birds, if any, can be disturbed or displaced by the wind farm in operation.
Some avoidance was found however, but also one species (the Great Cormorant) was clearly attracted to the wind farm, and most gulls seem indifferent. Most remarkably, some birds, of species considered to be highly wary of wind farms (Guillemots and particularly divers) have already been spotted (feeding) amidst the turbines, a likely sign of habituation.