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Wildfowl migration in relation to offshore wind farms (OWFs):
A PhD case study of the common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Ros M.W. Green1,2, Niall H.K. Burton2, Aonghais S.C.P. Cook2,
Samantha E. Franks2, Rachel M. Jeffreys1, Jonathan A. Green1
1. OWF VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF MIGRATORY ANATIDAE
•Methods developed from previous assessments3,4
•Anatidae = swans, geese, ducks, and sawbills
•Index to rank those species at most risk
•Highlight data/knowledge gaps for UK EEZ
1 School of Environmental Sciences, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GP
2 British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, IP24 2PU
•Observational offshore data of
swans, geese, ducks, or sawbills?
•Data on nocturnal flight activity?
•Concerns about current Anatidae
vulnerability assessments?
3. WHAT PROPORTION OF SHELDUCK POPULATION INTERACTS WITH OWFs?
•Use monitoring datasets to assess how many shelduck make sea-crossings
•Fill knowledge gaps around how many are at risk, and how frequently
•Establish the timing of these movements (day/night and major months)
•Assess what proportion of these may interact with OWFs
•Temporally high resolution
shelduck count data?
•Observational offshore data of
migrating shelduck?
•Shelduck population datasets?
2. MULTI-YEAR SHELDUCK MIGRATION TRACKING STUDY
•~50 individuals tracked (summer 2019, 2021, 2022)
•4 UK sites (Suffolk, Lancashire, Teeside, Co. Down)
•~1 month data series (short-term tagging method)
•Collect data on flight height, speed, routes, timings
4. STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS TO ASSESS SHELDUCK CONNECTIVITY
•Collect moulted feathers from known moult sites
•Produce isoscape for shelduck moulting areas
•Establish connectivity between moulting areas and SPAs
•Assess degree of population mixing within UK SPAs
•A feather based isoscapes from
European coastal regions?
•Do you know someone living
near shelduck moult sites
who could collect moulted
feathers from tidelines?
INTRODUCTION
Images: Jill Pakenham, Kane Brides, Jim
Almond, Steve Cribbin, The British Trust for
Ornithology, and Getty Images
5
FUNDING & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
This work is funded by the Department
for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy Offshore Energy Strategic
Environmental Assessment programme
and the British Trust for Ornithology, with
particular thanks to John Hartley (Hartley
Anderson) who initiated the project.
r.m.w.green@liverpool.ac.uk
@r_green24
OUTPUTS
•Results will be publicly accessible for all relevant stakeholders
•Published as a thesis, peer-reviewed papers6, reports, media articles etc.
•Outputs will reduce consenting uncertainties for shelduck
If you answered Yes! to any
of the questions above,
please come and talk to me
more about the project
Do you know of
any information
relevant to this
PhD project?
•10,000’s of (common) shelduck migrate across European seas annually
•Insufficient data to assess magnitude of OWF impacts on population
•PhD aims to fill data gaps, and reduce consenting uncertainties for shelduck
•Methodologies applicable for Anatidae more broadly
PhD OBJECTIVES (2021 –2025)
Figure from 5
REFERENCES: 3Garthe, S. & Hüppop, O. (2004) https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-8901.2004.00918.x 5Trueman, C. & St John Glew, K.L. (2018) Isotopic tracking of marine animal movement 92e07fac-e009-4ebc-b289-39c8f189a6b7
4 Furness, R.W., Wade, H.M. & Masden, E.A. (2013) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.01.025 6Green, R.M.W., Burton, N.H.K & Cook, A.S.C.P. (2021) https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2019.1887670