Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK — Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and Xodus have initiated an Offshore Nesting Bird Census to determine how endangered sea birds use platforms in the UK North Sea for nesting and rearing their chicks.
Dr. MacNeill Ferguson, an ecological specialist from Xodus, is leading the program that will take place next month, which will be followed by annual surveys designed to provide long-term data on the species of birds nesting offshore.
The initiative has support from the UK government’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Existing data show the prevalence of kittiwakes nesting on platforms in the southern North Sea, across the area between Norfolk, eastern England and the coast of the Netherlands. But they are also known to nest on platforms elsewhere offshore the UK.
According to OEUK, the population has declined by 40% in recent years, and there are similar concerns about razorbills, guillemots, herring gulls and carrion crows, which also use offshore energy platforms for nesting purposes.
With much of the UK North Sea’s oil and gas infrastructure undergoing decommissioning and removal, the operators are legally obliged to avoid disturbance to nesting birds during campaigns.
Data from next month’s survey should support decisions during decommissioning by providing up to date scientific data on sea bird behavior.
05.02.2024
