(September 28, 2015) Offshore
wind farms which are to be built in waters around the UK could pose a greater
threat to protected populations of gannets than previously thought, according
to a new study by researchers at the universities of Leeds, Exeter and Glasgow.
It was previously thought that gannets, which breed in the
UK between April and September each year, generally flew well below the minimum
height of 22 metres above sea level swept by the blades of offshore wind
turbines.
However, while this is the case when the birds are simply
commuting between their nest sites and distant feeding grounds, this new study
shows that they fly at an average height of 27 metres above sea level when
actively searching and diving for prey.
Crucially, the study also shows that the birds' feeding
grounds overlap extensively with planned wind farm sites in the Firth of Forth,
heightening their risk of colliding with turbine blades.
The researchers estimate that up to 12 times more gannets
could be killed by turbines than current figures suggest, although they stress
that the figure is based on calculations using current typical turbine sizes,
which could be different to those actually installed, and that there is great
uncertainty over actual turbine avoidance rates.