Ecological Survey
Pontoon waterbird disturbance monitoring
Innogy
Ecological Survey
ABPmer was contracted by Innogy to undertake coastal waterbird disturbance monitoring for the operation of a maintenance pontoon facility at the Port of Mostyn in the Dee Estuary.
The pontoon facility was constructed to provide berthing for operations and maintenance vessels supporting the development of RWE Innogy UK’s offshore windfarms in Liverpool Bay.
As part of the marine licence conditions for the pontoon, monitoring of bird disturbance was required for the first two years of operation to quantify the potential disturbance on feeding and roosting waterbirds using the mudflats adjacent to the facility.
The monitoring used threshold criteria levels developed by ABPmer to describe the level of disturbance to birds, and provide an objective analysis of the effects caused by different quayside activities.
Measurements of noise levels were recorded during each survey count period using a sound level meter at 0.1dB resolution.
Monthly reports summarised the results of each survey to ensure that any issues were identified as soon as possible.
ABPmer's ecologists support impact assessments, site management decisions and conservation policy development through bespoke, robust and proportionate habitat, bird, fish and marine mammal surveys. Learn more about our ecological survey capability.
