Effects of the alpha ventus offshore test site on distribution patterns, behaviour and flight heights of seabirds

The North Sea and its adjacent waters are an area of world-wide importance for seabirds. With regard to the establishment of offshore windfarms, it becomes necessary to investigate the possible effects of these installations. In this project, distribution patterns of seabirds were determined and detailed observations were made on the behaviour and flight heights of individual birds in and around the alpha ventus windfarm area. Data was used from the combined database on seabird abundance and distribution in order to make predictions and draw conclusions about selected seabird species in relation to alpha ventus. A recently developed digital method for aerial surveys was also tested in the course of this project.