Camilty Wind Farm - Partnerships for Renewables

Camilty Wind Farm
12.8.36 Surveys at Black Law Extension concluded that the site did not appear to be located on a
regularly used migration route or corridor used for local movements. A small number of
migratory movements by pink-footed geese occur each spring and autumn. In winter
2004/05, the existing windfarm was regularly over flown by pink-footed geese roosting at
Springfield Reservoir, where a peak of at least 300 birds occurred in late December. The
directions of goose movements in 2004/05 and 2006/07 did not suggest that birds from either
Cobbinshaw Reservoir SSSI or Westwater SPA were involved.
12.8.37 During the surveys for the extension a flock of 11 pink-footed geese flew over the eastern
part of the survey area at a height of approximately 150 m on 29 September 2006. The flock
was observed to alter flight direction to avoid passing over the existing turbines. During the
spring surveys a flock of 26 pink-footed geese flew northwest over the proposed windfarm
extension at a height of more than 150 m above ground during a generic VP watch on 25
April 2007.
12.8.38 Due to the low number of recorded flights, no collision risk modeling was carried out.
Pates Hill
12.8.39 The results of the winter flight activity surveys at Pates Hill confirmed that the proposed site
was not on a flight path for wintering geese. A total of four goose flights were recorded
throughout the winter period with none transiting the proposed site. Two of these flights
involved 16 pink-footed geese, which passed approximately 4 km to the south of the site. The
two remaining flights, of 16 and 33 pink-footed geese, were recorded approximately 750 m to
the east and 1.2 km to the west of the site respectively. No CRM was carried out for this
species.
Pearie Law Wind Farm
12.8.40 This six turbine wind farm which is located 12 km from proposed Camilty wind farm site, is at
appeal. The ES showed that pink-footed geese were recorded at Cobbinshaw Reservoir in
2011 during the winter walkover surveys. VP surveys recorded a total of 29 pink-footed
goose flights, with 256 individuals passing through the collision-risk volume. Pink-footed
goose flight activity peaked in late September and late January and was otherwise
infrequent. The majority of the flights followed a north-south axis.
12.8.41 Collision risk calculations predicted 2.57 individuals, which constitutes approximately 0.0008-
0.02% of the regional population and 0.008% of the Westwater SPA population.
Fauch Hill
12.8.42 This proposed 23-turbine wind farm lies immediately to the south of Camilty and is
approximately 6.5km north west of Westwater SPA. Flight activity over the site by pink-footed
geese was recorded for two years and the collision risk modelling produced a predicted
mortality level of 6.84 individuals/year, which equates to approximately 171
individuals/lifespan.
12.8.43 Using information from these surveys the assessment concluded that there would be no
significant effect on the large and expanding pink-footed goose population. It was concluded
that pink-footed geese associated with the Westwater SPA would not be impacted by the
project.
March 2013 12-64 ES Chapter 12
Ornithology
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