Camilty Wind Farm - Partnerships for Renewables

Camilty Wind Farm
above), then connectivity between the adjacent areas of woodland appears to be relatively
restricted in some areas.
12.5.58 To the north east of the proposed wind farm site for instance, where the extent of adjacent
habitat-connecting woodland is greatest at approximately 610 m, the width of this corridor
reduces to between 310 m and 110 m for the lower (300 m) and upper (500 m) disturbance
ranges respectively. At the upper, 500 m disturbance range, this effect is made more
significant by the fact that the wind farm’s effective ‘area of influence’ would be located close
(less than 250 m) to a narrow section in the woodland corridor, approximately 400 m wide by
750 m long, which connects Camilty Plantation to West Cairns Plantation (i.e. at NT0759).
As a result, connectivity between West Cairns Plantation and the local goshawk’s wider
territory to the north and west would be limited to a narrow corridor approximately 1.5 km in
length and between 110 m and 400 m in width. Taking this as a worst case scenario,
although connectivity would not be severed completely, the presence of the wind farm could
limit the movement of goshawks between these areas, thus exerting a partial barrier effect on
the local breeding pair and potentially leading to exclusion of West Cairns Plantation from
their foraging range.
12.5.59 This may not necessarily result in a significant adverse effect on the local goshawk
population, as the birds may simply be displaced to other areas of equally suitable foraging
and nesting habitat in the wider area. For example, to the west of the assumed Camilty
goshawks’ minimum core territory there are several extensive and interconnecting tracts of
coniferous plantation forestry which would be located within the species maximum 10 km
home range distance (SNH, 2012a). These include areas of forestry associated with Pearie
Law, Pate’s Hill, Woodmuir Plantation and Worm Law and which total approximately 2300 ha
of forest habitat. As described above (see 12.5.45), the available information suggests that
goshawk numbers in these more central parts of southern Scotland are low, so that it is
unlikely that displaced birds from Camilty would be excluded through intra-specific
competition from birds already established in these areas.
12.5.60 Furthermore, it is important to also consider the effects of forestry activities on the
connectivity of goshawk habitat. In terms of FCS’s current felling plan it is expected that by
the time the proposed wind farm could become operational (late 2016 or 2017) the woodland
habitat along the connective corridor to the east and north east of the site would be reduced
to fragmented stands of mature woodland interspersed by felled and recently restocked
coupes. Consequently, it is anticipated that West Cairns Plantation will have become
partially segregated from Camilty Plantation and the wider habitat to the west prior to the
influence of the wind farm’s presence having taken any effect. With all of the forestry
activities which have taken place in the last year and which are scheduled to take place in the
years prior to operation, it is likely that the local goshawks’ use of the habitat will have altered
substantially.
12.5.61 Therefore, should the goshawk be excluded and displaced from West Cairns Plantation any
effect on the population is expected to be of small magnitude, resulting in slight level of
effect, given the regional importance of the goshawk population.
12.5.62 As explained above (12.5.44), in relation to disturbance and displacement, it is likely that
goshawks would continue to fly between 300 m and 500 m and therefore the extent of the
habitat-connecting woodland corridor to the north east of the wind farm site would more likely
be in the region of 200 m - 300 m in width. Although the proposed wind farm would limit (but
March 2013 12-50 ES Chapter 12
Ornithology
Copyright Partnerships for Renewables Development Co. Ltd 2013 ©