The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology is undertaking Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys of breeding seabirds at the Fowlsheugh Bird Reserve South of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire in Spring and Summer 2011.
The surveys are being carried out on behalf of The Crown Estate and offshore wind developers in the Forth & Tay region including Seagreen.
The birds will have a small GPS logger attached to them which they will carry for just a few days. During that period, the logger will record an accurate picture of the foraging destinations of the birds thanks to the high precision of GPS technology.
If you visit the reserve, you may see the survey staff fitting the devices to birds. To keep disturbance of the birds to a minimum we ask that you do not approach the survey staff whilst they are doing this, but allow them to complete their work. They will be very happy to explain what they are doing afterwards. These surveys will inform the environmental assessment of potential offshore wind energy developments in the Forth and Tay region. The work is funded by the offshore wind developers and The Crown Estate as part of a collaborative approach to understanding how offshore wind development proposals may affect the environment of the region. It will also provide more information as to what the seabirds get up to when they are away from the cliffs.
For more information on the reserve please visit:
https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/fowlsheugh
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