Abstract
This document sets out the proposed approach and method that will be used to complete the Moray West pre-construction digital aerial surveys. The main purpose of the pre-construction digital aerial surveys is to acquire information on the distribution and abundance of seabirds within and around the Moray West Offshore Wind Farm Site. These surveys are required in accordance with Condition 25 of the Moray West Section 36 Consent: Project Environmental Monitoring Programme (PEMP) and will be undertaken by APEM Ltd (APEM).
Information collected during the surveys will include: date of survey and time; seabird species, age and gender where relevant; behaviour; abundance estimates; flight height and associated confidence limits (CLs); flight directions; weather conditions and any anthropogenic features. The key species that are the focus of the outlined aerial surveys are great black-backed gulls (Larus marinus), kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), herring gulls (Larus argentatus), guillemots (Uria aalge), razorbills (Alca torda), puffins (Fratercula arctica), gannets (Morus bassanus) and fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis). Observations of marine mammals and other large marine megafauna will also be recorded during the surveys.
The Moray West site is located on the Smith Bank in the Outer Moray Firth, approximately 22.5km from the Caithness coastline (Figure 3.1). The Moray West Site covers an area of approximately 225km2. The proposed site is adjacent to and to the southwest of the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm, which will be in construction during the pre-construction surveys of the Moray West Wind Farm area, and the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm which will be in operation.