Camilty Wind Farm - Partnerships for Renewables

Camilty Wind Farm
(ii) For a sample of eight of the above ‘Westwater roost surveys’ (four dawn and four
dusk), simultaneous surveys were undertaken at Camilty to assess the extent of
coincident pink-footed goose flights.
12.2.33 All of these surveys were of 2 – 3.5 hours duration and spanned either the dawn or dusk
periods. Surveys at Westwater were undertaken from an elevated location providing a
suitable vantage point from which to record incoming and departing geese (Figure 12.4),
whilst those at Camilty were undertaken from VP1 (Figure 12.2a and b), and followed the
methods used for the standard flight activity surveys (see 12.2.19-12.2.22 above).
12.2.34 RSPB Scotland also raised concerns over the extent to which pink-footed geese may use
Cobbinshaw Reservoir as a roost site. This reservoir lies just over 2km from the north west
corner of the boundary for the proposed wind farm site, and has been used as a roost by
pink-footed geese in the past (holding more than 5000 in the early 1980s, although numbers
declined thereafter – Mike Fraser, RSPB Scotland, pers. comm.). Therefore, eight dusk
surveys were undertaken between late September and late November 2012 at Cobbinshaw
Reservoir to record the numbers of pink-footed geese arriving to the site.
12.2.35 Full details of the methods for the Westwater-Camilty connectivity surveys and the
Cobbinshaw Reservoir roost surveys are provided in Appendix 12.1.
Assessment of the Significance of Effects
12.2.36 Assessment of the significance of effects on ornithological interests follows the general
Assessment Methodology set out in Chapter 2: The Environmental Impact Assessment and
Scoping Process, and is also broadly based on the staged process outlined in the ecological
impact assessment guidelines from the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management
(IEEM, 2006).
12.2.37 The stages in the assessment are as follows:
• Determine the nature conservation value of the ornithological interests present within
the study area;
• Identify the potential effects based on the nature of the proposed development;
• Determine the scale and magnitude of those effects;
• Determine the level (and hence significance) of those effects based on the magnitude
and duration of the effects on the nature conservation value of the bird populations
affected;
• Identify and assess mitigation measures required to address significant adverse
effects; and
• Determine the level (and hence significance) of any residual effects once the benefits
of the prescribed mitigation measures have been assessed.
12.2.38 Evaluation of the ornithological resources identified by the baseline studies as ‘Valued
Ornithological Receptors’ (VORs) has been guided by the IEEM (2006) guidelines. In
accordance with these guidelines, the importance of each VOR has been assessed in
relation to the conservation status of the species over the full range of geographical scales as
listed below (Table 12.3). These correspond with the categories of importance defined in the
level of effects matrix (Table 12.6).
March 2013 12-10 ES Chapter 12
Ornithology
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