Contents: Avifauna S7 - 1

7.1 Introduction S7 - 1

7.2 Objectives S7 - 4

7.3 Legislation, Standards & Guidelines S7 - 5

7.4 Assessment Approach S7 - 5

7.5 Baseline Conditions and Sensitive Receivers – Desktop Study S7 - 12

7.6 Baseline Conditions and Sensitive Receivers – Field Surveys S7 - 24

7.7 Construction Phase Impact Assessment S7 - 66

7.8 Operation Phase Impact Assessment S7 - 66

7.9 Mitigation & Best Practices Measures S7 - 77

7.10 Environmental Monitoring & Audit S7 - 78

7.11 Conclusions & Recommendations S7 - 78

7.12 References S7 - 79

7 Avifauna

7.1 Introduction

7.1.1.1 This section presents the approach to and the findings of the ecological impact assessment of avifauna. The aim of the ecological impact assessment is to examine the avifauna and other components of the ecological habitats within the assessment area in order to protect, maintain or rehabilitate the natural environment. Special attention shall be paid to avoid impacts on wildlife groups or habitats / species with conservation interests including but not limited to migratory birds, breeding visitors and uncommon resident species.

7.1.1.2 There is extensive literature on the potential and actual effects that wind farms have on birds (e.g. Percival, 2003; Drewitt & Langston, 2006; Langston & Pullan, 2006). The construction and operation of commercial scale wind farms onshore or offshore has been found to produce a variety of effects including:

· Loss of habitats or particular foraging areas;

· Presenting a barrier to bird movement;

· Displacing birds from the area;

· Adversely affecting birds’ feeding grounds or food sources;

· Presenting a collision risk to birds.

7.1.1.3 The assessment shall identify and quantify the potential ecological impacts to the natural environment and the associated wildlife groups and habitats / species arising from the proposed Project including its construction and operation phases as well as the subsequent management and maintenance of the proposed development. The assessment has been conducted for installation of 67 nos. of 3MW turbines (Scenario A) and also for 40 nos. of 5MW turbines (Scenario B).

7.1.1.4 For the purpose of the avifauna impact assessment, the Study Area includes the wind farm area and its surroundings to a varying extent, depending on the specific elements being considered. These areas are defined as follows:

· Desktop Study Area: the circled area as displayed in Figure 7.1 to cover the sea area within approximately 20km radius from the centre of the proposed wind farm.

· Field Survey Area: covering the wind farm area and an adjacent area of approximately 130km² for both Scenarios, as displayed in Figure 7.2 and Figure 7.3 respectively.

· Assessment Area(s): the wind farm area plus additional 0.5km, 1km or 2km buffers for both scenarios, as displayed in Figure 7.4 and Figure 7.5 respectively.

7.1 Objectives

7.1.1.1 The aim of the avifauna impact assessment is to consider all potential impacts upon resident and migratory bird species and their habitats from the construction and operation of the proposed Project. In this regard the duration and focus of the baseline surveys was expanded beyond the scope of the EIA Study Brief.

7.1.1.2 Specific objectives of the assessment include:

· Collect information from desktop study and field surveys to establish an ecological baseline for the assessment area. The field surveys include both resident and migratory birds and covered a 20-month period;

· Identify and predict potential ecological impacts during construction and operation of the proposed development;

· Evaluate the significance and acceptability of the identified impacts;

· Recommend effective and practicable alternatives and mitigation measures;

· Recommend the need for and the scope of an appropriate monitoring and audit programme.

7.2 Legislation, Standards & Guidelines

7.2.1.1 Reference shall be made to local legislation governing flora, fauna and habitat conservation. Directly relevant legislation includes:

7.2.1.2 Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) provides for the protection of species listed in ' Schedule 2 ' of the Ordinance by prohibiting the disturbance, taking or removal of such animals, their nests and eggs. This Ordinance excludes fish and marine invertebrates, but does allow for the protection of all marine mammals found in Hong Kong waters.

7.2.1.3 Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) gives effect in Hong Kong to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora signed in Washington D.C. on 3 March 1973; to regulate the import, introduction from the sea, export, re-export, and possession or control of certain endangered species of animals and plants and parts and derivatives of those species; and to provide for incidental and connected matters.

7.2.1.4 Regionally / internationally protected species: such as those species listed in the following:

· International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red Data Book;

· Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES);

· List of National Key Protected Species in the Mainland PRC; and / or

· Species considered sensitive and / or of local / regional / international conservation concerns by published literature.

7.2.1.5 EIA -TM (Annexes 8 and 16); and EIAO Guidance Notes No. 6, No. 7 and No. 11.

7.3 Assessment Approach

7.3.1 Desk-top Study Information Sources

7.3.1.1 A desktop study has been conducted to review records of migratory and resident avifauna that currently or may potentially utilise the Study Area. The information and data sources under review include:

· Pilot Project to Increase Awareness of the Ecological Importance of the Breeding Colonies of Terns in Hong Kong (ECF Project 23/2002) (Unpublished report; HKBWS, 2003);

· Seabird Migration Survey in Southern and South-eastern Hong Kong Waters, spring (HKBWS, 2006) (ECF Project 2005-10);

· The Population and Breeding Ecology of White-bellied Sea-eagles in Hong Kong (Tsim et al, 2003);

· 2002 – 2007 Monitoring Data of White-bellied Sea Eagles in Hong Kong (Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), unpublished data);

· The Avifauna of Hong Kong (Carey et. al., 2001);

· Tern Surveys conducted by HKBWS (unpublished data);

· The Birds of Hong Kong and South China (Viney et. al., 2005).

7.3.2 Approach for Conducting Field Surveys

7.3.2.1 Additional / novel field surveys are necessary to supplement or to fill the information gap of the baseline conditions generated from desktop study. Several types of field surveys have been widely documented (e.g. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 2005; SNH, 2005) and adopted (e.g. NERI, 2000; Seascape Energy Ltd., 2002; Camphuysen, et al, 2004; RPS, 2006), including:

· Boat-based Survey

· Aerial Survey

· Radar Survey

7.3.2.2 Table 7.1 presents a summary of different types of bird surveys with regard to their documented advantages and limitations.

Table 7.1 Summary of Boat-based Survey, Aerial Surveys and Radar Surveys with Regard to Advantages and Limitations

Types of Surveys	Advantages	Limitations
Boat-based Surveys	· Most sensitive methods to detect obtrusive and low-flying birds; · Good in identifying birds to species level · Allow collection of behavioural information on birds such as (feeding, movements between roosts, flight heights), and more detailed information on bird characters, e.g. age and sex.	· Poor in estimating total numbers for large population of birds; · Poor in terms of obtaining a snapshot of distribution at any one time;
Aerial Surveys	· Good in terms of obtaining a snapshot of distribution at any one time; · Allow surveys of large area at any one time; · Allow good estimate of relative abundance and densities for large population of birds across a seascape;	· Poor in terms of identifying obtrusive or low-flying birds; · Poor in terms of identifying birds to species level; · Unable to provide detailed information such as behaviour, flight height or direction.
Radar Surveys	· Allow surveys during night time; · Allow quantification of marked passage movements by significantly large flocks of migrating or moving birds	· Poor to provide information for bird identification; · Sensitive to human disturbance; · Only allow collection of information at fixed points.

7.3.2.3 Based on the results of desk-top study as conducted under Sub-section 7.5, the most appropriate type of survey methodology has been selected to conduct the field survey as described under Sub-section 7.6.

7.3.3 Collision Risk Impact Assessment & Evaluation

Collision Risk Calculation

7.3.3.1 Several collision risk models for wind farm birds have been developed in recent years. Among these models the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) bird collision risk model (Band et al, 2007) is regarded as generally robust and has been most frequently used for several years in Scotland and more recently in the rest of the UK (Madders and Whitfield, 2006). This model has been adopted for this EIA Study as presented under Sub-section 7.8.

7.3.3.2 Collision calculation is based on the worst-case wind farm configuration, being that with the largest blade pitch angle (relative to the rotor plane of the turbine), the smallest rotation period of turbines (the fastest speed of the blade), the maximum bird sizes, and the slowest flight speed of the bird obtained from available documentation or literature. Table 7.2 displays the worst-case configuration for the two proposed turbine options.

Table 7.2 Configuration of the Proposed Turbine Options

Variables	Scenario A	Scenario B
Risk Area of the wind farm (WF + 1km)	34.2 km^2	36.1 km^2
Rotor diameter	90 m	120 m
Number of turbines	67	40
Rotation period	3.33 seconds	4.96 seconds

7.3.3.3 Collision risk calculations have been prepared for two behaviour scenarios: one extreme worst-case scenario that assumes birds take no action to avoid collision, and one recognizing that most birds do take avoiding action (Band et al, 2007). For the latter behavioural scenario a “conservative” 95% ‘avoidance factor’ has been applied as suggested by the SNH guidelines (http://www.snh.org.uk).

7.3.3.4 Stage 1 of the model predicts the number of bird flying through rotors based on field observations. In Stage 2, the model predicts the probability (collision probability) of a bird to be hit by a wind farm turbine when it makes a transit through a rotor. Unlike Stage 1, the collision probability is independent of the abundance of birds (i.e. independent of field data) but depends only on the size of a bird (wingspan / bird length) and its flight speed.

Number of Birds Flying Through Rotors (Stage 1)

7.3.3.5 Under Stage 1 of the model, the amount of flight activity within the proposed wind farm site was quantified and expressed by the number of “bird transits” per season (as defined in sub-sections 7.6.1.9 to 7.6.1.11 the term “season” or “bird season” refer to particular periods to indicate occurrence of key bird population of concern within the Study Area, including migratory birds and breeding birds) within the rotor swept volume (Vr) as follow:

1. Identify a ‘flight risk volume’ (V_w):

This value was taken as the risk area of the wind farm multiplied by the rotor diameter. The risk area was taken as 34.2 km² for Scenario A, which represents the wind farm area (approximately 15.7 km²) plus 1 km buffer. For Scenario B, the risk area taken as 36.1 km², which represents the wind farm area (approximately 16.56 km²) plus 1 km buffer.

2. Calculate the combined volume swept out by the wind farm rotors (V_r):

V_r = N x πR² x (d + l) where N is the number of wind turbines, d is the depth of the rotor back to front, and l is the length of the bird.

3. Estimate the proportion (P_w) of the time that the species spent flying within the flight risk volume (V_w) in each bird season (this will be defined in the “Field Survey Methodology” under sub-section 7.6.1 below):

To allow the use of the model, the point count data obtained from the field survey were converted into time budget data for bird activity in the wind farm area under observation. The time budget (in “bird seconds”) for flight activity was predicted from the survey data collected at the five fixed-point count locations (P3 to P7) at the proposed wind farm. At each location, a circular “visible envelope” of 1km radius was defined by the sighting limit of the observer (assumed as up to 1km to sufficiently cover small birds).

Except for raptors and birds in near-shore area, the majority of birds sighted in the offshore environment (the proposed wind farm site) were observed in straight flight. For a bird in straight flight within the visible envelope, the longest time for it to become lost from the observer would therefore be the time for it to travel 1km. To adopt the most conservative approach in data conversion for collision risk calculation, each single bird count from the five sampling locations was therefore expressed as the time (in terms of “bird seconds”) required for the bird species to travel 1km.

The flight activity (P_w : proportion of time that a species spent flying within the “flight risk volume (V_w)”) was then taken as the bird seconds spent by the species within the risk area (taken as the wind farm area plus 1km buffer), divided by the duration of the survey (assuming a total of 2.5 hours at five locations per each survey trip). The value was then adjusted by multiplying by the overall proportion of the species that were observed flying at risk heights (>30m) to give the proportion P_w.

4. Estimate the bird occupancy (n_w) within the flight risk volume in each season/ survey period:

n_w = P_w x daily usage x site usage

Daily usage by the bird was assumed as 7 hours per day (i.e. the average survey duration of the whole Study Area per trip, of which birds were assumed most active in the Study Area); and

Site usage by the bird species was estimated from the duration of species that persisted in each bird season plus a 3-day buffer period from the starting and ending dates of the survey period. This was taken as the number of days between the first and the last calendar dates for which the species persisted in the study area plus 6 days (as a buffer period).

5. Calculate the bird occupancy of the volume swept by the rotors (n_r):

n_r = n_w x (V_r / V_w) (in bird seconds)

6. Calculate the time (t) taken for a bird to make a transit through the rotor and completely clear the rotors:

t = (d + l) / v where v m/s is the speed of the bird through the rotor

7. Calculate the number of bird transits through the rotors:

Number of birds transits through rotors = n_r / t

Collision Likelihood (Stage 2)

7.3.3.6 The probability of a bird flying through a rotor being hit depends on the size of the bird (both length and wingspan), the breadth and pitch of the turbine blades, the rotation speed of the turbine, and the speed of the bird. Appendix 7B displays a sample of the spreadsheet containing calculations of the collision probabilities.

Impact Evaluation

7.3.3.7 A recognized assessment methodology developed by Scottish Cultural Heritage (SNH) and British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) (Percival et al, 1999; 2001) has been used for this Study. The assessment methodology considers bird issues not to be of significance if either of two positions are satisfied:

· Where no important bird populations are identified in the vicinity of the proposed development, or

· Where important bird populations have been identified but where there is substantive evidence that a significant impact will not occur.

7.3.3.8 Given the recent development of offshore wind farms and a limited research base on how bird populations are affected by these developments the second position is difficult to achieve at this time. Therefore, a precautionary approach should be considered to avoid important protected areas or populations of birds for any new offshore developments. The assessment methodology developed by SNH and BWEA provides a framework (in a form of cross-tabulation matrix as presented in Table 7.5) to indicate significance of impact of offshore wind farm development on birds by giving priority to species / populations of high sensitivity in rating impact significance.

7.3.3.9 The assessment approach consists of three stages:

1. Determination of the sensitivity of the feature potentially affected (Table 7.3)

2. Determination of magnitude of effects on birds (Table 7.4)

3. Assessing the significance of the potential impacts by using cross-tabulation of “Sensitivity” and “Magnitude” (Table 7.5)

Table 7.3 Determination of Ornithological Significance

Sensitivity	Determination Factor
Very High	Cited interest of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) (strictly protected sites classified under the Bird Directive in UK. Cited means mentioned in the citation text for the site as a species for which the site is designated or notified. In Hong Kong, since there is no designated areas particularly for protection of birds, areas designated as the Sites of Special Scientific Interests (SSSIs) in regard of their ornithological importance are considered of “Very High” sensitivity to potential wind farm impacts in this study.
High	Other species that contribute to the integrity of a designated area for conservation. Local population of more than 1% of the national population of a species. Ecologically sensitive species, e.g. Accipitridae raptors and Sternidae terns (Langston & Pullan, 2006)
Medium	Regionally important population of a species, either because of population size or distributional context.
Low	Any other species of conservation interest not covered above.

Table 7.4 Determination of Magnitude of Effects on Birds

Magnitude	Definition
Very High	Total loss or very major alternation to key elements/ features of baseline conditions such that post development character/ composition/ attributes will be fundamentally changed and may be lost from the site altogether. Guide: >80% of population / habitat loss
High	Major alternation to key elements/ features of the baseline (pre-development) conditions such that post development character/ composition/ attributes will be fundamentally changed. Guide: 20 – 80% of population/ habitat loss
Medium	Loss or alternation to one or more key elements/ features of the baseline conditions such that post development character/ composition/ attributes of baseline will be partially changed. Guide: 5 – 20% of population/ habitat loss
Low	Minor shift away from baseline conditions. Change arising from the loss/ alternation will be discernible but underlying character/ composition/ attributes of baseline condition will be similar to pre-development circumstances/ patterns. Guide: 1 – 5% of population/ habitat loss
Negligible	Very slight change from baseline condition. Change barely distinguishable, approximating to the “no change” situation. Guide: <1% of population/ habitat loss

Table 7.5 Matrix of Magnitude and Sensitivity for Determination of Impact Significance

Magnitude	Sensitivity
		Very High	High	Medium	Low
	Very High	Very High	Very High	High	Medium
	High	Very High	Very High	Medium	Low
	Medium	Very High	High	Low	Very Low
	Low	Medium	Low	Low	Very Low
	Negligible	Low	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low

7.4 Baseline Conditions and Sensitive Receivers – Desktop Study

7.4.1 Migratory and Visitor Seabird Populations

7.4.1.1 The most updated published checklist of Hong Kong avifauna, “The Avifauna of Hong Kong” (Carey et al, 2001) documents a total of 41 seabird species recorded in Hong Kong, of which 40 species belong to seasonal passage migrants or visitors. The most latest seabird survey (HKBWS, 2006) conducted by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS) identifies two additional migratory seabird species, Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus and Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris in the southern and south-eastern Hong Kong waters.

7.4.1.2 There are also three seabird species recently recorded in Hong Kong Waters: Vega Gull Larus vegae in Mai Po; Japanese Cormorant Phalacrocorax capillatus at Po Toi Island; White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus at Southern waters of Waglan Island and also at SE waters during a seabird boat trip conducted by HKBWS in May 2008.

7.4.1.3 Table 7.6 summarises all these 45 migratory / visitor seabird species that have been recorded in Hong Kong waters so far.

Table 7.6 Migratory and Visitor Seabird Species in Hong Kong

Seabirds	Principal Status*	Recorded in E / SE Waters?
Family Alcidae (Auks)
Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramplus antiquus	W	Yes
Family Fregatidae (Frigatebirds)
Christmas Island Frigatebird Fregata andrewsi	-	No
Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel	OV	Yes
Great Frigatebird Fregata minor	-	Yes
Family Laridae (Gulls)
Brown-headed Gull Larus brunnicephalus	W, M	No
Mew Gull Larus canus	M	No
Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachinnans	W, M	Yes
Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris	W, M	Yes
Slender-billed Gull Larus genei	-	No
Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens	M	No
Heuglin’s Gull Larus heuglini	W, M	Yes
Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus	-	No
Pallas’s Gull Larus ichthyaetus	W, M	Yes
Little Gull Larus minutus	-	No
Relict Gull Larus relictus	-	No
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus	W, M	No
Saunders’s Gull Larus saundersi	W, M	No
Slaty-backed Gull Larus schistisagus	W, M	Yes
Vega Gull Larus vegae	-	No
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla	-	No
Family Pelecanidae (Pelicans)
Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus	W	No
Family Phaethontidae (Tropicbirds)
White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus	-	Yes
Family Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants)
Japanese Cormorant Phalacrocorax capillatus	-	Yes
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo	W	No
Family Procellariidae (Shearwaters)
Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas	-	Yes
Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris	-	Yes
Family Scolopacidae (Sandpipers)
Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius	-	No
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus	M	Yes
Family Sternidae (Terns)
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus	M	Yes
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	M	Yes
Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica	AM	Yes
Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus	Su, M	Yes
Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica	M	Yes
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia	M	Yes
Common Tern Sterna hirundo	M	Yes
Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii	Su	Yes
Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana	Su	Yes
Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata	-	Yes
Little Tern Sterna albifrons	M	Yes
Greater Crested Tern Strena bergii	-	Yes
Family Stercorariidae (Jaegers and Jaegers)
Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus	SpM	Yes
Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus	-	Yes
Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus	-	Yes
Family Sulidae (Boobies)
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster	-	No
Red-footed Booby Sula sula	-	Yes

*Notes: M: passage migrant; AM; passage migrant in autumn; SpM: passage migrant in spring; Su: summer visitor; W: winter visitor; OV: occasional visitor, “-”: no information available.

7.4.1.4 Of these 45 migratory and/or visitor seabird species, 29 species have been recorded from the eastern or the south-eastern waters of Hong Kong.

7.4.1.5 The seabird survey conducted by HKBWS in spring 2006 covered the main migration path of seabirds in Hong Kong during spring migration period (March –May), as displayed in Figure 7.6. The survey recorded a total of 8,750 seabird individuals from 23 species on 22 survey days, as summarised in Table 7.7. The daily counts of seabirds ranged from 61 to 969 (HKBWS, 2006).

Table 7.7 Summary of Numbers of Seabirds Recorded in HKBWS Seabird Survey in Spring 2006 (HKWBS, 2006)

Seabirds	Number	% of Total
Family Alcidae (Auks)
Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramplus antiquus	3	0.03
Sub-total	3	0.03
Family Laridae (Gulls)
Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachinnans	2	0.02
Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris	2	0.02
Heuglin’s Gull Larus heuglini	158	1.81
Slaty-backed Gull Larus schistisagus	1	0.01
Unidentified Gull Larus sp.	8	0.09
Sub-total	171	1.95
Family Procellariidae (Shearwaters)
Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas	52	0.59
Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris	15	0.17
Unidentified Shearwater Puffinus sp.	3	0.03
Sub-total	70	0.80
Family Scolopacidae (Sandpipers)
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus	6618	75.63
Sub-total	6618	75.63
Family Sternidae (Terns)
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus	6	0.07
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	754	8.61
Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica	200	2.28
Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus	55	0.63
Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica	5	0.06
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia	4	0.05
Common Tern Sterna hirundo	212	2.42
Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii	2	0.02
Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana	258	2.95
Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata	1	0.01
Little Tern Sterna albifrons	1	0.01
Greater Crested Tern Strena bergii	10	0.11
Unidentified Tern Chlidonias sp. / Sterna sp.	219	2.50
Sub-total	1727	19.73
Family Stercorariidae (Jaegers and Jaegers)
Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus	113	1.29
Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus	13	0.15
Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus	17	0.19
Unidentified Jaeger Sterocrarius sp.	18	0.21
Sub-total	161	1.84

7.4.2 Breeding Seabird Populations

7.4.2.1 Of the documented 45 migratory and / or visiting seabird species in Hong Kong referred in Table 7.6, only the Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana, the Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus and the Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii are reported as breeding visitors. These terns are pelagic, and only move to land during breeding summers. Black-naped Tern was first reported breeding in 1983, with both Roseate Tern and Bridled Tern reported breeding in 1985.

7.4.2.2 Since these earliest records summer breeding colonies of all the three tern species have been recorded at offshore islands Waglan Island, East Ninepin and Kong Tau Pai (Carey et al, 2001) as displayed by Figure 7.7, although terns have not been recorded at East Ninepin since 1997.

7.4.2.3 Table 7.8 summarises the data collected by HKBWS between 1993 – 1997 on the minimum number of adults and fledged juveniles of the three breeding tern species at the East Ninepin.

Table 7.8 Minimum Number of Adults and Fledged Juveniles of Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana, Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus, and Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii recorded between 1993 – 1997 at the East Ninepin by HKBWS (Carey et al, 2001)

Year	Black-naped Tern		Bridled Tern		Roseate Tern
	Adult	Juvenile	Adult	Juvenile	Adult	Juvenile
1993	80	10	8	0	40	4
1994	85	1	1	0	46	0
1995	35	2	0	0	3	0
1996	10	0	0	0	0	0
1997	0	0	0	0	0	0

7.4.2.4 In 2003, a government-funded project was conducted by HKBWS, namely “Pilot Project to Increase Awareness of the Ecological Importance of the Breeding Colonies of Terns in Hong Kong (ECF Project 23/2002)”. It was estimated in the study that Bridled Tern was the most abundant breeding tern species, with over 500 birds recorded during summer 2003. The breeding population for Black-naped Tern was estimated to exceed 200 birds, while Roseate Tern was estimated to range from 32 to 60 birds in summer 2003. The total population of breeding terns in Hong Kong during summer 2003 was estimated to be between approximately 740 and 820 birds (HKBWS, 2003).

7.4.2.5 The study also first identified breeding tern colonies on Waglan Island and Kong Tau Pai. The breeding tern colony on Waglan Island consisted of more than 200 terns including all three breeding tern species, and was the second largest breeding tern colony in Hong Kong waters (second to the population at Shek Ngau Chau in NE waters). For Kong Tau Pai, more than 40 breeding Black-naped Terns were found (HKBWS, 2003).

7.4.2.6 Although there has been no formally published data on breeding terns in Hong Kong since 2003, summer breeding tern surveys conducted by HKBWS are still on-going. Available results of the tern surveys from the online discussion forum of HKBWS’s website (http://www.hkbws.org.hk, retrieved in 2007) are extracted and summarised in Table 7.9 below.

Table 7.9 Available Results of On-going Breeding Tern Surveys in SE Waters of Hong Kong Conducted by HKBWS (Extracted from HKBWS's website)

Date	Black-naped Tern		Bridled Tern		Roseate Tern
	Adult	Juvenile	Adult	Juvenile	Adult	Juvenile
22 Jul 05	130	uncertain	13	uncertain	8	uncertain
11 Jul 06	174	uncertain	67	uncertain	10	uncertain
21 Jul 06	174	10	39	1	53	uncertain

7.4.3 Resident Populations

7.4.3.1 White-bellied Sea Eagle (WBSE), Haliaeetus leucogaster, belongs to the Family Accipitridae, is one of the ten fish eagle species in the world (ECA, 2007). WBSEs are monotypic species that inhabit coastal areas and offshore islands. Juveniles of WBSEs are dispersive, while breeding pairs tend to be more sedentary within their own territories. Nests of WBSEs are usually found on tall trees or on remote coastal cliffs (Tsim et al., 2003).

7.4.3.2 WBSE has a world distribution from western India through SE Asia to Australia (Ferguson-Lees & Christie, 2005). In Mainland China, WBSE is resident in Guangdong, southern Fujian, and occasionally occurs in Jiangsu and Hainan (Cheng, 1987).

7.4.3.3 Although the conservation status of WBSE is determined as “Least Concern (LC)” in accordance with the “The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (2001 Categories and Criteria (Version 3.1))” (IUCN, 2008), it is listed under the Animals and Plants (Protection of Endangered Species) Ordinance (Cap. 586), and in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It is also considered “uncommon resident” in the AFCD biodiversity database and highly sensitive to human disturbance. It is also considered to have regional conservation concern by Fellowes et al (2002).

7.4.3.4 An on-going monitoring programme of local WBSEs was first started in 2001 by AFCD to record local distribution and provides long-term monitoring of the species. A total 154 sighting records from 55 sighting locations were obtained from November 2001 to July 2007 (AFCD unpublished data). Figure 7.8 indicates the sighting locations of WBSE in Hong Kong.

7.4.3.5 The most recent estimates from confirmed sighting records up to 2003 suggest that there are possibly 39 WBSEs in Hong Kong, including 23 adults and 16 immature / juveniles (Tsim et al., 2003), and a total of 8 confirmed nests / breeding pairs. The most updated information (up to July 2007) from AFCD unpublished monitoring data show that the number of recorded breeding pairs increases from 8 pairs in 2002/03 to 12 pairs in 2006/07.

7.4.3.6 The locations of sighting records suggest that the eastern and southern waters of Hong Kong generally support more WBSEs than the western waters.

7.4.3.7 A total of 7 breeding nests have been reported in SE waters that fall within the Study Area of the proposed wind farm, as displayed in Figures 7.9 and 7.10. Of these locations, Ninepin Islands, Wang Chau and Steep Island are the closest breeding locations to the proposed wind farm (approximately 5.5 km, 5.1 km and 8.0 km from the proposed wind farm for Scenario A respectively, and approximately 6.3 km, 5.2 km and 7.7 km from the proposed wind farm for Scenario B, respectively). Surveys of these 7 breeding nest locations have been conducted by AFCD since 2002, and the results are summarised in Table 7.10.

7.4.3.8 A study on foraging behaviour of two breeding pairs of WBSE at Yeung Chau (Sai Kung) (during incubation period) and Tai Ngam Hau (during chick-rearing period) was conducted by AFCD between 2001 and 2003. Observations of the foraging pairs at Yeung Chau and Tai Ngam Hau suggest that the breeding WBSEs foraged most frequently between 7a.m. and 11a.m., and between 3p.m. and 7p.m., with the peak foraging time between 5p.m. and 7p.m. Foraging range of the breeding pairs ranged from 0.05km to 2km in radius, while their home range were estimated to be 3 – 4km during breeding period. More foraging attempts were recorded during the chick-rearing period (Tsim et al., 2003).

Table 7.10 Summary of the Results of WBSE Breeding Site Survey in SE Waters Between 2002/03 and 2006/07 (AFCD unpublished data)

Surveyed Site	Year
	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
Ninepin Island	U	U	S(P)	U	X
Steep Island	U	U	U	X	X
Tai Ngam Hau	S(2)	S(2)	S(1)	S(2)	S(2)
Tsim Chau	S(1)	U	F(P)	F	S(1)
Tsang Pang Kok	U	U	U	S(1)	F
Yeung Chau (Sai Kung)	F	F	F	F	F
Wang Chau	U	U	U	U	S(1)

Notes:

S(1): Success – Bred successfully; (1) – Number of fledglings;

S(P): Probably success – No fledgling seen; judgment based on observation on adult’s behaviour, e.g. bringing food back to the nest;

F: Fail – Adults abandoned the nest during breeding period; or abnormal breeding behaviour, e.g. prolonged incubating period;

F(P): Probably fail – None of fledgling nor feeding behaviour were observed. But the breeding pair stayed at the nesting site for the whole breeding period;

X: No nest – either because the pair didn’t attempt breeding or no WBSE inhabit the site during breeding season;

U: Uncertain – Insufficient data.

7.4.3.9 A study on post-release monitoring of two immature White-bellied Sea Eagles after rehabilitation jointly conducted by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) in 2002 (Griffiths and Tsim, 2004) by use of radio transmitters showed that both immature birds were able to fly well and establish their territory ranges within very short period of time after release (< 1 month). The radio-tracking results suggested that all recorded positions of the two immature WBSEs were all confined to near-shore coastal areas, within approximately 2.5km from the nearest shore.

7.4.4 Conclusion of Desktop Study

7.4.4.1 A desktop study has been conducted to cover the sea area (as displayed in Figure 7.1) within 20km radius from the centre of the proposed wind farm site. Although there are no designated areas for conservation of avifauna within the desktop Study Area, general seabird populations within the area including passage migrants, visitor breeders and the resident coastal bird populations have been identified and reviewed. Ecological profiles of key species have been established based on available information on distribution, abundance, breeding and foraging behaviour.

7.4.4.2 Results of the desktop study suggest that approximately 2/3 (or 29 out of the total 45) of migratory seabird species in Hong Kong occur in SE waters. Among the migratory and visitor seabird species, only three tern species, including Black-naped Tern, Bridled Tern and Roseate Tern breed in Hong Kong during summers. Breeding colonies of the three tern species have been recorded at offshore islets (Kong Tau Pai, the East Ninepin, and Waglan Island) in the SE waters.

7.4.4.3 White-bellied Sea Eagle (WBSE), the resident coastal raptor in Hong Kong, also occurs within the desktop Study Area. Review of confirmed sighting records and nesting locations suggests that the SE waters generally support more WBSEs than other parts of Hong Kong. A total of 7 nesting locations have been recorded within the SE waters (the desktop Study Area) of Hong Kong.

7.5 Baseline Conditions and Sensitive Receivers – Field Surveys

7.5.1 Field Survey Methodologies

7.5.1.1 Based on the results of desktop study, boat-based field survey was proposed for use in this study based on the following considerations:

· Abundance of existing birds within the Study Area are predicted to be low: Daily bird counts covering the majority of seabird population in S and SE HK waters ranged from 61 – 969 (HKBWS, 2006). The numbers are far too low compared to those obtained in other wind farm studies (e.g. NERI, 2000; RPS, 2006). Boat-based surveys would be the most cost-effective approach for quantifying birds of low abundance.

· Most seabirds are of low flight altitude: the results of the HKBWS 2006 seabird study showed that more than 96% of the observed birds belong to terns (~20%), the sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope (~76%), and shearwaters, (~1%), which usually fly at low altitudes or near water surface.

· Absence of marked passage movements of migrating / moving birds: No moving flocks of birds of significant size or marked passage of moving / migration birds have been identified in the Study Area from previous surveys / studies. Instead, all migratory / moving birds in Hong Kong offshore area were found to occur individually or in small groups of several birds from previous records.

7.5.1.2 A fixed transect route for daytime bird survey (approximately 7 hours per each survey day) has been designed to cover the proposed wind farm and the adjacent area. The transect route covers Tathong Channel and offshore islets that are confirmed or susceptible nesting ground for breeding terns and WBSE. The transect route overlaid with the proposed wind farm layout for both Scenario A and Scenario B turbine options are displayed in Figure 7.11 and Figure 7.12 respectively.

7.5.1.3 In order to avoid missing birds in key areas and to allow estimation of population sizes of breeding colonies, fixed-point counts were conducted at a total of 9 fixed survey points, including P1 to P8, and Kong Tau Pai. Point count locations have been selected to cover the project area of concern (i.e., all four corners and the centre of the wind farm site area) and four coastal locations from which bird flights would originate / breeding activity would be centred.

7.5.1.4 For P1 to P8, fixed-point counts were conducted for 30 minutes at each of the points. For Kong Tau Pai, the known current breeding location in the SE waters for terns, point-counts were performed until all terns (including adults and juveniles) on the islet were counted and recorded.

7.5.1.5 All boat-based surveys were conducted by a professional ornithologist, with the best experience in coastal and seabird survey in the HKSAR and with specific survey experience in the Study Area. Additional staff support, including support for breeding bird point counts, was provided as appropriate, depending on sighting frequency.

7.5.1.6 The boat-based survey involved scanning on both sides of the boat by the observer to ensure no under-counting. For each bird sighting, the position of the observer was recorded using a GPS navigator. An estimate of the distance of bird from observer was made and aided by the use of a range finder to allow the analysis of bird distribution across environmental gradients (e.g. distance gradients away from the proposed wind farm).

7.5.1.7 For all bird sightings along the transect route, information including species identity, number of individuals, behaviour (e.g. at flight or foraging), height and direction of flight, maturity of the birds (adult / juvenile), and whether or not the birds fly through the Wind farm area was recorded.

7.5.1.8 All the bird surveys were conducted at daytime with good weather conditions (e.g. at Beaufort scale <5), to enable the best visibility and observer efficiency, and hence data reliability.

7.5.1.9 Survey duration / periods were defined and represented by four “bird seasons” according to the general understanding of occurrence of various types of seabirds or bird population across the SE waters of Hong Kong: Spring Migratory Period (March – mid June), Summer Breeding Period for terns (mid June – August), Autumn Migratory Period (September – November), and the Winter Period (December – February) for some winter breeders such as the WBSE.

7.5.1.10 Boat-based surveys were conducted more frequently during migratory periods when observation opportunities of birds offshore were expected to be greatest. The following frequency was basically followed as far as practicable:

· Spring Migratory Period 2006 (May – mid June 2006) [Frequency: 2x /week]

· Summer Breeding Period 2006 (mid June – August 2006) [Frequency: 2x /month]

· Winter Period 2006 - 2007 (December 2006 – February 2007) [Frequency: 2x /month]

· Spring Migratory Period 2007 (March – May 2007) [Frequency: 2x /week]

· Summer Breeding Period 2007 (August 2007) [Frequency: 1x /week]

· Autumn Migratory Period 2007 (September – November 2007) [Frequency: 1x / week]

· Winter Period 2007 (December 2007) [Frequency: 1x /week]

7.5.1.11 The survey during the Spring Migratory Period in 2006 and 2007 was designed to cover spring migration of seabirds during the months March through May (HKBWS, 2006). The Summer Breeding Period covered the breeding season of the three breeding terns in Hong Kong, while the Autumn Migratory Period (September – November) covered the autumn migration of seabirds from September through November. The Winter Period (December – February) aimed to cover the key breeding season for WBSE. Less frequent surveys were conducted in 2007 than in 2006 for the summer breeding periods and the winter periods, as the 2007 surveys only aimed to expand the scope of work beyond the EIA Study Brief by collecting additional data to supplement the primary findings of 2006 surveys. Table 7.11 summarises the dates (a total of 59 days) of boat-based surveys conducted between May 2006 and December 2007.

Table 7.11 Dates of Boat-based Surveys Undertaken in the Study Area Between May 2006 and December 2007.

Survey Period	Dates
Spring Migratory Period 2006	2006 May: 23, 26, 30 2006 June: 2, 5, 9, 12, 15
Summer Breeding Period 2006	2006 July: 4, 18 2006 August: 5, 19, 30
Winter Period 2006 - 2007	2006 December: 23, 30 2007 January: 12, 24 2007 February: 8, 22
Spring Migratory Period 2007	2007 March: 7, 10, 15, 16, 20, 26, 29 2007 April: 2, 6, 10, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30 2007 May: 11, 12, 17, 22
Summer Breeding Period 2007	2007 August: 16, 24, 30
Autumn Migratory Period 2007	2007 September: 6, 13, 19, 27 2007 October: 5, 11, 18, 25 2007 November: 2, 10, 17, 24
Winter Period 2007	2007 December: 1, 7, 15, 23, 29

7.5.1.12 Except for the Autumn Migratory Period 2007 which generally covers a full “Autumn” period from September through November, other survey periods in 2006 and 2007 cover different selective periods of a particular season. As such, for the collision risk presented in Sub-section 7.8 survey data from 2006 and 2007 has been pooled for the risk analysis on a ‘species per season’ basis.

7.5.2 Field Surveys Findings

Abundance and Distribution

7.5.2.1 Total counts for the whole survey period (between May 2006 and December 2007) are summarised in Table 7.12 and Table 7.13 for Scenario A and Scenario B, respectively.

7.5.2.2 Peak daily counts for the whole survey period are summarised in Table 7.14 and Table 7.15 for Scenario A and Scenario B, respectively. Appendix 7A presents details of each bird survey.

Table 7.12 Total Counts of Bird Species Recorded during Boat-based Surveys within the Study Area (the proposed wind farm area (WF) with 0.5km, 1km and 2km buffers) for Scenario A

Bird Type	Species	WF	WF + 0.5km	WF + 1km	WF + 2km	Whole Area
Passerines	Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus	7	7	7	7	7
	Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius	0	0	0	0	1
	Chinese Bulbul Pycnontus sinensis	0	0	0	0	6
	Collared Crow Corvus torquatus	0	0	0	0	1
	Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus	0	0	0	0	20
	Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis	0	0	0	0	1
	Large-billed Crow Corvus marcorhynchos	0	0	0	0	3
	Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis	0	0	0	0	3
	Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava	0	5	5	8	8
	Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris	0	0	0	0	1
Raptors	Black Kite Milvus migrans	0	3	4	6	615
	Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus	0	0	0	0	1
	Chinese Goshawk Accipiter soloensis	1	1	1	1	5
Raptors	Common Buzzard Buteo buteo	0	0	0	0	1
	Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus	0	0	0	0	2
	Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo	0	0	0	0	1
	Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus	0	0	0	0	1
	Osprey Pandion haliaetus	0	1	1	1	5
	Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus	0	0	0	0	12
	Unidentified Raptor	0	0	0	1	1
	White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster	0	0	0	0	138
Seabirds	Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica	33	65	71	103	154
	Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus	0	0	0	0	2
	Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana	6	12	12	14	1048
	Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris	28	37	38	40	48
	Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus	89	191	222	246	883
	Common Tern Sterna hirundo	46	85	89	99	167
	Greater Crested Tern Sterna bergii	0	2	2	2	3
	Heuglin’s Gull Larus heuglini	9	12	13	13	14
	Litter Tern Sterna albisfrons	1	2	2	2	2
	Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus	1	2	6	6	6
	Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus	6	9	14	14	14
	Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii	0	6	7	7	181
	Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris	0	0	0	0	2
	Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas	4	8	8	8	8
	Unidentified Gull Larus sp.	1	1	1	1	1
	Unidentified Jaeger Stercorarius sp.	17	17	17	17	17
	Unidentified Tern Sterna sp.	20	25	33	48	87
Seabirds	White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	43	72	74	80	126
Swallows / Swifts	Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica	44	53	53	55	88
	Little Swift Apus affinis	1	2	2	3	48
	Pacific Swift Apus pacificus	0	0	0	0	230
	Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax	0	0	0	0	1
Waders & Waterbirds	Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis (coromandus)	20	47	47	47	47
	Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus	0	0	0	0	4
	Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis	1	1	1	1	1
	Curlew Numenius arquata (orientalis)	0	0	0	0	1
	Great Egret Egretta alba	0	0	0	0	1
	Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii	0	0	1	1	1
	Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus	0	1	1	1	1
	Grey Heron Ardea cinerea	11	12	12	12	12
	Little Egret Egretta garzetta	26	45	45	65	141
	Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata	10	10	10	10	10
	Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva	3	3	3	5	5
	Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra	0	0	0	0	80
	Red Knot Calidris canutus	0	0	0	15	15
	Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus	128	243	247	283	722
	Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres	7	7	7	7	7
	Unidentified egret Egretta sp.	0	0	0	0	30
	Unidentified shore bird	0	12	12	12	12
	Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus	0	0	0	0	33
	White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnnsis	0	0	0	0	1
	Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola	0	31	31	31	37
Total		563	1030	1099	1272	5124

Table 7.13 Total Counts of Bird Species Recorded during Boat-based Surveys within the Study Area (the proposed wind farm area (WF) with 0.5km, 1km and 2km buffers) for Scenario B

Bird Type	Species	WF	WF + 0.5km	WF + 1km	WF + 2km	Whole Area
Passerines	Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus	7	7	7	7	7
	Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius	0	0	0	0	1
	Chinese Bulbul Pycnontus sinensis	0	0	0	0	6
	Collared Crow Corvus torquatus	0	0	0	0	1
	Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus	0	0	0	0	20
	Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis	0	0	0	0	1
	Large-billed Crow Corvus marcorhynchos	0	0	0	0	3
	Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis	0	0	0	0	3
	Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava	5	5	5	8	8
	Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris	0	0	0	0	1
Raptors	Black Kite Milvus migrans	0	3	4	6	615
	Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus	0	0	0	0	1
	Chinese Goshawk Accipiter soloensis	1	1	1	1	5
	Common Buzzard Buteo buteo	0	0	0	0	1
	Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus	0	0	0	0	2
	Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo	0	0	0	0	1
	Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus	0	0	0	0	1
	Osprey Pandion haliaetus	0	1	1	1	5
	Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus	0	0	0	0	12
	Unidentified Raptor	0	0	1	1	1
	White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster	0	0	0	0	138
Seabirds	Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica	36	69	71	103	154
	Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus	0	0	0	0	2
Seabirds	Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana	10	12	12	14	1048
	Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris	22	37	38	40	48
	Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus	119	197	224	246	883
	Common Tern Sterna hirundo	44	86	90	99	167
	Greater Crested Tern Sterna bergii	0	2	2	2	3
	Heuglin’s Gull Larus heuglini	9	13	13	13	14
	Litter Tern Sterna albisfrons	1	2	2	2	2
	Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus	2	2	6	6	6
	Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus	7	13	14	14	14
	Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii	0	6	7	7	181
	Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris	0	0	0	0	2
	Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas	4	8	8	8	8
	Unidentified Gull Larus sp.	1	1	1	1	1
	Unidentified Jaeger Stercorarius sp.	17	17	17	17	17
	Unidentified Tern Sterna sp.	21	28	30	48	87
	White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	49	72	74	80	126
Swallows / Swifts	Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica	46	53	53	55	88
	Little Swift Apus affinis	1	2	2	3	48
	Pacific Swift Apus pacificus	0	0	0	0	230
	Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax	0	0	0	0	1
Waders & Waterbirds	Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis (coromandus)	29	47	47	47	47
	Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus	0	0	0	0	4
	Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis	1	1	1	1	1
	Curlew Numenius arquata (orientalis)	0	0	0	0	1
	Great Egret Egretta alba	0	0	0	0	1
Waders & Waterbirds	Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii	0	0	1	1	1
	Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus	0	1	1	1	1
	Grey Heron Ardea cinerea	11	12	12	12	12
	Little Egret Egretta garzetta	30	45	45	65	141
	Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata	10	10	10	10	10
	Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva	3	3	3	5	5
	Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra	0	0	0	0	80
	Red Knot Calidris canutus	0	0	0	15	15
	Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus	159	242	246	283	722
	Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres	7	7	7	7	7
	Unidentified egret Egretta sp.	0	0	0	0	30
	Unidentified shore bird	12	12	12	12	12
	Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus	0	0	0	0	33
	White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnnsis	0	0	0	0	1
	Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola	30	31	31	31	37
Total		694	1048	1099	1272	5124

Table 7.14 The Peak Daily Counts of Bird Species Recorded during Boat-based Surveys within the Study Area (the proposed wind farm (WF) with 0.5km, 1km and 2km buffers) for Scenario A

Bird Type	Species	WF	WF + 0.5km	WF + 1km	WF + 2km	Whole Area
Passerines	Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus	7	7	7	7	7
	Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius	0	0	0	0	1
	Chinese Bulbul Pycnontus sinensis	0	0	0	0	5
	Collared Crow Corvus torquatus	0	0	0	0	1
	Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus	0	0	0	0	4
	Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis	0	0	0	0	1
Passerines	Large-billed Crow Corvus marcorhynchos	0	0	0	0	2
	Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis	0	0	0	0	3
	Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava	0	5	5	5	5
	Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris	0	0	0	0	1
Raptors	Black Kite Milvus migrans	0	1	1	2	29
	Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus	0	0	0	0	1
	Chinese Goshawk Accipiter soloensis	1	1	1	1	4
	Common Buzzard Buteo buteo	0	0	0	0	1
	Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus	0	0	0	0	1
	Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo	0	0	0	0	1
	Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus	0	0	0	0	1
	Osprey Pandion haliaetus	0	1	1	1	1
	Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus	0	0	0	0	3
	Unidentified Raptor	0	0	0	1	1
	White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster	0	0	0	0	11
Seabirds	Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica	23	41	41	70	121
	Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus	0	0	0	0	2
	Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana	2	3	3	3	114
	Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris	15	15	15	15	15
	Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus	19	31	37	38	138
	Common Tern Sterna hirundo	8	19	19	25	48
	Greater Crested Tern Sterna bergii	0	2	2	2	2
	Heuglin’s Gull Larus heuglini	5	5	5	5	5
	Litter Tern Sterna albisfrons	1	1	1	1	1
	Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus	1	1	3	3	3
Seabirds	Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus	5	6	10	10	10
	Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii	0	6	7	7	52
	Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris	0	0	0	0	1
	Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas	2	4	4	4	4
	Unidentified Gull Larus sp.	1	1	1	1	1
	Unidentified Jaeger Stercorarius sp.	16	16	16	16	16
	Unidentified Tern Sterna sp.	6	7	7	16	37
	White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	22	39	39	39	48
Swallows / Swifts	Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica	15	15	15	15	26
	Little Swift Apus affinis	1	1	1	2	17
	Pacific Swift Apus pacificus	0	0	0	0	32
	Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax	0	0	0	0	1
Waders & Waterbirds	Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis (coromandus)	14	23	23	23	23
	Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus	0	0	0	0	4
	Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis	1	1	1	1	1
	Curlew Numenius arquata (orientalis)	0	0	0	0	1
	Great Egret Egretta alba	0	0	0	0	1
	Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii	0	0	1	1	1
	Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus	0	1	1	1	1
	Grey Heron Ardea cinerea	11	12	12	12	12
	Little Egret Egretta garzetta	25	25	25	45	53
	Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata	9	9	9	9	9
	Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva	3	3	3	3	3
	Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra	0	0	0	0	6
	Red Knot Calidris canutus	0	0	0	15	15
Waders & Waterbirds	Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus	50	82	82	92	224
	Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres	7	7	7	7	7
	Unidentified egret Egretta sp.	0	0	0	0	30
	Unidentified shore bird	0	12	12	12	12
	Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus	0	0	0	0	15
	White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnnsis	0	0	0	0	1
	Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola	0	30	30	30	30
Peak Daily Counts		60	103	110	121	325

Table 7.15 The Peak Daily Counts of Bird Species Recorded during Boat-based Surveys within the Study Area (the proposed wind farm (WF) with 0.5km, 1km and 2km buffers) for Scenario B

Bird Type	Species	WF	WF + 0.5km	WF + 1km	WF + 2km	Whole Area
Passerines	Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus	7	7	7	7	7
	Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius	0	0	0	0	1
	Chinese Bulbul Pycnontus sinensis	0	0	0	0	5
	Collared Crow Corvus torquatus	0	0	0	0	1
	Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus	0	0	0	0	4
	Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis	0	0	0	0	1
	Large-billed Crow Corvus marcorhynchos	0	0	0	0	2
	Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis	0	0	0	0	3
	Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava	5	5	5	5	5
	Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris	0	0	0	0	1
Raptors	Black Kite Milvus migrans	0	1	1	2	29
	Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus	0	0	0	0	1
	Chinese Goshawk Accipiter soloensis	1	1	1	1	4
Raptors	Common Buzzard Buteo buteo	0	0	0	0	1
	Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus	0	0	0	0	1
	Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo	0	0	0	0	1
	Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus	0	0	0	0	1
	Osprey Pandion haliaetus	0	1	1	1	1
	Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus	0	0	0	0	3
	Unidentified Raptor	0	0	1	1	1
	White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster	0	0	0	0	11
Seabirds	Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica	25	41	41	70	121
	Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus	0	0	0	0	2
	Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana	2	3	3	3	114
	Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris	15	15	15	15	15
	Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus	20	31	37	38	138
	Common Tern Sterna hirundo	6	19	20	25	48
	Greater Crested Tern Sterna bergii	0	2	2	2	2
	Heuglin’s Gull Larus heuglini	5	5	5	5	5
	Litter Tern Sterna albisfrons	1	1	1	1	1
	Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus	1	1	3	3	3
	Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus	5	10	10	10	10
	Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii	0	6	7	7	52
	Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris	0	0	0	0	1
	Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas	2	4	4	4	4
	Unidentified Gull Larus sp.	1	1	1	1	1
	Unidentified Jaeger Stercorarius sp.	16	16	16	16	16
	Unidentified Tern Sterna sp.	7	7	7	16	37
Seabirds	White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	22	39	39	39	48
Swallows / Swifts	Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica	15	15	15	15	26
	Little Swift Apus affinis	1	1	1	2	17
	Pacific Swift Apus pacificus	0	0	0	0	32
	Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax	0	0	0	0	1
Waders & Waterbirds	Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis (coromandus)	23	23	23	23	23
	Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus	0	0	0	0	4
	Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis	1	1	1	1	1
	Curlew Numenius arquata (orientalis)	0	0	0	0	1
	Great Egret Egretta alba	0	0	0	0	1
	Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii	0	0	1	1	1
	Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus	0	1	1	1	1
	Grey Heron Ardea cinerea	11	12	12	12	12
	Little Egret Egretta garzetta	25	25	25	45	53
	Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata	9	9	9	9	9
	Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva	3	3	3	3	3
	Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra	0	0	0	0	6
	Red Knot Calidris canutus	0	0	0	15	15
	Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus	70	82	82	92	224
	Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres	7	7	7	7	7
	Unidentified egret Egretta sp.	0	0	0	0	30
	Unidentified shore bird	12	12	12	12	12
	Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus	0	0	0	0	15
	White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnnsis	0	0	0	0	1
	Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola	30	30	30	30	30
Peak Daily Counts		81	106	107	121	325

7.5.2.3 A total of 5,124 bird sighting records from 57 identified species and 6 unidentified species were obtained from 59 survey days, including 51 passerine sightings (1%), 782 raptor sightings (15%), 2,763 seabird sightings (54%), 366 sightings of swallows / swifts (7%), and 1,162 sightings of waders or waterbirds (23%).

7.5.2.4 Of all bird sightings, 21.4% were within the proposed wind farm area with a 1km buffer applied, with 24.8% within the proposed wind farm area with a 2km buffer applied under both Scenario A and Scenario B turbine options. However, for the proposed wind farm area with a 0.5km buffer area applied, there were more bird sightings in the Scenario B option.

7.5.2.5 The most abundant species was Black-naped Tern, with a total of 1,048 individuals (21% of total birds) within the survey area. Another breeding tern species, Bridled Tern comprised the second largest bird population, with a total 883 individuals (17% of total birds) recorded. Following these two largest groups was the Red-necked Phalarope, with 772 individuals (15% of total birds) recorded.

7.5.2.6 More than half of all observations were of seabirds, and within this group 2,651 individuals (96% of seabirds) were terns, comprising 2,112 individuals from the three breeding terns (Black-naped Terns, Bridled Terns and Roseate Terns) and 539 individuals from 6 non-breeding tern species.

7.5.2.7 The peak daily count for the whole survey area was 325 individuals recorded on 19 August 2006. Peak daily counts within the proposed wind farm with a 1km buffer applied to Scenario A and Scenario B were 110 and 107 individuals, respectively. The peak daily count within the proposed wind farm with a 2km buffer applied for both Scenarios was 121. Red-necked Phalarope was the most abundant species when peak daily counts were considered.

7.5.2.8 Although Bridled Tern and Red-necked Phalarope were less abundant than Black-naped Tern within the whole survey area, they were the two most abundant species within the proposed wind farm area. Approximately 1/4 observations of Bridled Tern and approximately 1/3 observations of Red-necked Phalarope were recorded within the proposed wind farm areas under both turbine scenarios with a 1km buffer applied.

7.5.2.9 When peak counts were considered within the proposed wind farm areas with 1km or 2km buffers, Red-necked Phalarope was still the most abundant species (82 individuals), followed by Aleutian Tern (41 individuals) and White-winged Black Tern (39 individuals) for both Scenarios.

Flight Height

7.5.2.10 To allow analysis of the pattern of bird flight height, all relevant data was grouped into categories corresponding to the configuration of the proposed wind turbine options as displayed by Table 7.16.

Table 7.16 Flight Height Categories for Scenario A and Scenario B

Flight Height Categories	Scenario A	Scenario B
“Below-rotor Zone” / “Clearance Zone”	<35m	<30m
“Rotor Zone”	35m – 125m	30 – 150m
“Above-blade Zone”	>125m	>150m

7.5.2.11 Table 7.17 and Table 7.18 summarises the total 3,626 birds (excluding 1,498 birds that were found resting on land / boat) observed at each height category recorded within the survey area between May 2006 and December 2007 for Scenario A and Scenario B respectively. The following datasets thus includes all birds in flight, regardless of the location they were observed with the broader field survey area.

Table 7.17 Number of Birds Observed at Each Flight Height Category within the Survey Area between May 2006 and December 2007 for Scenario A

Bird Type	Species	Flight Height Categories
		Below-rotor Zone	Rotor Zone	Above-blade Zone
Passerines	Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus	7	0	0
	Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius	1	0	0
	Chinese Bulbul Pycnontus sinensis	1	5	0
	Collared Crow Corvus torquatus	1	0	0
	Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus	11	2	7
	Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis	0	1	0
	Large-billed Crow Corvus marcorhynchos	0	3	0
	Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis	3	0	0
	Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava	8	0	0
	Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris	1	0	0
Total for Passerines		33	11	7
Raptors	Black Kite Milvus migrans	195	294	121
	Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus	0	1	0
Raptors	Chinese Goshawk Accipiter soloensis	0	5	0
	Common Buzzard Buteo buteo	0	0	1
	Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus	0	1	1
	Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo	0	1	0
	Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus	0	1	0
	Osprey Pandion haliaetus	4	0	1
	Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus	4	5	3
	Unidentified Raptor	0	1	0
	White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster	22	78	11
Total for Raptors		225	387	138
Seabirds	Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica	149	5	0
	Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus	2	0	0
	Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana	160	5	0
	Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris	47	0	0
	Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus	439	24	0
	Common Tern Sterna hirundo	156	1	0
	Greater Crested Tern Sterna bergii	2	0	0
	Heuglin’s Gull Larus heuglini	13	1	0
	Litter Tern Sterna albisfrons	2	0	0
	Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus	6	0	0
	Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus	14	0	0
	Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii	30	0	0
	Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris	2	0	0
	Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas	6	2	0
Seabirds	Unidentified Gull Larus sp.	1	0	0
	Unidentified Jaeger Stercorarius sp.	17	0	0
	Unidentified Tern Sterna sp.	89	1	0
	White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	118	8	0
Total for Seabirds		1250	47	0
Swallows / Swifts	Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica	87	1	0
	Little Swift Apus affinis	20	10	18
	Pacific Swift Apus pacificus	37	184	9
Total for Swallows / Swifts		144	195	27
Waders & Waterbirds	Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax	1	0	0
	Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis (coromandus)	44	3	0
	Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus	4	0	0
	Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis	1	0	0
	Curlew Numenius arquata (orientalis)	0	1	0
	Great Egret Egretta alba	1	0	0
	Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii	1	0	0
	Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus	1	0	0
	Grey Heron Ardea cinerea	12	0	0
	Little Egret Egretta garzetta	140	1	0
	Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata	10	0	0
	Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva	5	0	0
	Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra	71	5	4
	Red Knot Calidris canutus	0	15	0
	Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus	717	5	0
	Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres	7	0	0
Waders & Waterbirds	Unidentified egret Egretta sp.	0	30	0
	Unidentified shore bird	12	0	0
	Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus	33	0	0
	White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnnsis	1	0	0
	Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola	36	1	0
Total for Waders & Waterbirds		1097	61	4
Grand Total		2749	701	176

Table 7.18 Number of Birds Observed at Each Flight Height Category within the Survey Area between May 2006 and December 2007 for Scenario B

Bird Type	Species	Flight Height Categories
		Below-rotor Zone	Rotor Zone	Above-blade Zone
Passerines	Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus	7	0	0
	Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius	1	0	0
	Chinese Bulbul Pycnontus sinensis	1	5	0
	Collared Crow Corvus torquatus	1	0	0
	Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus	11	3	6
	Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis	0	1	0
	Large-billed Crow Corvus marcorhynchos	0	3	0
	Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis	3	0	0
	Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava	8	0	0
	Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris	1	0	0
Total for Passerines		33	12	6
Raptors	Black Kite Milvus migrans	147	390	73
	Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus	0	1	0
Raptors	Chinese Goshawk Accipiter soloensis	0	5	0
	Common Buzzard Buteo buteo	0	0	1
	Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus	0	2	0
	Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo	0	1	0
	Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus	0	1	0
	Osprey Pandion haliaetus	4	0	1
	Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus	4	7	1
	Unidentified Raptor	0	1	0
	White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster	12	92	7
Total for Raptors		167	500	83
Seabirds	Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica	148	6	0
	Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus	2	0	0
	Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana	158	7	0
	Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris	42	5	0
	Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus	415	48	0
	Common Tern Sterna hirundo	156	1	0
	Greater Crested Tern Sterna bergii	2	0	0
	Heuglin’s Gull Larus heuglini	8	6	0
	Litter Tern Sterna albisfrons	2	0	0
	Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus	6	0	0
	Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus	14	0	0
	Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii	30	0	0
	Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris	1	1	0
	Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas	6	2	0
	Unidentified Gull Larus sp.	1	0	0
Seabirds	Unidentified Jaeger Stercorarius sp.	17	0	0
	Unidentified Tern Sterna sp.	80	7	0
	White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	118	8	0
Total for Seabirds		1206	91	0
Swallows / Swifts	Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica	87	1	0
	Little Swift Apus affinis	3	33	12
	Pacific Swift Apus pacificus	7	214	9
Total for Swallows / Swifts		97	248	21
Waders & Waterbirds	Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax	1	0	0
	Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis (coromandus)	44	3	0
	Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus	4	0	0
	Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis	1	0	0
	Curlew Numenius arquata (orientalis)	0	1	0
	Great Egret Egretta alba	1	0	0
	Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii	1	0	0
	Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus	1	0	0
	Grey Heron Ardea cinerea	12	0	0
	Little Egret Egretta garzetta	140	1	0
	Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata	10	0	0
	Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva	5	0	0
	Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra	70	6	4
	Red Knot Calidris canutus	0	15	0
	Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus	707	15	0
	Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres	7	0	0
	Unidentified egret Egretta sp.	0	30	0
Waders & Waterbirds	Unidentified shore bird	12	0	0
	Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus	33	0	0
	White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnnsis	1	0	0
	Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola	36	1	0
Total for Waders & Waterbirds		1086	72	4
Grand Total		2589	923	114

7.5.2.12 The flight height data of the observed birds demonstrates that 76% (2,749 out of 3,626 birds) and 71% (2,589 out of 3,626 birds) fly below the proposed rotors (i.e. zone of clearance) for Scenario A and Scenario B, respectively.

7.5.2.13 Raptors and Swallows / Swifts are two groups of birds that were most frequently observed flying at relatively high altitudes: 70% of Raptors and 61% of Swallow / Swifts were recorded within or above rotor height for Scenario A, while 78% of Raptors and 74% of Swallows / Swifts were recorded within or above rotor height for Scenario B.

Behaviour

7.5.2.14 In order to investigate bird behaviour within the Study Area, all birds were assigned a behavioural category to their key activities under observation: “feeding” (including both in air and at water), “flying”, and “resting” (either “sitting” on water / “standing” on floating objects or perching on trees on adjacent land). Table 7.19 summarises the observed bird behaviour.

Table 7.19 Number of Birds Observed Under Each Behavioural Category with the Study Area between May 2006 and May 2007

Bird Type	Species	Feeding	Flying	Resting	Total Counts
Passerines	Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus	0	7	0	7
	Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius	0	0	1	1
	Chinese Bulbul Pycnontus sinensis	0	6	0	6
	Collared Crow Corvus torquatus	0	1	0	1
	Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus	0	5	15	20
	Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis	0	0	1	1
Passerines	Large-billed Crow Corvus marcorhynchos	0	1	2	3
	Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis	0	3	0	3
	Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava	0	8	0	8
	Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris	0	0	1	1
Total for Passerines		0	31	20	51
Raptors	Black Kite Milvus migrans	12	585	18	615
	Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus	0	1	0	1
	Chinese Goshawk Accipiter soloensis	0	5	0	5
	Common Buzzard Buteo buteo	0	1	0	1
	Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus	0	2	0	2
	Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo	0	1	0	1
	Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus	0	1	0	1
	Osprey Pandion haliaetus	0	4	1	5
	Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus	3	8	1	12
	Unidentified Raptor	0	1	0	1
	White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster	4	62	72	138
Total for Raptors		19	671	92	782
Seabirds	Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica	38	99	17	154
	Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus	0	2	0	2
	Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana	83	88	877	1048
	Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris	0	22	26	48
	Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus	151	328	404	883
	Common Tern Sterna hirundo	13	136	18	167
	Greater Crested Tern Sterna bergii	0	2	1	3
	Heuglin’s Gull Larus heuglini	0	12	2	14
	Litter Tern Sterna albisfrons	0	2	0	2
Seabirds	Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus	0	5	1	6
	Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus	0	14	0	14
	Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii	15	15	151	181
	Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris	0	1	1	2
	Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas	0	8	0	8
	Unidentified Gull Larus sp.	0	1	0	1
	Unidentified Jaeger Stercorarius sp.	0	17	0	17
	Unidentified Tern Sterna sp.	3	83	1	87
	White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	15	109	2	126
Total for Seabirds		318	944	1501	2763
Swallows / Swifts	Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica	0	88	0	88
	Little Swift Apus affinis	33	15	0	48
	Pacific Swift Apus pacificus	86	144	0	230
Total for Swallows / Swifts		119	247	0	366
Waders & Water Birds	Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax	0	1	0	1
Waders & Waterbirds	Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis (coromandus)	0	47	0	47
	Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus	0	4	0	4
	Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis	0	1	0	1
	Curlew Numenius arquata (orientalis)	0	1	0	1
	Great Egret Egretta alba	0	1	0	1
	Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii	0	1	0	1
	Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus	0	1	0	1
	Grey Heron Ardea cinerea	0	12	0	12
	Little Egret Egretta garzetta	0	115	26	141
	Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata	0	1	9	10
Waders & Waterbirds	Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva	0	5	0	5
	Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra	6	64	10	80
	Red Knot Calidris canutus	0	15	0	15
	Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus	51	188	493	722
	Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres	0	7	0	7
	Unidentified egret Egretta sp.	0	30	0	30
	Unidentified shore bird	0	12	0	12
	Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus	0	33	0	33
	White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnnsis	0	0	1	1
	Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola	0	37	0	37
Total for Waders & Waterbirds		57	576	529	1162
Grand Total		513	2469	2142	5124

7.5.2.15 The results display that only 513 feeding records (10% of sightings) were within the Study Area, with 46% of these records reflecting the behaviour of Black-naped Tern and Bridled Tern. Feeding behaviour was also significant for Pacific Swift (86 nos.), Red-necked Phalarope (51 nos.), Aleutian Tern (38 nos.) and Little Swift (33 nos.). Figure 7.13, 7.14, 7.15, 7.16, 7.17, 7.18 display the distribution of these six species within the survey area and their corresponding behaviour.

7.5.2.16 For the two breeding tern species, relatively large numbers of Bridled Tern were found feeding within the proposed wind farm area or in the wind farm buffer areas. However, most of the Bridled Terns were found following trawlers / boats when they were feeding (possibly on discarded fishes by the trawlers). For Black-naped Tern, most feeding activity was concentrated in near-shore waters such as near Kong Tau Pai and / or East Ninepin. Only a few offshore feeding records were obtained within the 0.5km buffer area.

7.5.2.17 Red-necked Phalarope was mostly found feeding in near-shore waters although there were a small number of feeding records obtained within the proposed wind farm area (Figure 7.16). For Aleutian Tern, similar numbers of feeding records were obtained from near-shore waters and at the offshore wind farm area (Figure7.17). All feeding records for the Little Swift (Figures 7.18) and Pacific Swift (Figures 7.15) were obtained around the Ninepin Islands.

7.5.3 Ornithological Importance of the Surveyed Area

Conservation Status

7.5.3.1 Table 7.20 lists all 57 identified species and 6 unidentified species recorded within the Study in terms of residential and conservation status.

Table 7.20 Summary of Residential Status and Conservation Status of Bird Species Recorded in the Survey Area

Bird Type	Species	Residential Status^1	Conservation Status^2
			Local (Yes/No)	Regional (Yes/No)	International (Yes/No)
Passerine	Black Drongo	Summer Visitor	Yes (1)	No	No
	Blue Rock Thrush	Uncommon Passage Migrant and Winter Visitor	Yes (1)	No	No
	Chinese Bulbul	Abundant Resident	Yes (1)	No	No
	Collared Crow	Uncommon Resident	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Crested Myna	Common Resident	Yes (1)	No	No
	Dollarbird	Uncommon Passage Migrant	Yes (1)	No	No
	Large-bellied Crow	Common Resident	Yes (1)	No	No
	Oriental Turtle Dove	Common Passage Migrant and Winter Visitor	Yes (1)	No	No
	Yellow Wagtail	Common Passage Migrant and Winter Visitor	Yes (1)	No	No
	Yellow-bellied Prinia	Common Resident	Yes (1)	No	No
Raptors	Black Kite	Common Resident and Winter Visitor	Yes (1, 2)	Yes (5)	No
	Bonelli’s Eagle	Resident	Yes (1, 2)	Yes (5, 6)	No
	Chinese Goshawk	Uncommon Passage Migrant	Yes (1, 2)	No	No
Raptors	Common Buzzard	Common Winter Visitor	Yes (1, 2)	No	No
	Common Kestrel	Common Autumn Migrant and Winter Visitor	Yes (1, 2)	No	No
	Eurasian Hobby	Uncommon Passage Migrant	Yes (1, 2, 3)	No	No
	Grey-faced Buzzard	Uncommon Passage Migrant	Yes (1, 2)	Yes (6)	No
	Osprey	Common Winter Visitor	Yes (1, 2)	Yes (5, 6)	No
	Peregrine Falcon	Scarce Resident and Winter Visitor	Yes (1, 2, 3)	No	No
	Unidentified raptor	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	No
	White-bellied Sea Eagle	Uncommon Resident	Yes (1, 2)	Yes (5, 8)	No
Seabirds	Aleutian Tern	Uncommon Passage Migrant	Yes (1)	No	No
	Ancient Murrelet	Scarce Winter Visitor to Offshore Waters	Yes (1)	Yes (7)	No
	Black-naped Tern	Common Summer Visitor	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Black-tailed Gull	Uncommon Winter Visitor	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Bridled Tern	Uncommon Summer Visitor	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Common Tern	Common Passage Migrant	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Greater Crested Tern	Scarce Passage Migrant	Yes (1)	No	No
	Heuglin’s Gull	Common Winter Visitor and Passage Migrant	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Little Tern	Uncommon Passage Migrant	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Long-tailed Jaeger	Scarce Passage Migrant	Yes (1)	No	No
	Pomarine Jaeger	Occasional Visitor	Yes (1)	No	No
	Roseate Tern	Uncommon Summer Visitor	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Short-tailed Shearwater	N.A.	Yes (1)	No	No
	Streaked Shearwater	Occasional Visitor	Yes (1)	No	No
	Unidentified Gull	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
	Unidentified Jaeger	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
	Unidentified Tern	N.A.	N.A.	N.A	N.A.
	White-winged Black Tern	Uncommon Passage Migrant	Yes (1)	No	No
Swallows / Swifts	Barn Swallow	Abundant Passage Migrant and Summer Visitor	Yes (1)	No	No
Swallows / Swifts	Little Swift	Abundant Spring Migrant and Common Resident	Yes (1)	No	No
	Pacific Swift	Common Spring Migrant and Summer Visitor	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
Waders & Waterbirds	Black-crowned Night Heron	Common Resident and Winter Visitor	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Cattle Egret	Resident and Common Passage Migrant	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Chinese Pond Heron	Common Resident	Yes (1)	Yes (4)	No
	Common Kingfisher	Common Passage Migrant and Winter Visitor	Yes (1)	No	No
	Curlew	Abundant in Winter and Spring	Yes (1)	Yes (5)	No
	Great Egret	Common Resident and Winter Visitor	Yes (1)	Yes (4)	No
	Greater Sand Plover	Passage Migrant	Yes (1)	Yes (5)	No
	Green Sandpiper	Uncommon Passage and Winter Visitor	Yes (1)	No	No
	Grey Heron	Common Winter Visitor	Yes (1)	Yes (4)	No
	Little Egret	Common Resident	Yes (1)	No	No
	Northern Shoveler	Abundant Winter Visitor	Yes (1)	Yes (5)	No
	Pacific Golden Plover	Common Winter Visitor	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Pacific Reef Egret	Uncommon Resident	Yes (1, 3)	Yes (6)	No
	Red Knot	Common Passage Migrant	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Red-necked Phalarope	Common Passage Migrant	Yes (1)	No	No
	Ruddy Turnstone	Common Passage Migrant	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Unidentified egret	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
	Unidentified shore bird	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
	Whimbrel	Common Passage Migrant	Yes (1,3 )	No	No
	White-breasted Kingfisher	Common Resident	Yes (1, 3)	No	No
	Wood Sandpiper	Common Passage Migrant and Winter Visitor	Yes (1, 3)	No	No

¹Residential Status of the species was referred to The Avifauna of Hong Kong (Carey et. al., 2001).

²Conservation Status:

1 – Listed under the protection of “Wild Animal and Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170)”;

2 – Listed under “Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586)”;

3 – Considered “Local Concern” by Fellowes et al (2002);

4 – Considered “Potential Regional Concern” by Fellowes et al (2002);

5 – Considered of “Regional Concern” by Fellowes et al (2002);

6 – Considered “Rare” in China Red Data Book;

7– Considered “Vulnerable” in China Red Data Book;

8 – Considered “Indeterminate” in China Red Data Book.

7.5.3.2 Of the total 57 identified bird species recorded in the Study Area, 35 species considered to be of particular local or regional concern as referred in Table 7.20 (i.e. species of conservation status listed as “2” to “8”). These species are listed in Table 7.21 with regard to their abundance and distribution in the field study. As birds flying within or above rotor height are at greatest risk of collision, the number of sightings at ‘risk flight heights’ for Scenario A (i.e., ≥35m) and Scenario B (i.e. ≥30m) is also displayed below.

Table 7.21 Species of Local and /or Regional Conservation Concern and Their Abundance and Distribution in the Study Area (Data between May 2006 and December 2007)

Bird Type	Species*	Total Counts (WF + 1km / Whole Area)		Birds at Risk Flight Heights (birds at risk height / all birds in flight)
		Scenario A	Scenario B	Scenario A	Scenario B
Passerines	Collared Crow	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1
Raptors	Black Kite	4 / 615	4 / 615	415 / 610	463 / 610
	Bonelli’s Eagle	0 / 1	0 / 1	1 / 1	1 / 1
	Chinese Goshawk	1 / 5	1 / 5	5 / 5	5 / 5
	Common Buzzard	0 / 1	0 / 1	1 / 1	1 / 1
	Common Kestrel	0 / 2	0 / 2	2 / 2	2 / 2
	Eurasian Hobby	0 / 1	0 / 1	1 / 1	1 / 1
	Grey-faced Buzzard	0 / 1	0 / 1	1 / 1	1 / 1
	Osprey	1 / 5	1 / 5	1 / 5	1 / 5
	Peregrine Falcon	0 / 12	0 / 12	8 / 12	8 / 12
	White-bellied Sea Eagle	0 / 138	0 / 138	89 / 111	99 / 111
Seabirds	Ancient Murrelet	0 / 2	0 / 2	0 / 2	0 / 2
	Black-naped Tern*	12 / 1048	12 / 1048	5 / 165	7 / 165
	Black-tailed Gull*	38 / 48	38 / 48	0 / 47	5 / 47
	Bridled Tern*	222 / 883	224 / 883	24 / 463	48 / 463
	Common Tern	89 / 167	90 / 167	1 / 157	1 / 157
	Heuglin’s Gull	13 / 14	13 / 14	1 / 14	6 / 14
	Little Tern	2 / 2	2 / 2	0 / 2	0 / 2
Seabirds	Roseate Tern	7 / 181	7 / 181	0 / 30	0 / 30
Swallows / Swifts	Pacific Swift	0 / 230	0 / 230	193 / 230	223 / 230
Waders & Waterbirds	Black-crowned Night Heron	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1
	Cattle Egret*	47 / 47	47 / 47	3 / 47	3 / 47
	Chinese Pond Heron	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4
	Curlew	0 / 1	0 / 1	1 / 1	1 / 1
	Great Egret	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1
	Greater Sand Plover	1 / 1	1 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1
	Grey Heron	12 / 12	12 / 12	0 / 12	0 / 12
	Northern Shoveler	10 / 10	10 / 10	0 / 10	0 / 10
	Pacific Golden Plover	3 / 5	3 / 5	0 / 5	0 / 5
	Pacific Reef Egret	0 / 80	0 / 80	9 / 80	10 / 80
	Red Knot	0 / 15	0 / 15	15 / 15	15 / 15
	Ruddy Turnstone	7 / 7	7 / 7	0 / 7	0 / 7
	Whimbrel	0 / 33	0 / 33	0 / 33	0 / 33
	White-breasted Kingfisher	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1
	Wood Sandpiper	31 / 37	31 / 37	1 / 37	1 / 37

*Species recorded relatively more frequently within the “WF + 1km” area and at risk heights.

Species of Relatively High Sensitivity

7.5.3.3 Based on the results of the desktop study and the field survey, several species or species groups are considered to be of relatively higher sensitivity due to their conservation significance, distribution and / or abundance within the Study Area:

White-bellied Sea Eagle

7.5.3.4 White-bellied Sea Eagle (WBSE), Haliaeetus leucogaster, belongs to the Family Accipitridae (Raptors) that is believed to be potentially sensitive to disturbance displacement and/or collision caused by wind farms (Langston and Pullan, 2006). In the field survey, all 138 sighting records were made outside the 2km buffer area of the proposed wind farm, with 4 of these records being when the birds were feeding or showing foraging attempts. Of the remainder, 62 records were of “flying” and 72 were of “resting” (i.e., perching). From the flight height records, 89 birds were observed >35m (i.e. within or above rotor heights for Scenario A) and 99 birds were observed >30m (i.e. within or above rotor heights for Scenario B).

7.5.3.5 Figure 7.19 displays the distribution of all WBSE records from May 2006 through December 2007 field surveys overlaid with the wind farm boundary representing Scenario A and Scenario B.

7.5.3.6 A WBSE nest with two juveniles was first recorded at Wang Chau on 20 March 2007 during the field survey. Another adult pair of WBSE was also regularly seen around Steep Island. An eleven-month focussed WBSE survey was conducted on a weekly basis from late July 2007 through early May 2008 to collect additional information on the activities and local movement of the (potential) juveniles and the breeding pairs of WBSEs from these two locations.

7.5.3.7 The focussed surveys were conducted through roaming the near-shore area around those islets where WBSEs were previously seen. The observer followed any observed WBSE to record their behaviour (e.g. foraging attempts, sitting on nests, etc.) and their flight path using a portable GPS, until the bird was lost from sight. During observations a distance of at least 50m was maintained between the bird and observer to avoid causing disturbance.

7.5.3.8 During the non-breeding period (i.e. July to October), adult WBSE were always found in or near the islets (Wang Chau and Steep Island) and were more active in the late afternoon, usually foraging within 3m of these islets. Depending on the survey event one or two adults, presumably the pair from Steep Island, were observed loafing and feeding around South Ninepin Island, although the birds were not nesting (or nest building) and were not observed east of this island.

7.5.3.9 The pair at Wang Chau became more sedentary in autumn 2007 and they were seen to return to the nest used in the last breeding period (winter-spring 2006 / 2007). In November 2007 one bird of the pair was seen carrying nesting materials back to the previous nesting location where it sat from December 2007 through February 2008 while its companion was present nearby. These activities suggested that the pair were attempting to breed. By early March 2008 the adult WBSE had been seen sitting on the nest for more than 8 weeks (i.e., longer than the incubation period of ~40 days), however no young / juvenile WBSE were observed.

7.5.3.10 In March and early April, the adult WBSE pair started to leave the nest and they finally abandoned the nest and became more mobile and changed their resting sites more often in the nearby area in the second half of April 2008. These observations confirm that the Wang Chau’s pair had failed to successfully breed during winter 2007 / spring 2008.

7.5.3.11 No juvenile / young WBSEs were observed on the islands, suggesting that the two juveniles raised in the last breeding season by the Wang Chau pair had left the nest at Wang Chau and moved outside the study area.

Breeding Terns

7.5.3.12 Terns (Sternidae) are considered to be potentially susceptible to wind farm collision (Langston and Pullan, 2006). Field survey data suggest the three tern species form the largest component of the seabird population in the Study Area, comprising 2,112 of all birds (41%) and 18% of all feeding records.

7.5.3.13 All Roseate Terns were observed below the proposed rotor heights (<30m), and approximately 96% of Black-naped Tern and 90% of Bridled Tern were found flying below 30m. Figures 7.20, 7.21, 7.22 display the distribution records of the three breeding tern species in the field Study Area overlaid with the wind farm boundary representing Scenario A and Scenario B.

Red-necked Phalarope

7.5.3.14 Red-necked Phalarope was recently found to be one of the most abundant species in southern / south-eastern HKSAR waters (HKBWS, 2006). The EIA Study field survey data support this conclusion, with Red-necked Phalarope comprising approximately 14% of all bird records.

7.5.3.15 Approximately 34% of observations were made within “WF + 1km” zone for both Scenario A and Scenario B. Of the total 722 birds recorded, only 51 birds were recorded as “feeding” with most of these individuals found near-shore. Some 98% of Red-necked Phalarope were found flying below 30m (below rotor blade heights / or within “clearance zone” for both Scenarios A and B). Figure 7.23 displays the distribution of all Red-necked Phalarope records in the field survey.

Other Species

7.5.3.16 Aleutian Tern (n = 154), White-winged Black Tern (n = 126), Black-tailed Gull (n = 48) and Cattle Egret (n = 47) were less abundant than the breeding terns and Red-necked Phalarope, but are still relatively abundant in the field survey area.

7.5.3.17 These species were also relatively abundant in the “WF + 1km” area, and occurred more frequently at heights within / above rotor making them potentially more sensitive to impact. Figures 7.24, 7.25, 7.26, 7.27 display the distribution of these species.

7.6 Construction Phase Impact Assessment

7.6.1.1 The construction phase activities shall involve shipment of components to the site for installation, likely from a barge, with support from a number of workboats.

7.6.1.2 These activities shall not result in any adverse impact upon birds, although it shall be necessary that general refuse generated by the construction workforce be appropriately handed and disposed to avoid windblown litter that could be ingested by seabirds.

7.7 Operation Phase Impact Assessment

7.7.1 Direct Habitat Loss

7.7.1.1 In this EIA study, the majority of the birds recorded were found highly restricted to near-shore coastal areas, and all bird species recorded belong to surface-feeding species.

7.7.1.2 Given the remoteness of the wind farm site and lack of special habitat interest in the offshore environment (e.g. low fishery productivity in offshore area as described in Section 8), birds in the Study Area are not anticipated to suffer from loss of marine habitat (benthic habitats) or particular foraging areas. The impact of habitat loss is thus considered to be negligible.

7.7.2 Disturbance / Displacement

7.7.2.1 It is believed that the presence of an offshore wind farm may result in bird avoidance (i.e. birds avoid using sea areas within or close to a wind farm due to any possible environmental disturbance from the wind farm) (Drewitt and Langston, 2006; Langston and Pullan, 2006). However, this effect has the potential to adversely impact or displace a bird population only when food sources are restricted to the wind farm area so that the birds are unable to relocate into suitable habitats nearby.

7.7.2.2 Although relatively high abundance of Bridled Terns was found feeding within the proposed wind farm and its buffer area, the feeding behaviour, as evidenced by field observation, was strongly associated with the presence of fishing trawlers / boats from which the terns may feed on discarded fishes. As the proposed wind farm site has low fisheries productivity and given that most birds in the Study Area prefer feeding at near-shore waters (including around islands) where there is higher fisheries productivity, potential disturbance / displacement impacts on birds are anticipated to be negligible.

7.7.2.3 The turbines will be painted using non-reflective paint to reduce “blade glint” (glare from the sun reflecting off the turbine blades), so as to avoid potential disturbance on the vision of flying birds. Given this it can be expected that in the open-water environment glare reflected off the turbines will be insignificant compared to the glare from the water surface.

7.7.2.4 During operations some turbine noise / blade whistles may be produced when the turbines rotate. Research by Dooling (2002), including a review of the literature on birds hearing ability in noisy (windy) conditions suggests that birds cannot hear the noise from wind turbines as well as humans can. As most birds hear best between about 1 and 5kHz, and the turbine noise and wind noise are predominantly of low frequencies (below 1-2kHz), the Project’s operation would not be significant in increasing the overall sound pressure level on birds.

7.7.3 Barrier Effect

7.7.3.1 When a wind farm is constructed across a well-defined bird migratory route and bird avoidance responses are significant, it may result in a “barrier effect” that may alter the flyways or flight paths of the migratory species (Drewitt and Langston, 2006).

7.7.3.2 Guidance on the siting of wind farms published by English Nature et al (2001) refers to the need for developments to avoid known bird migration routes, local flight paths, foraging areas, and coastal and inland wetland sites and upland sites of high ornithological importance, particularly those supporting large populations of migratory waterfowl. These considerations have been taken into account for the proposed Project, with field survey data indicating the absence of any significant local flight paths associated with the site location, and with the Project being very deliberately located as far offshore away from more sensitive coastal areas as is deemed practicable.

7.7.3.3 The previous sub-sections refer to migratory species that utilise the area on a seasonal basis, most notably the breeding terns and Red-necked Phalarope that fly through the general area. As these species generally approach coastal areas from the south when arriving to breed, there exist many corridors of entry to the HKSAR coastline. Survey by HKBWS, for example, has determined that southern waters in general to be inhabited by migratory seabirds including terns in some abundance, while from field observations it is known that from landing these birds will travel around the coastline away from exposed offshore areas.

7.7.3.4 It can be expected that some inbound migrants may currently pass through the proposed Project area, although with an indicative turbine spacing of 560 metres the barrier effect of the proposed wind farm on bird migration is not anticipated to be significant.

7.7.4 Collision Risk

7.7.4.1 The SNH bird collision risk model (Band et al, 2007) has been used to quantify collision risk for a number of selected species that were found to be relatively most dominant in the Study Area and considered potentially sensitive to wind farm operation in Sub-section 7.6.

7.7.4.2 Selected species include the breeding tern species, Black-naped Tern, Bridled Tern, the waterbirds Red-necked Phalarope and Cattle Egret, and the seabirds including Aleutian Tern, White-winged Black Tern and Black-tailed Gull. WBSE was not included in the calculation of collision risk, as no bird record was found within the proposed wind farm area and its 2km buffer. Roseate Tern was also excluded from the collision risk calculation, as no birds were observed flying at the “risk height” (i.e., heights within or above the rotor zone of 30m above water).

7.7.4.3 The predicted numbers of collisions for the seven bird species per season are listed in Tables 7.22 – 7.35. Cases of no avoidance and 95% avoidance action (where a probability of 95% is that an individual bird, or individuals within a flock, has a 95% chance to successfully avoid collision with the turbine when it make a transit past it)

7.7.4.4 are presented in the following to demonstrate the conditions for both the worst case (no avoidance) and the typical (conservative) assumption for real situations respectively.

1. Black-naped tern

Table 7.22 Collision Rates of Black-naped Tern in Both the Worst Case and the Typical Condition for Scenario A

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	1,815,764	1,815,764	1,815,764	1,815,764
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0.02%	0.05%	0%	0%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	231.10	770.34	0	0
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	0.1362	0.4541	0	0
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	0.3070	1.0233	0	0
Band collision risk - p(collision)	23.50%	23.50%	23.50%	23.50%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	0.072145	0.240482	0	0
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.003607	0.012024	0	0

Table 7.23 Collision Rates of Black-naped Tern in Both the Worst Case and the Typical Condition for Scenario B

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	1,975,584	1,975,584	1,975,584	1,975,584
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0.03%	0.07%	0%	0%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	341.26	1137.53	0	0
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	0.1556	0.5187	0	0
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	0.3421	1.1404	0	0
Band collision risk - p(collision)	16.21%	16.21%	16.21%	16.21%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	0.055455	0.184850	0	0
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.002773	0.009243	0	0

7.7.4.5 Black-naped Tern was recorded during the Spring Migratory Periods in 2006 and 2007 and the Summer Period 2006. Under both Scenarios the predicted number of collisions is very low even without avoidance action, leading to the conclusion that collision risk for Black-naped Tern is negligible.

2. Bridled Tern

Table 7.24 Collision Rates of Bridled Tern in Both the Worst Case and the Typical Condition for Scenario A

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	1,849,862	1,849,862	1,849,862	1,849,862
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0.85%	1.76%	0.04%	0%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	11,373.91	28,336.52	590.34	0
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	6.8303	17.0166	0.3545	0
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	7.8690	19.6044	0.4084	0
Band collision risk - p(collision)	46.56%	46.56%	46.56%	46.56%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	3.663997	9.128338	0.190174	0
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.183200	0.456417	0.009509	0

Table 7.25 Collision Rates of Bridled Tern in Both the Worst Case and the Typical Condition for Scenario B

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	2,011,775	2,011,775	2,011,775	2,011,775
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	1.80%	3.71%	0.09%	0%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	23,993.41	59776.24	1245.34	0
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	11.1421	27.7591	0.5783	0
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	12.5277	31.2110	0.6502	0
Band collision risk - p(collision)	32.10%	32.10%	32.10%	32.10%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	4.021065	10.017922	0.208707	0
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.201053	0.500896	0.010435	0

7.7.4.6 Bridled Tern was recorded in all seasons except for the two winter periods. For no bird avoidance, approximately 9 and 10 collisions are predicted for Bridled Tern for the Summer Period for Scenario A and Scenario B respectively. However, assuming 95% avoidance as a conservative scenario as suggested by SNH, less than 1 bird collision is predicted in any season. The magnitude of collision risk for Bridled Tern is thus considered to be negligible.

7.7.4.7 As Bridled Tern usually flies at low altitudes or near the water surface, the Scenario A turbine option would provide more vertical clearance between the rotor and sea surface and would thus give rise a lower collision rate for the species.

3. Red-necked Phalarope

Table 7.26 Collision Rates of Red-necked Phalarope in Both the Worst Case and the Typical Condition for Scenario A

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	1,773,140	1,773,140	1,773,140	1,773,140
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0.17%	0%	0%	0%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	3612.48	0	0	0
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	2.0796	0	0	0
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	2.5995	0	0	0
Band collision risk - p(collision)	41.67%	41.67%	41.67%	41.67%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	1.083140	0	0	0
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.054157	0	0	0

Table 7.27 Collision Rates of Red-necked Phalarope in Both the Worst Case and the Typical Condition for Scenario B

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	1,930,345	1,930,345	1,930,345	1,930,345
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0.55%	0%	0%	0%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	11,432.00	0	0	0
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	5.0939	0	0	0
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	6.2078	0	0	0
Band collision risk - p(collision)	28.76%	28.76%	28.76%	28.76%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	1.785410	0	0	0
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.089270	0	0	0

7.7.4.8 Red-necked Phalarope was recorded during the two Spring Migratory Periods (2006 and 2007), the Summer Period 2007 and the Autumn Migratory Period 2007. However, all records of Red-necked Phalarope at the five point-count locations were obtained during the two Spring Migratory Periods and hence these data were used for calculating collision risk.

7.7.4.9 The highest number of collisions predicted for Red-necked Phalarope is approximately 1.79 birds and 0.089 birds per season for Spring Migratory Period under Scenario B assuming no bird avoidance and under typical conditions, respectively. The magnitude of collision risk for Red-necked Phalarope is considered to be negligible.

7.7.4.10 Like Bridled Tern, Red-necked Phalarope usually fly at lower altitudes and thus the predicted collision rates are relatively more sensitive to rotor heights. Less bird collision was predicted for Scenario A due to more vertical clearance.

4. Cattle Egret

Table 7.28 Collision Rates of Cattle Egret in Both the Worst Case and Typical Conditions for Scenario A

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	1,913,798	1,913,798	1,913,798	1,913,798
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0.36%	0%	0%	0%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	5901.36	0	0	0
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	3.664	0	0	0
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	5.8793	0	0	0
Band collision risk - p(collision)	34.23%	34.23%	34.23%	34.23%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	2.012701	0	0	0
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.100635	0	0	0

Table 7.29 Collision Rates of Cattle Egret in Both the Worst Case and Typical Conditions for Scenario B

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	4,332,149,000	4,332,149,000	4,332,149,000	4,332,149,000
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	2,079,634	2,079,634	2,079,634	2,079,634
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0.38%	0%	0%	0%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	6224.50	0	0	0
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	2.9881	0	0	0
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	4.6800	0	0	0
Band collision risk - p(collision)	23.57%	23.57%	23.57%	23.57%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	1.103062	0	0	0
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.055153	0	0	0

7.7.4.11 Cattle Egret was only recorded during the Spring Migratory Period 2007. The highest number of collisions per season predicted for Cattle Egret assuming no avoidance is approximately 2.0 for Scenario A and approximately 1.1 for Scenario B. Approximately 0.1 and 0.06 collisions per season were predicted for typical conditions for Scenario A and Scenario B, respectively. The magnitude of collision risk for Cattle Egret is considered to be negligible.

5. Aleutian Tern

Table 7.30 Collision Rates of Aleutian Tern in Both the Worst Case and Typical Conditions for Scenario A

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	1,849,862	1,849,862	1,849,862	1,849,862
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0.02%	0.02%	0.50%	0.01%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	27.01	45.02	9958.41	22.92
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	0.0162	0.0270	5.9802	0.0138
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	0.0206	0.0343	7.5786	0.0174
Band collision risk - p(collision)	42.34%	42.34%	42.34%	42.34%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	0.008703	0.014505	3.208483	0.007384
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.000435	0.000725	0.160424	0.000369

Table 7.31 Collision Rates of Aleutian Tern in Both the Worst Case and Typical Conditions for Scenario B

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	2,011,775	2,011,775	2,011,775	2,011,775
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0.02%	0.02%	0.63%	0.02%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	34.19	56.98	12,604.43	29.01
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	0.0159	0.0265	5.8533	0.0135
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	0.0196	0.0327	7.2393	0.0167
Band collision risk - p(collision)	29.18%	29.18%	29.18%	29.18%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	0.005731	0.009551	2.112723	0.004862
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.000287	0.000478	0.105636	0.000243

7.7.4.12 For Aleutian Tern the highest predicted number of bird collisions was about 3.2 for Autumn Migratory Period under Scenario A with no avoidance. For typical conditions and both scenarios the predicted number of collisions is minimal or negligible, and overall the results suggest a negligible risk.

6. White-winged Black Tern

Table 7.32 Collision Rates of White-winged Black Tern in Both the Worst Case and Typical Conditions for Scenario A

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	3,080,439,00	3,080,439,00	3,080,439,00	3,080,439,00
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	1,785,927	1,785,927	1,785,927	1,785,927
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0.40%	0%	0.08%	0%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	3631.61	0	403.51	0
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	2.1055	0	0.2339	0
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	2.4120	0	0.2680	0
Band collision risk - p(collision)	45.70%	45.70%	45.70%	45.70%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	1.102388	0	0.122488	0
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.055119	0	0.006124	0

Table 7.33 Collision Rates of White-winged Black Tern in Both the Worst Case and Typical Conditions for Scenario B

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	1,943,917	1,943,917	1,943,917	1,943,917
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0.42%	0%	0.08%	0%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	3830.46	0	425.61	0
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	1.7188	0	0.1910	0
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	1.9200	0	0.2133	0
Band collision risk - p(collision)	31.55%	31.55%	31.55%	31.55%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	0.605805	0	0.067312	0
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0.030290	0	0.003366	0

7.7.4.13 White-winged Black Tern was recorded within the proposed wind farm area(s) in all survey periods except the two winter periods (2006-2007 and 2007). However, only 5 bird individuals were recorded in the two Summer Periods and outside the fixed point-count locations. Therefore, only records from the two Spring Migratory Periods and the Autumn Migratory Periods were used for calculating bird collision risks.

7.7.4.14 The highest number of collisions predicted for White-winged Black Tern under no bird avoidance condition is 1.1 for Spring Migratory Period under Scenario A. For typical conditions assuming 95% bird avoidance rate, all the predicted bird collision rates are negligible, though Scenario A generally gives a higher collision risk to White-winged Black Tern. The magnitude of collision risk for White-winged Black Tern is therefore considered to be negligible.

7. Black-tailed Gull

Table 7.34 Collision Rates of Black-tailed Gull in Both the Worst Case and Typical Conditions for Scenario A

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000	3,080,439,000
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	1,892486	1,892486	1,892486	1,892486
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0%	0%	0%	0%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	0	0	0	0
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	0	0	0	0
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	0	0	0	0
Band collision risk - p(collision)	30.65%	30.65%	30.65%	30.65%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	0	0	0	0
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0	0	0	0

Table 7.35 Collision Rates of Black-tailed Gull in Both the Worst Case and Typical Conditions for Scenario B

Season	Spring Migratory Period	Summer Period	Autumn Migratory Period	Winter Period
Flight Risk Volume (Vw) (m^3)	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160	4,332,149,160
Rotor swept volume (Vr)(m^3)	2,057,014	2,057,014	2,057,014	2,057,014
Proportion of time within flight risk volume (Pw)	0%	0%	0.17%	0.25%
Bird occupancy of flight risk volume (nw) (seconds/season)	0	0	606.60	3844.43
Bird occupancy of swept volume (nr) (seconds/season)	0	0	0.2880	1.8254
Number of bird transits through rotor (per season)	0	0	0.5004	3.1715
Band collision risk - p(collision)	21.13%	21.13%	21.13%	21.13%
Collision per season (no avoidance)	0	0	0.105744	0.670168
Collision per season (95% avoidance)	0	0	0.005287	0.033508

7.7.4.15 Black-tailed Gull was only recorded within the proposed wind farm area(s) during the Autumn Migratory Period and the two Winter Periods. The collision risk of Black-tailed Gull is very sensitive to the rotor height. No bird individual was found flying within or above rotor height for Scenario A (where the vertical clearance is from water up to <35m) while approximately 10% of the species were recorded within the risk flight height for Scenario B for which the typical clearance between water surface and the rotor is 5m less than that in Scenario A (i.e. 0 - <30m). Therefore, collision risks were only predicted for Scenario B.

7.7.4.16 For each of the surveyed season, the number of collisions predicted for Black-tailed Gull in Scenario B is very low even the species takes no avoidance. It is therefore concluded that the magnitude of collision risk for Black-tailed Gull is considered to be negligible.

7.7.5 Summary of Significance of Impacts on Avifauna

7.7.5.1 Given the magnitude of all possible impacts resulted from construction and operation of the proposed wind farm are predicted to be negligible, and the lack of species of “very high” sensitivity in the Study Area or in the vicinity, the significance of impacts of the proposed wind farm on avifauna are predicted to be very low.

7.8 Mitigation Measures & Best Practice

7.8.1.1 The location of the proposed wind farm has been selected to avoid any potential construction and operation impacts by avoiding concentrations of sensitive species (e.g. raptors, breeding terns) and their coastal habitats. The results of the baseline study indicate a low abundance of resident and migratory birds in the Study Area, and negligible collision risk has been predicted for all key species of conservation concern (Sub-section 7.8).

7.8.1.2 To avoid any likely impacts resulted from the proposed development the best practice is to conduct pre-construction, during construction and post-construction monitoring. Requirements for the monitoring programme are recommended below.

7.9 Environmental Monitoring & Audit

7.9.1.1 It is recommended to conduct monitoring of changes in bird behaviour and collision during construction and operation of the proposed wind farm. The monitoring programme will require boat-surveys at intervals ranging from weekly to monthly during the second year of construction, and during operation for a period of 1 year. The monitoring survey shall be conducted more frequently during bird migratory periods (the spring migratory and the autumn migratory periods) as most of the birds recorded in the Study Area belong to migratory bird species.

7.9.1.2 The gathered field data shall be compared with the baseline data in terms of species occurrence, site utilization (distribution within or in close proximity to the wind farm area), and bird abundance and any bird behavioural information to determine any changes in bird response (e.g. whether there is a significant decrease in bird abundance, or change of site utilization preference for breeding / feeding grounds) to construction activities and wind farm operation. Focused species surveys in term of bird tracking should be performed for breeding birds (i.e. terns and WBSE) if breeding colonies are found closed to the Wind Farm Area during construction and post-construction monitoring period.

7.10 Conclusions & Recommendations

7.10.1.1 An avifauna impact assessment has been conducted to address all the scoping opinions informed by the Clause 3.4.2 of the EIA Study Brief and additionally, to cover all other relevant issues concerning the potential impacts resulted from the proposed wind farm on avifauna.

7.10.1.2 Results of the desktop study indicate no designated areas for conservation of avifauna within the desktop Study Area. General seabird populations within the area including passage migrants, visitor breeders and the resident seabird have been identified and reviewed. Ecological profiles of key species have been established based on available information on distribution, abundance, breeding and foraging behaviour.

7.10.1.3 A total of 57 bird species were identified in the Study Area by boat surveys between May 2006 and December 2007, among which several species or species groups are considered of relatively higher sensitivity due to their conservation significance, distribution and / or abundance within the Study Area (Sub-section 7.6). These species include White-bellied Sea Eagle, the breeding terns, Red-necked Phalarope, Black-tailed Gull and Cattle Egret, Aleutian Tern and White-winged Black Tern.

7.10.1.4 The impact assessment suggests that potential impacts on all birds resulting from construction and operation of the proposed wind farm will not be significant. The SNH model has been used and predicts negligible collision risk for all the most sensitive species in the Study Area based on their distribution and abundance information obtained from boat based field surveys. The significance of construction and operation impacts on avifauna is anticipated to be very low.

7.10.1.5 Overall, the proposed wind farm is considered to have no adverse impacts on avifauna. However, it is regarded as best practice to conduct monitoring for bird abundance and bird collision during construction and operation of the wind farm as recommended in Sub-section 7.10.

7.11 References

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