Breeding Seabird Assemblage
  1. Of the components of the breeding seabird assemblage at the East Caithness Cliffs, only kittiwake was deemed to have any potential LSE2 ( Table 3.1   Open ▸ ). It is concluded (above) that there is a potential for an AEOI on the kittiwake feature as a result of the Array in-combination with other developments.
  2. However, whilst there might be a negative effect on the kittiwake population, the magnitude of that effect is small. It is not considered a sufficiently large effect that it could be said to adversely affect the probability of kittiwake being maintained as a viable component of the seabird assemblage. Furthermore, as kittiwake is the only species being significantly impacted, it could not be said to adversely affect the probability of the total seabird assemblage being maintained. Therefore, it is concluded, beyond reasonable scientific doubt, that there is no potential for an AEOI to the seabird assemblage feature of the East Caithness Cliffs SPA resulting from the impact of displacement from the Array in-combination with other developments.  
                        Farne Islands SPA
Kittiwake (seabird assemblage component only)
  1. The source information regarding kittiwake disturbance mortality from other relevant projects is given in Table 5.71   Open ▸ .

 

Table 5.71:
Kittiwake Displacement Mortalities Apportioned to the Farne Islands SPA from Other Relevant Projects

Table 5.71: Kittiwake Displacement Mortalities Apportioned to the Farne Islands SPA from Other Relevant Projects

 

  1. From this information, the various approaches have been consolidated into a “low” and a “high” estimate for the total in-combination impact. This is presented in Table 5.72   Open ▸ .

 

Table 5.72:
Kittiwake Displacement Mortalities Apportioned to the Farne Islands SPA In-Combination Totals

Table 5.72: Kittiwake Displacement Mortalities Apportioned to the Farne Islands SPA In-Combination Totals

 

  1. With a population of 8,804 breeding adults (Burnell et al, 2023), 2.2 to 15.4 additional mortalities represents a 0.025 to 0.175 percentage point increase in mortality rates. Therefore, PVA has been carried out both with and without Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm and for the high and low scenarios, to further assess the total in-combination impact.
  2. The PVA results are summarised in Table 5.73   Open ▸ . Full details are available in appendix 3B.

 

Table 5.73:
Summary of PVA Results for In-Combination Displacement Impacts on Kittiwake at the Farne Islands SPA

Table 5.73: Summary of PVA Results for In-Combination Displacement Impacts on Kittiwake at the Farne Islands SPA

 

  1. The kittiwake population of the Farne Islands SPA has increased slightly from its citation level of 8,241 breeding adults to recent counts of 8,804 breeding adults (Burnell et al., 2023).
  2. The PVA results show that the kittiwake population is expected to remain relatively stable under the counterfactual (no impact) scenario. Under the impacted scenarios, the CGR is 0.998 to 1.000. This leads to a CPS after 35 years of 0.928 to 0.989 – i.e. the population size would be 1.1% to 7.2% smaller than the counterfactual population size.
  3. Overall, therefore, the impact of displacement from the Array in combination with other projects is predicted to make no material impact on the kittiwake population compared to the counterfactual scenario.  
Puffin (seabird assemblage component only)
  1. The source information regarding puffin disturbance mortality from other relevant projects is given in Table 5.74   Open ▸ .

 

Table 5.74:
Puffin Disturbance Mortalities Apportioned to the Farne Islands SPA from Other Relevant Projects

Table 5.74: Puffin Disturbance Mortalities Apportioned to the Farne Islands SPA from Other Relevant Projects

 

  1. From this information, the various approaches have been consolidated into a “low” and a “high” estimate for the total in-combination impact. This is presented in Table 5.75   Open ▸ .

 

Table 5.75:
Puffin Displacement Mortalities Apportioned to the Farne Islands SPA In-Combination Totals

Table 5.75: Puffin Displacement Mortalities Apportioned to the Farne Islands SPA In-Combination Totals

 

  1. With a population of 87,504 breeding adults (Burnell et al., 2023), 6.2 to 74.4 additional mortalities represents a 0.007 to 0.085 percentage point increase in mortality rates. Therefore, PVA has been carried out to further assess the total in-combination impact.
  2. The PVA results are summarised in Table 5.76   Open ▸ . Full details are available in appendix 3B.

 

Table 5.76:
Summary of PVA Results for In-Combination Displacement Impacts on Puffin at the Farne Islands SPA

Table 5.76: Summary of PVA Results for In-Combination Displacement Impacts on Puffin at the Farne Islands SPA

 

  1. The puffin population of the Farne Islands SPA has increased between its citation level of 76,798 breeding adults and recent counts of 87,504 breeding adults (Burnell et al., 2023).
  2. Whilst the PVA results indicate a substantial population decline from the current level, given the growth observed at this site in recent years, that outcome is considered implausible for this site and so the assessment relies on the CPS and CGR. The limitations of the PVA model and available demographic parameters to specify as inputs mean that CPS and CGR are considered the most reliable metrics, as further detailed in appendix 3B. The median CGR is, for all scenarios and approaches, 0.999 to 1.000 which indicates the population growth rate declines no more than 0.1%. After 35 years (the expected lifespan of the Array), the CPS ranges from 0.965 to 0.997. Overall, therefore, the impact of displacement from the Array in combination with other projects is predicted to make no material impact on the puffin population compared to the counterfactual scenario.