Monitoring of bird movements and behavior in an offshore windfarm area is particularly important due to the potential impacts that a structure like this may cause. The main goal of this project was to evaluate and characterize such movements and behavior, and calculate the collision risk and probability of bird mortality in this offshore windfarm.

To achieve these objectives, an S-band RADAR equipment was used to track and register all bird movements in two consecutive annual cycles. This was used to determine species abundance and intensity/flux of birds. These included wide range detection, continuous data collection, accurate determination of flight height and trajectory, and operation under sub-optimal weather or light conditions.

Also ship surveys were performed in order to conduct seabird census using ESAS counting method, complemented with birds’ movement track with an X-band RADAR kit specifically assembled in the ship’s platform used for seabird census. Data analysis and reporting included Collision Risk modelling and Mortality Prediction modelling and seabird’s spatial distribution mapping.