The latest in a series of papers looking at impacts of windfarms on upland waders was recently published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. This paper, by Pearce-Higgins, Stephen, Douse & Langston, aims to draw together monitoring data from wind farms in unenclosed upland habitats in the UK in order to to determine whether there is evidence that breeding densities of upland birds are reduced as a result of wind farm construction or operation. The results indicate that for some species, particularly curlew and snipe, that birds are displaced during the construction phase, and do not return for at least the early stages of operation. Principal Ecologist Owain Gabb considers what this new paper is likely to mean for the industry going forward.
View the article here:
For advice on birds and wind farms, please speak to one of our ornithology specialists:
Owain Gabb (Swansea Office)
Kate Vincent (Derbyshire Office)
Matt Hobbs (Monmouth Office)
Our ornithological capability statement can be found here.
Photograph kindly supplied by Artur Stankiewicz. © Artur Stankiewicz
