These years, seabird populations are under threat owing to the development of wind farms.Wherever the wind industry plies its subsidy-soaked    12    , there’s a wave of avian carnage,and offshore is no exception. Plans to erect thousands more of these things around Britain’scoasts seem like the death knell for millions of seabirds The offshore wind industry is alreadyexacting a “    13    toll” on a whole range of seabirds in the waters surrounding Britain,including the Lesser Black-backed gull, as Jason Endfield, a blogger and environmentalcampaigner, details below.
       The severe reduction in the numbers of breeding birds at Suffolk’s Orford Ness coastalreserve has been noticed over several years, and is associated with many    14    factors. Forexample, massive industrial wind turbines have been operating in the vicinity since the GreaterGabbard wind farm was completed back in 2012, joined by the Galloper wind farm’s array of56 huge turbines in 2018. With plans announced for even more industrial wind development inthis area, the seas off the Suffolk coast could soon prove to be deadly for many species.
       It has been well established that Lesser Black-backed gulls are especially vulnerable to    15    with wind turbines. A 2019 study by the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) usedGPS tracking to show that the species is particularly at risk from turbine blades duringmigration and in winter months.
       Given that the local Orford Ness LBB gull population has dwindled to just 210 breedingpairs, a project has finally been initiated, aimed at protecting the remaining birds. Two ‘gullofficers’ have been appointed to monitor the site and ‘raise awareness’ among the localcommunity in an attempt to limit human    16    on the gulls’ territory.Raising awareness of the gulls’ decline is welcome, but this project is like a drop in theocean and will do little to protect the gulls from the obvious and potentially catastrophic threatlurking offshore.”       With the    17    expansion of the wind industry in Britain’s seas, we must acknowledgethat the tragic decline in seabirds might not be caused solely by local environmental effects –but also by direct impact, quite literally, from the huge wind turbines that continue toproliferate around our coasts.
       A two-year bird survey programme, carried out as part of Galloper Wind Farm’s marinelicence obligations, will conclude in June 2022 and report to the Government’s MarineManagement Organization. It will be interesting to see how the wind farm has affected birdpopulations since its operations began. All we can only do is hope that the Orford Ness gullproject will not only raise local awareness, but also highlight the real plight of birds beingdecimated at sea by the expanding presence of the offshore wind industry.
Adapted from “Senseless Seagull Slaughter: Offshore Wind Industry Wiping Out Britain’sSeabirds” by Sarah Butler
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