Poole and Christchurch Bays Association

Response to the proposed Navitus Wind Turbines

“BIRDS” 1.Introduction:Quote from Navitus 2.Conclusions 3.Bird Kill anecdotal evidence 4.Natural England is it doing its statutory job properly? 56.British Trust for Ornithology – results of research 6.Final quotes Appendices Appendix 1 Impact on Dorset bird life including (2005 Dorset Bird Report) Appendix 1a Number and variety of each species seen at the seven Dorset casual survey sites Appendix 2a Number and variety of each species seen at the seven Dorset casual survey sites Appendix 3a Number and variety of each species seen at the seven Dorset casual survey sites Appendix 4a Number seen over each hour of effort-related survey 16/10/05 Appendix 5a Movement in relation to wind direction at the nine Dorset standardised survey Appendix 2 Chart showing Departure Points Durlston, Poole, Hengistbury, Pennington. Arrival Cherbourg Peninsular and the East / West sea bird migation Durlston Head records Christchurch Harbour records Bird migration routes 1.Introduction Quotes from Navitus survey Two years of bird surveys have been undertaken. ..by plane and boat monthly up to November 2011. Overall bird abundance within and through the proposed wind park is considered low . Moreover no nationally important numbers of birds occur, although regionally important numbers of auks ( guillemots and razorbills) have been recorded during migration periods. We have provided Natural England and the RSPB with a baseline report for bird populations and movement patterns. 2. Conclusions

• Contrary to that statement from NBDL there is overwhelming evidence that there are large numbers of birds , many of them endangered species, passing through this site during the migration season and also throughout the year .

• Recent studies show that the site is a feeding area for Alderney gannets • Natural England are fully aware of the lack of data provided by the power companies , but seem

reluctant to press for proper research before approving wind farms. • The British Trust for Ornithology’s papers SOSS admit that there is not enough hard evidence on bird

migration. On this evidence alone all development on migration routes should be put on hold until proper research has been made.

• Too much reliance is placed on modelling as an alternative to producing actual data .The power companies appear to be able to choose their own variables such as collision rates without evidence to support them

• There is no data available on Nocturnal Migration . • Not enough weight has been given to anecdotal evidence and data collected from local ornithologists • Evidence shows that the NBDL bird survey was totally inadequate.

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3. Impact on local and national birdlife A) Local Bird Reserves There are many wild life reserves that form a critical part of the Christchurch and Poole Bay, Isle Of Wight, New Forest and Dorset habitats. These include the cliffs to the east of The Needles, Hengistbury Head, Stanpit Marsh, Durlston Head, Arne (RSPB), Middle Bere(NT), Brownsea Island (DWT), Hartland Moor, Poole Harbour, Purbeck Ridges, Studland Heath and Cliffs, Pennington, the Avon Valley , The New Forest and the Dorset Heath lands. All of these are ‘triple SIs’ (SSSI - Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and are protected by Statute. Their management and well being should be under close scrutiny by Natural England. Do we still need nature reserves? In an era of cataclysmic climate change are such places just a parochial irrelevance? So asked The Guardian in August 2012. Joe Cockram warden at the NTs Blakeney Point Reserve thought so “ Nature Reserves are more important than ever. Wildlife will adapt to climate change .The most important is to have land that is not totally destroyed by humans, if wild life can get there they will take the best advantage they can” The wardens greatest concern was rats who will devastate a breeding colony. However recently a new danger is lurking on the horizon a wind farm: at night , its lights create a city on the water where there was once only darkness. Birders who visit Blakeney believe the blades will cut up migratory birds, particularly when visibility is poor( which is often). Bird Migration The proposed Wind Farm would be located in the middle of one of the most important north/south migratory routes for birds coming to the United Kingdom and the Arctic Circle to breed in the Spring from their winter quarters in the Mediterranean and Sub Saharan Africa; and for their return journey in late Summer and Autumn. According to local ornithologists and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), the gap between the Isle of Wight and Swanage is a major international route for migratory birds placing them in imminent danger from the turbines located on the proposed site of the wind farm. The data they have obtained from daily observations made over many years, show that more than a million birds fly South/North every year. These include several hundred thousand swallows, linnets, finches and meadow pipits and tens of thousands of warblers and terns as well as the raptors such as Merlin and sparrow hawks that follow them. These numbers do not included the many species that migrate at night to avoid predators including endangered heath land ( such as nightjars) and reed bed birds and wintering avocets These waters are also used as fuelling stops for species like Ospreys, Honey Buzzards and Short Eared Owls who visit Christchurch and Poole Harbours before continuing their migration to West Africa. In summary, the proposed scheme would be highly damaging for bird life. The intense interest in and importance of migratory birds is evident the data collected by local groups such as the Christchurch Harbour Ornithological Group, the Portland Bird Observatory and Field Centre, the Hampshire Ornithological Society the Dorset Bird Group and for Durlston Head Christchurch Harbour Ornithological Group provide an insight into data collected on migration from Christchurch Harbour 2010 - 2011 - 2012- 2013 Observations and records are made every day , weather permitting, usually from first light until mid morning. A selection of these records are the following from Hengistbury Head :

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Linnets October 9th 2010 5,000 10th 3,000 Meadow Pipits September 17th 2010 4,000 Woodpigeons November 2010 150,000+ Swallows September 16th 2011 100,000+ 28th 3,4000 Goldfinches October 14th 2011 3,400 Meadow Pipits October 5th 2011 2,700 Linnets October 5th 2011 1,500 24th 6,400 Meadow Pipits March 2012 10,000+ House Martins September 6th 2012 3,600 19/20th 13,000+ Swallows September 22nd 2013 40,000+

These numbers were witnesed by many people on the 22/09/13 Many of these are young birds making their first flight to south Africa. Bird kill strikes that might amount to thousand would be year on year would have a sugnificant effect over the years. These mass migrations are completely missed by NBDLs survey. . Please Visit http://www.chog.org.uk (sightings) September/October2013 For variety and numbers of migrating birds passing through. Similar numbers were seen at Durlston and it is interesting to note that the numbers were not repeated at Portland which leads one to conclude that the migrants continued south south/west to France and then onwards to sub Sahara Africa. The flight path taking them over the proposed Navitus site . C) Sea Birds It also cut across the route of hundreds of thousands of sea birds migrating from the eastern coast of Britain and Scandinavia to the warmer climes of the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa. Their journey south starts after their breeding season in summer and their return to their breeding colonies takes place in the following January and February. It is these birds we are witnessing at this very moment being washed up on our shores , either dead or in need of urgent medical attention following pollution from shipping. If this wind farm goes ahead this carnage could be repeated and multiplied every year. D) Feeding and foraging Birds Extracts and findings published in Marine Policy . This was a study that tracked Northern Gannets breeding on Les Etacs a stack immediately offshore Alderney Channel Islands , to determine their use of local and international waters . this population of 6900 pairs breed on two islets within Alderney’s territorial waters. This size of population was one of the main reasons that led to the designation of the area under the RAMSAR convention in 2005. Their findings “ highlighted the need to consider all important seabird colonies which forage in the range of potential offshore developments and to use tracking technology to determine which colonies may be

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affected by such developments and the colony’s dependence on these areas. Tracking studies of birds from important seabird colonies should form an integral part of the EIA process for all marine renewable developments” The results show that the tracking birds made repeatable foraging trips in four discrete locations1) to the south coast of England, 2) south towards Jersey 3) eastwards around the Cherbourg peninsular and 4) along the French coast off Le Havre. More than 50 % foraged within the Navitus site. A project led by universities of Leeds and Exeter published in Science on 6th June 2013 shows that Gannets only feed in areas belonging exclusively to their colony. The researchers used satellite tracking devices attached to gannets from different colonies around the UK to build up maps showing birds 'flight paths. This proved conclusively that Gannets from the Alderney colonies not only used the sea area around the Cherbourg Peninsular but also flew north to feed in the area planned for Navitus. Thereby strengthening the research referred to above and Marc Moody’s of HOS. Gannets

Gannets can be seen nearly every day somewhere in Poole/Christchurch Bay, they fly to forage for food from Alderney. There flight when hunting is between 15 and 40 meters depending on sea conditions. While hunting they fly looking down, this obviously will put these large sea birds in danger. With their extraordinary eye sight they dive at speed into the water to catch food. Marc Moody one of the Hampshire Ornithological Society bird recorders based at Hurst Castle has also studied foraging Gannets in the seas off the west coast of the Isle of Wight and found that over 1000 Gannets foraged every summer flying from Alderney or Brittany to feed on Shingle Banks just north of the Needles and Dolphin Sands mid way between the Needles and Swanage and produced the paper “ The Status of Gannets from the SW Hants coast”. He estimates that the Gannets attract 600 plus Manx Shearwaters and auks . He has also observed that 50 plus Balearics also come into Poole Bay to forage and moult. Amongst his other observations of relevance to this development are the following:

• Many thousands of Brent Geese that winter in Normandy and Brittany fly home to their Arctic breeding grounds passed the Needles.

• The site witnesses many Pomarine skuas flying from the Atlantic to the Baltic and Russia.

• Breeding auks ( guillemots) from West Wight and the Dorset cliffs do not feed close to shore as they prefer clearer water further out in the Channel.

• Red throated divers congregate in Poole Bay in winter and forage out past the Needles these are protected birds.

• The site is across the route taken by another important species such as the Shetland Whimbrels migrating to east or north via the Solent which is a significant feeding stopover

• Migrating birds may take different routes flying south in autumn to that of their turn trip in Spring The migratory incoming spring flight paths can be over the Island, east of the Needles and along the south Wight coast or through Poole and Christchurch Bay. The white chalk cliffs of Old Harry and West Wight are of particular significance. They act as beacons for birds which have flown north out of France ( Cape Gris Nez and the Cherbourg peninsular) in March /April taking two hours or so to cross the Channel usually arriving here 8.30 ish . The small birds , passerines, migrate in short hops and usually drop off in early morning from West Wight to

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Hengistbury Head . If there is poor visibility through rain or fog they fly lower so that they can hear the waves breaking on the shores, there would also be breaking waves on turbine towers causing a confused message. 4 RSPB : Selection of their published correspondence, evidence of their links to wind farms and reactions from some members “ We have been encouraged by the comprehensive assessment work undertaken by your professional advisors , including on and offshore surveys for birds. We do have some concerns over the data as has been communicated to you separately . In addition concerns remain over possible impact on migrants. “Nightjars, and African migrant for which the Dorset Heath lands are home to a significant proportion of the UK population illustrates our concerns. Do the birds on their flights in and out of Dorset, pass through the area proposed for the turbines? Will this be a problem for them? And when they arrive back at the heaths , are they likely to find their breeding sites disturbed by land excavated for cabling?. None of this may be an issue , but at the moment we simply do not know either way as the information has not been presented. And the same extends to other migrants whose flight paths may cross the proposed turbine area, both those heading north and south in spring and autumn , or east to west in winter as water birds flock to the region from Europe and further east“ These concerns are detailed formally in our July 2012 letter to NBDL and we urge them to provide the information required for us and other interested parties to make a proper assessment. And we must consider the cumulative impact of the development both onshore and offshore. The RSPB generally supports renewable energy proposals, including offshore wind parks, subject to there being no significant adverse on birds We have been encouraged by the comprehensive assessment work undertaken by your professional advisers, including on and offshore surveys for birds, We do have some concerns (NOT DISCLOSED) over the data that has been communicated to you separately. In addition , and as you are aware , concerns remain over possible impacts on migrants. Last week I saw my first swallow of the year in the UK. It was swooping over some farmland near my home, pleased to have come to the end of its gruelling and long journey from South Africa. Right now thousands of migrant birds are landing on our shores. These migrants have been coming here for millennia. But we cannot take these annual arrivals for granted. Our countryside is falling silent as many of our migrant birds are in trouble. Help safeguard our seabirds The UK’s coasts and seas are one of the most important places for seabirds anywhere in the world, but due to increased pressure from human activity they are in trouble. Response from East Dorset RSPB. They informed Challenge Navitus in Jan 2013 that it was the RSPBs policy to support renewable so long as they were sighted in the right locations , not for instance on a migratory bird route. Wildlife biologist Jim Wiegand recently wrote that the industry has known since the early eighties that propeller style turbines could never be safe for birds. Wind developers also knew that they would have a public relations nightmare if people ever learned how many birds are actually being cut in half. To hide this awful truth , strict secret guidelines were established using high security, gag orders in leases and contracts and the prevention of accurate , meaningful mortality studies. According to research by the ornithological society SEO/Birdlife each turbine kills between 110 and 330 birds a year this results in an annual worldwide total of 22 million birds increasing. The RSPB has disputed these figures insisting Our own (unpublished) research suggests that a well located wind farms

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are unlikely to be causing birds any harm” They do not provide any evidence for this statement or explain what they mean by “well located. 5 .Bird Kill Clive Hambler A lecturer in biological and human sciences at Oxford University. My speciality is species extinction and environmentalists are urging us to adopt techniques that are hastening this process. Among the most destructive is wind power .Every year in Spain alone –according to the conservation group SEO/Birdlife – between 2 and 6 million birds are killed by wind farms. This breaks down as approximately 110-330 birds per turbine per year. These are conservative numbers when compared with statistics published in 2002 by the California Energy Commission “ in a summary of avian impacts at wind turbines. A Benner report (1993) bird deaths per turbine were as high as 309 in Germany and 895 in Sweden. Offshore wind farms are just as bad as onshore ones, posing a growing threat to seabirds and migratory land birds. 6 .Natural England Statutory overseer of Bird Reserves Extracts NE agrees that the overall abundance of birds within the site appears to be generally low. NE also agrees that the main species/groups within the site that require consideration are gulls, auks, gannets and fulmars. NE also agree that Scoters, Divers, Shearwaters, cormorants/shags, Skuas and terns are present in small numbers. Proper assessment of the importance of the number of certain species such as Terns Skuas and Auks which exhibit evidence of spring and autumn passage requires turnover to be taken into account. Snapshot survey results are not well suited to capture and quantify passage movements. Estimates should be made of the number of birds likely to pass during periods of several weeks rather than quoting snapshot counts. Standard boat based surveys are not well suited to detect passage migrants and even conducting additional boat surveys in key months will only somewhat increase the chance of detecting migrant species. It is very unfortunate that the aerial survey data from Nov 2009 –Feb 2010 have proved unusable. Effectively that means that only three aerial surveys of the zone have been completed in Jan-March 2011. 1. There should be more consideration given to the possible impact on migrating land birds crossing the channel in spring and autumn. They recommended a programme of land based diurnal migration watches in spring and autumn and radar/nocturnal studies at appropriate times. There is no evidence that this was actually done relying only on collision modelling during baseline surveys. 2. Suggested the need for nocturnal monitoring . However it was agreed with NE that such work would be unlikely to add to the understanding of the baseline and hence has not been undertaken. 3 Diurnal migration activity monitoring – monthly boat based and aerial surveys are not designed to record rapid movement of birds on passage across an area of sea. The survey methodology is highly likely to underestimate such bird activity.. 7. British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) In order to assess the level of collision related mortality of birds with wind turbines , direct measurement of collisions is preferable over indirect estimation through collision risk models. Variations in the avoidance rates limit the certainty with which these models reflect the actual situation. The only certain way of validating the models is through direct empirical evidence. A review of flight heights and avoidance rates of birds in relation to offshore wind farms. Offshore wind farms may potentially impact bird populations through four main effects 1 Displacement and disturbance associated with developments

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2 The barrier effect posed by developments to migrating birds and birds commuting between breeding sites and feeding areas 4 Collision mortality 5 Indirect effects due to changes in habitat or prey availability. Despite advances in appropriate field methodologies to estimate flight activity and statistical methods to convert such activity data to estimates of collision mortality there are still significant gaps in knowledge in particular in relation to offshore wind farms. Recent research has developed a range of alternative modelling methods but the relative value of these models for estimating collision risk at offshore wind farms has not been assessed to date. In EIAs for proposed offshore wind farms , models to estimate mortality require estimates of the number of birds flying at the height of the turbine blades, information on flight speeds and morphology , the design of the turbines and estimates of the ability to avoid turbines ( the so called “ avoidance rate”) plus the relative weighting given to each estimate . The assumed rates will obviously have a large and geared effect on the “kill” estimates, leading to erroneous under-estimates if the avoidance rates are overly optimistic. Additional information is needed on altitude of flight and the frequency of falls. The latter is defined as onshore arrival of unusually high numbers of migratory birds in a small space of time and geographic area and are often thought to be associated with meteorological activity. The relevance of falls with wind turbines is that prior to the fall taking place ,migrating birds fly lower than usual and so within the danger zone of blade activity. Climate conditions also influence flight altitude . It is known that migrating birds significantly reduce their flight height on rainy nights compared with clear ones, while wind strength and direction also play their part in selection of flight routes and heights with birds obviously selecting the most advantageous tail winds. Selection of SOSS Information on passage populations Stone Curlew nearest SPA breeding site Salisbury Plain. Ringing recoveries show that the majority of UK stone curlews cross the Channel to France in October and given the lack of data probably nocturnal. It should definitely should be considered in assessments for offshore wind turbine developments in the Channel. Avocets nearest wintering site is Brownsea Island Poole Harbour. These more than likely migrate to their breeding sites in France, Iberia or North Africa. Again they are nocturnal migrants. Precise routes and timings are unknown. Even if they migrated to the Low Countries it would be difficult for them to avoid Navitus Corncrakes is a largely migratory species passing through France before crossing into Africa. Again a nocturnal migrant which has the potential to migrate via the Channel. Osprey Birds migrate over the Channel with some adults stopping off on the coast in Poole and Christchurch Harbours to regain weight Gannets from Scottish colonies migrate south at the end of the breeding season with birds mainly juveniles moving as far as the Gulf of Guinea Common Scoter birds from the North Sea and the Baltic are known to migrate south-west through the English Channel in autumn returning in spring Nightjars are summer visitors to the UK . It is likely that the majority of migration is concentrated in south and east England. They generally arrive in the UK in May and return in August and September. Little is known about the exact routes and as it is an SPA species , further research is essential . Very many birds species migrate across UK waters , and for the majority of species we have little knowledge of exact migration routes. This is particularly true of nocturnal migration as there are diurnal records only available on the CHOG and Trektellen websites. Flight height ranges and variability in flight height during migration are also poorly understood and for most species we have no data regarding flight altitudes for individuals migrating over the seas around the UK. For a small number of species pathways are well understood and well defined (e.g. swan and goose species) However when assessing risks to most others a broad front of migration between breeding and non breeding sites is often assumed. There is some evidence that this assumption is false, especially those that migrate by day as many follow geographical landmarks ( such as the Needles and the Dorset and Wight white cliffs).

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Even if the broad front assumption is used assessing risks to migrants is far from simple. Many fly over UK waters along more than one pathway and where this occurs , the numbers taking different routes and the breadth of the front is very unclear and impossible to quantify based on existing data. Autumn Migrating Birds Short eared owls A 3 8 Osprey A 4 4 Honey Buzzard A 2 Merlin /hobby

A 10 10

Ring Ouzel R 2 10 Crossbill A 20 30 Hen Harriers

A 2 2

Ibis N L 3 Spoonbill N L 5 Firecrest R 10 A=Amber listed R= Red listed During 226 hours of observation Sep/Oct 2009 over 300,000 birds of 105 species were seen migrating southwards from Hengistbury

Significant annual totals 2012 2011 Manx shearwater 1012 525 Gannets 2550 1210 Scoter 76 80 Med gull 259 150 Kittiwake 1860 720 Guillemots 500 900 Razorbill 2150 20000 Brents 1094 941 Stock dove 774 476 Woodpigeon 40756 70700 Swift 709 374 Skylark 999 2726 Swallow 32474 84097 Martins 16600 33000 Meadow pipit 13218 9934 Wagtail 6028 6100 Chaffinch 18784 20223 Linnet 35276 25038 Goldfinch 37396 49781 Siskin 7080 14616 ns finch 10000 11000 Redpoll 745 5600 Crossbill 336 1300 Skuas 50 60 Short eared owl 7 14

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Osprey 3 1 Merlin 49 44 Hobby 27 18

Notes: 1 Gannets were observed throughout both years feeding and not in passage with peak numbers in the winter months 2 Manx Shearwaters were observed mainly feeding in July and August 3 Brent geese were observed mainly in passage in January Common scoters are observed feeding in most months 4 All species of gulls and kittiwakes were observed feeding in most months with peaks in the winter 5 Sandwich terns are observed feeding in the summer months with some passage in April and October. Probably from the breeding colony in Poole Harbour 6 Auks were observed en passage from October to January with some stopover feeding 7 Stock doves were observed in autumn migration in October and November 8 Woodpigeon were observed in autumn migration in October and early November 9 Swifts were observed in spring migration 10 Swallows, martins, and meadow pipits were observed mainly in autumn migration with about 10% inward spring migration 11 Wagtail were observed in autumn migration 12 Finches and linnets were observed mainly in autumn migration 13 Redpoll were observed in autumn only 14 Crossbills were observed in spring and autumn 15 Skuas- pomarine, arctic and great, follow gannets and the latter two species are observed feeding most months with maxima in winter whilst pomarine maximum is in late spring

Data collected from the CHOG

Spring migration data from CHOG 2010 2011 2012 Bar tailed godwits A 5000 Meadow pipits A 8000 Linnets R 7000 Swallows A 2000 Warblers A 2000 2000 Sandmartins A 1000 Actual numbers SEOs A 4 5 Hoopoes 2 Wheatears A 12 Great Skuas 30 Hobby A 6

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Terns A 700 Honey Buzzards A 4 Roseate terns R 2 long tail Skuas N L 2 Ibis N L 2 3 Swifts A 3750 20 450 Manx shearwaters A 94 Spoonbills A 1 3 Cattle egrets 3 Little egrets A 100 gold finch 300 Stone curlew R 1 Bitterns R 2

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Golden oriel R 2 Cuckoos R 5 3 5 Bearded tits A 4 6 Wrynecks R 3 2

A = Amber Listed R = Red Listed

Autumn Migration Data From GHOG 2012 2011 Hirundines A 96000 150000 Meadow Pipits A 12000 20000 Gold finches A 11000 20000 Linnets R 30000 17000 Warblers 4000 5000 Sand martin 1000 1000 Wood pigeon 58000 83000 Stock dove A 1000 Sandwich terns A 2000 Common terns A 6000

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Appendix 1 Tom Brereton, Marine life www.marine-life.org.uk Introduction Visible migration in Dorset – co-ordinated counts in 2005 Visible migration watching can simply be defined as the daytime observation of flying birds that are presumed to be migrating. The extent of migration is highly variable, ranging from local (within a County) through to global scales (between continents and hemispheres). Visible migration is a relatively neglected area of ornithology, in part because (1) it requires a good ability to locate and identify bird calls (2) many of the views are fleeting, (3) the bulk of the birds are often ‘unexciting’ everyday birds and (4) the data collected (in the UK) has as yet been little applied to bird conservation. None the less, for those interested in counting birds, migration and understanding bird behavior visible migration can be an exciting, memorable and in some cases highly addictive form of birding.

There is a strong tradition of visible migration watching in Dorset, with Durlston Country Park, East Bexington and Christchurch Harbour being particularly noteworthy examples, thanks to the pioneering work of Hamish Murray, Dave Chown and David Smith amongst others. There has been a rapid increase in visible migration watching in Dorset in recent years, with recorders spurred on by the sheer volume and variety of birds encountered at some of the migration hotspots and by the potential for discovery of interesting new findings, even (quite literally at times) on ones doorstep. What has been particularly interesting is that many of the large and impressive movements have occurred on ‘duff migration days’, when there has been little evidence of a substantial movement of grounded birds at traditional migration hotspots – emphasising the potential of visible migration watching to enhance the birding experience.

The surprising results have prompted much speculation into the origins and destinations of the birds. One of the problems of data interpretation is that many of the counts are anecdotal, with the uneven effort making comparison across sites and years problematic in scientific terms. In an attempt to learn more about visible migration across Dorset two co-ordinated counts were organised in the autumn of 2005 with various factors standardised to enable comparison, including time of day, number of observers and recording effort. To help put the results into context, recorders from other parts of the south-west of England and further afield were invited to take part in the surveys. The counts were completed on the 16th and the 22nd of October. The 16th October count was by far and away the most popular and memorable and is the focus of this article.

Methodology Recorders were asked to complete a two-hour count from 07:30-09:30, covering the time of day when most visible migration of passerines takes place. The counts were split into hourly periods, with birds classified as either flying into/against the wind (headwinds) or with the wind (tailwinds). A standardised recording form was developed and is available for download at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/vismig/files/.

The focus of the survey was land birds (rather than seabirds) on migration, though moving coastal birds located above or in close proximity to land were also counted. Subjectively, individual birds were defined as visible migrants by a combination of height and direction of flight, with migrants typically following a single direct (and often relatively high) course through the recording area without stopping. Amongst flying birds excluded (based on site- specific local knowledge), were those undertaking regular and predictable flights (e.g. Collared Doves, House Sparrows). For some ‘resident species’ ( e.g. Starlings dispersing from nearby roost sites and Corvids), the number of migrants was likely to have been over-estimated as many movements may in fact have been local feeding flights rather than migratory.

Recording area was not fixed, though notionally this was likely to be less than 500m for small passerines (e.g. finches) and a kilometer or more for larger passerines (e.g. pigeons). Though not standardised, some observers used a telescope, enabling the more distant detection of birds. There was no attempt to carry out Distance Sampling ( http://www.ruwpa.st-and.ac.uk/distance/) to enable density estimates with a measure of associated error; rather the counts were considered as site-specific abundance indices rather than absolute values.

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A number of surveyors did not complete a full effort-related survey and carried out watches on a more casual basis (e.g. recording for differing time periods and not splitting counts by the hour).

Results

16th October survey Participation and weather conditions There was an excellent response to the first survey on the 16th October. Across Dorset 16 sites were monitored (Figure 1, Table 1), with the majority of recorders (60%) completing a standardised survey. A further 10 sites were surveyed by recorders (70% completing a standardised survey) beyond Dorset. There was good geographic coverage across Dorset (Figure 1) in terms of latitude (e.g. 5 coastal and 4 inland localities on the standardised surveys) and longitude (e.g. coverage at intervals along the whole length of the coast). The majority of sites had a degree of elevation (hill tops with a panoramic view were favored), though some recording was made at sea level (including East Bexington and South Haven, Poole Harbour). Three broad types of site were identified (1) coastal - headlands and harbour/estuary mouths (potentially major immigration and emigration points for migrants); (2) general coastline (‘coasting’ sites – see late definition) and (3) inland. Outside of Dorset, the survey attracted recorders from northern France through to northern England, though the counts from the adjacent counties of Devon, Hampshire and Somerset were of particular relevance to Dorset.

On the 16th October survey day, in Dorset there was a light to moderate wind with an easterly element (variability: force 2-4, direction from SE to ENE). Visibility was moderate to poor (poorest to the west but improving to the far-east of the county and inland). There was an easterly airflow for much of the previous week, though on the 13th there was a spell of strong northerlies.

Table 1: Location of the study sites and a summary of the number and variety of birds recorded Site name Location

(G.R./Lat.+ Long.)

No . hours

No. birds

No. species

Standardised survey 1) Brenscombe Hill

SY985818 2 1057 20

2) Hengistbury Head SZ175905 2 14204 35 3) Durlston SZ033772 2 5481 36 4) East Bexington SY555850 2 7410 26 5) Eggardon Hill SY540944 2 560 8 6) Rawlsbury Camp ST767058 2 1142 11 7) South Haven, Poole SZ036864 2 10316 37 8) Throop Common SZ113962 2 562 16 9) West Bay SY454908 2 7597 32 Additional records sites 1-9 Casual/incomplete recording 10) Ferrybridge

SY666761 0.7 800 1

11) Lodmoor SY687816 1 1447 21 12) Longham Lakes SZ060976 0.8 1299 11 13) Portland Bill SY674687 1 858 19 14) Ringstead Bay SY760815 2 389 16 15) Sopley Common SZ155969 0.25 246 4 16) Worth Mattravers SY973774 ? 30 7 Regional survey 17) Blackdown Hills, S. Somerset*

ST265153 2 2123 25

18) Dawlish Warren, E. Devon*

SX984789 2 8215 20

19) New Passage, S. ST540 860 3 3438 19

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Gloucestershire 20) Ouistreham, N. France*

49.28N, -0.25W

2 301 8

21) Pilling Lane Ends, N. Lancs*

SD415496 2 315 14

22) Prawle Point, E. Devon

SX770350 0.5 0 0

23) Thornton Moor, W. Yorkshire

SE057329 2.2 512 9

24) Tidpit Down, W. Hampshire*

SU069180 2 706 10

25) Wains Hill, N. Somerset*

ST390707 3.8 4230 26

Species diversity In total nearly 60,000 birds were recorded across Dorset on the 16th (Table 2), with 97% identified to species level (note though it is likely that unidentified birds were under-reported). At the standardised count sites in Dorset approximately 54,000 birds were recorded, with an impressive mean encounter rate of 2700 birds per hour. 61 species were recorded in Dorset including waders, ducks, geese, birds of prey, wagtails, pipits, doves, hirundines, larks, chats, thrushes, warblers, tits, corvids, finches, sparrows and buntings. Several scarce Dorset birds were seen including Spoonbill, Tree Sparrow and Twite.

The co-ordinated count documented a huge movement of finches, sparrows and buntings across Dorset - ca 30,000 birds of 15 species, including over 10,000 Linnets and 8,000 Goldfinches. The most significant event though was the movement of thrushes – approximately 14,500 were seen including nearly 8,000 Song Thrushes and over 5,000 Redwings. Approximately 80% of the Song Thrushes were recorded at Poole Harbour, which has recorded several noteworthy counts of this species in recent years (M. Constantine & S. Robson pers. comm.) and the local area may be an important arrival point for them under certain weather conditions. Relatively few Song Thrushes were recorded outside of Dorset though over 15600 Redwings were counted, the majority of these being at Dawlish Warren. The surveys highlighted that there were plenty of very familiar suburban birds on the move that we tend to perceive as being highly sedentary such as House Sparrow, Bullfinch and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Other noteworthy counts included 84 Jays, 59 Ring Ouzels and 8 Hawfinches. For these three species, the day totals formed part of a more substantial west/south-west movement that was detected across other parts of southern and eastern Britain ( www.birdguides.com/), northern France (Sebastien Provost pers. comm..), and Belgium and the Netherlands (source http://www.trektellen.nl/) in October 2005, suggesting that they may have been of continental origin.

Outside Dorset a further 28,000 birds were seen at nine sites (though nothing was seen at Prawle Point due to dense fog), with eight additional species including Lapland Bunting and Tree Pipit.

Geographical variation In general the highest diversity of birds (5481-14,204 individuals, 35-37 species) was recorded at coastal headlands and harbour mouths, with Hengistbury Head and South Haven, Poole being the most productive sites. Relatively large numbers of birds were also recorded along the general coastline in west Dorset (ca7500 at each site), with West Bay recording a greater variety of birds than East Bexington. This may possibly relate to the higher elevation of West Bay, providing both a greater search area and a greater potential to detect birds flying at higher altitudes. One further interesting difference noted between West Bay and East Bexington over 2005 was that predominantly east-moving birds such as Linnets were typically more abundant at East Bexington where as for west-moving birds, such as Starling, the reverse was true. These results possibly reflecting an ‘accumulation effect’ as more and more birds follow the coastline after deviating from their flight path inland or over the sea

As expected, significantly more birds ( P=0.01; Mann-Whitney U test) were recorded at coastal sites (range >5,000 birds, mean=ca9,000 per site) compared to inland (range 560-1142 birds, mean=830), though it was encouraging to see that every single inland site recorded a relatively impressive number of

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birds moving.

For individual species there were some interesting differences between sites that were consistent on numerous other days of the 2005 recording season. These included relatively large numbers of: ? Hirundines at Durlston Country Park, Hengistbury Head and Portland Bill ? Song Thrushes at South Haven, Poole Harbour ? Greenfinches, Starlings and Skylarks at East Bexington and West Bay ? Goldfinches at Durlston Country Park and Hengistbury Head ? Redpolls and Siskins at coastal watchpoints in the east of the County ? Hawfinches and Bullfinches at Durlston Country Park ? Reed Buntings at Hengistbury Head (e.g. accounting for 85% of the total from standardised survey sites)

Table 2: Bird diversity at the 16 Dorset visible migration survey sites on 16th October 2005

Species No. Species No. Wigeon 10 Song Thrush 7874 Little Egret 6 Mistle Thrush 38 Grey Heron 2 Chiffchaff 1 Spoonbill 1 Dartford Warbler 1 Sparrowhawk 2 Blue Tit 5 Merlin 3 Coal Tit 5 Hen Harrier 1 Starling 4562 Buzzard 6 Jay 84 Brent Goose 27 Jackdaw 235 Golden Plover 78 Rook 17 Lapwing 24 Carrion Crow 46 Snipe 2 Raven 1 Mediterranean Gull

1 Magpie 6

Wood Pigeon 3475 House Sparrow 58 Stock Dove 252 Tree Sparrow 1 Feral Pigeon 2 Chaffinch 4335 Great Spotted Woodpecker

2 Brambling 183

Skylark 86 Bullfinch 15 Woodlark 10 Greenfinch 3928 alba Wagtail 1510 Goldfinch 8425 Grey Wagtail 10 Siskin 1428 Yellow Wagtail 4 Crossbill 35 Stonechat 15 Hawfinch 8 House Martin 196 Linnet 10704 Swallow 535 Twite 1 Sand Martin 5 Redpoll 309 Rock Pipit 11 Reed Bunting 250 Meadow Pipit 1956 Yellowhammer 34 Wheatear 2 Unidentified 750 Blackbird 327 Unidentified-

Thrushes 761

Ring Ouzel 59 Unidentified-Hirundines

30

Fieldfare 49 Unidentified-Finches

185

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Direction of travel At the 9 Dorset standardised count sites, on average 92% of birds were detected moving into the wind (easterly element). The extent to which birds moved into headwinds varied according to habitat and geographical position. At the four coastal headland/estuary-mouth sites, virtually all birds (>98%) moved into the wind (this was also the case at Dawlish Warren in Devon (98%) and for the two sites on the Severn Estuary (100%)). At the two general coastline sites in west Dorset, East Bexington and West Bay; respectively 85% and 75% of birds moved east into the wind (west-moving Starlings accounting for the bulk of the opposing movement). Inland in Dorset, flight directions were more variable (56-98% moving into the wind, mean 75%). Inland in west Hampshire and south Somerset, 65% of birds at each site moved into the wind.

Effect of time of day The majority of birds (57%) were recorded in the first hour after daylight. However, this pattern was not consistent between species. Of the finches and buntings all bar Yellowhammer (for which few were seen) (n=14 of 15) were more abundant in the first hour. For some species the greater abundance in the first hour was striking (e.g. Goldfinch 77%, Reed Bunting 84% and Brambling 93%). Other species that were substantially more abundant (>60% of the total) in the first hour included Meadow Pipit, Starling and Ring Ouzel (98%). In contrast, Skylark, Woodlark, House Martin and Swallow were substantially more abundant in the second hour.

22nd and 23rd October surveys A further co-ordinated count was made on the 22nd October, with the recording momentum spilling over onto the 23rd . The main migration spectacle was on the 23rd (in predominantly westerly winds and cloudy skies) when a phenomenal combined count of 127,000 Wood Pigeons was made at 9 Dorset sites, with a further 20,000 at 3 sites in west Hampshire (per Russell Wynn) and 10,300 at 4 sites in East Devon (per Paul Boulden). The main epicentre of the movement was at Durlston Country Park where an estimated 78,000+ birds were seen. It is speculated that the bulk of these birds originated (at least over the preceding day or so) from central and southern Britain, as there were a number of widely scattered counts received from these areas of birds flying south/south-west over the period.

The location of the count sites and the direction of the movement (Figure 2) revealed a clear pattern of migration, with birds moving in a broadly southerly direction inland, then travelling along the coast either from the east or west towards a prominent headland (creating a funnel effect) from which to depart directly out to sea, presumably towards northern France. The results were surprising given that so few Wood Pigeon ringing recoveries have been made in northern France. No. individuals <1000 <5000 <10000 <25000 <50000 <80000

Bird highlights and possible origins An undoubted highlight of the 16th October count was the recording of more than 30,000 thrushes. The movement of Song Thrushes was unprecedented for Dorset and furthermore represents one of the biggest visible movements ever documented for this species in the UK. It is likely that the Song Thrushes recorded in Dorset formed part of a massive movement detected over the proceeding days along the Dutch and Belgian coasts (e.g. 90,000 11-13th October, http://www.trektellen.nl/). Given the easterly winds over the days running up to the 16th , one

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possible explanation for the occurrence is that a proportion of these birds drifted across the English Channel overnight on the 15th with favorable tail winds and having found themselves displaced adjacent to/over the English Channel at dawn and in proximity to inclement weather, re-orientated north eastwards towards/over land. Adverse weather conditions may have been a key factor in concentrating birds and prompting this reverse migration, with localised fog beyond East Devon precluded further movement in that direction. The north-easterly movement of ca13,500 Redwings at Dawlish, provides further evidence for a substantial thrush movement close to the leading edge of adverse weather conditions.

Casual analyses of Dorset visible migration counts over the 2005 season for a range of other presumed immigrants (including Redwing, Ring Ouzel, Jay, Coal Tit, Redpoll, Hawfinch, Chaffinch and Brambling), show a strong degree of association between the detection of westerly/south-westerly migration along the Dutch coast, followed by the occurrence of these species sites 1 or more days later at Dorset coastal visible migration watch points - with the ‘arrivals’ occurring in conditions (easterly or southerly airflows) conducive to immigration or drift migration. In contrast there were far fewer apparent instances of synchrony between pulses of migration along the east coast of England and Dorset. For the Fenno-Scandinavian birds in the above list, this suggests an indirect migration route involving coasting along the north coast of France and a crossing of the English Channel, rather than the more direct route crossing the North Sea and a continued south-westerly movement through central England. Given the lack of widespread visible migration coverage in other years in Dorset and the uncertainty of the origin of some of the species (to what extent are birds local, from Eastern Europe/western Russia or Fenno-Scandinavia?) further research is required to assess whether this pattern (effectively the result of ‘coasting’ at a European scale) is typical, or a function of unusual weather patterns in 2005.

In the case of Song Thrush and Redwing a consistent pattern does seem apparent. Inspection of data from the Netherlands from recent years (source Trektellen website) shows there is a regular strong movement in October of Song Thrushes with far fewer Redwings. In the UK, to the north of Dorset, large movements of Redwing are not uncommon in October, especially on the East Coast – of birds that are highly likely to have crossed the North Sea from Scandinavia. However, in north/east Britain there are few (if any) instances where Song Thrush movements outweigh Redwings, suggesting (1) that large-scale Song Thrush migration across the North Sea is far less common, (2) that the source of the Dorset Song Thrush is the Low Countries and (3) that large October movements of Song Thrushes in Dorset may not be ‘one-offs’ and may have been overlooked in the past. An important finding from the overall effort in 2005, especially at the headland sites, was how narrow migration flyways can be and therefore potentially easy to overlook. Why follow the coast? Away from the headlands (Portland Bill, Durlston and Hengistbury Head), ‘coasting’ (the movement of birds directly along the coastline rather than in/out to sea) was the main form of migration observed at coastal sites both in and outside Dorset on the 16th October, with little evidence of movement in or out to sea. Given that for many observers coasting is the main form of visible migration encountered it is interesting to speculate on the phenomenon. Coasting is thought to occur for one or more of three main reasons (1) Risk avoidance - birds may follow the coast to locate a southerly departure point (e.g. Portland Bill in Dorset) that enables crossing a hazardous barrier (the English Channel) via the shortest possible route. (2) To maximise efficiency – in sub-optimal weather conditions (with head and side winds) following a low altitude coastal route, can reduce the impact of the winds (even if the route involves a detour) saving time and energy (3) As a navigational aid - the coast can act as a leading line (a prominent landscape feature that influences the direction of movement) for a number of migrant species. Why were more birds seen moving into the wind? Birds in general prefer to migrate with tail winds, as it minimises resource use, though on the 16th October surveys the bulk of birds were located moving into the wind. This is attributable to the weather conditions on the day, which though far from ideal for the migrating birds themselves, provided ideal conditions for the observers watching them! The predominantly easterly winds firstly made conditions at coastal sites highly suitable to witness ‘coasting’ and secondly enabled more birds to be detected (at relatively low altitudes) than in optimal conditions for migration (in clear skies and tail winds many species fly too high to be visible). It is worth noting that away from the headlands, where much north or south movement is detected,

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presumably related to birds arriving or departing) the bulk of bird movements in 2005 were into headwinds with either an easterly or westerly component.

Summary and conclusions

The results have demonstrated the great advantages of analysing and interpreting visible migration from standardised count data rather than (more widely available) casual data.

Easterly winds on the 16th October favored the observation of coasting birds and drift migrants, with predominantly easterly movements detected into headwinds. Many of the ‘continental’ birds were thought to have emanated via a westerly movement from the Low Countries. On the 22/23rd October north-west winds made conditions favorable for a combination of coasting and departure from southern headlands, witnessed in spectacular fashion with a huge Wood Pigeon emigration out over the English Channel.

The counts proved only the start of a great season for visible migration watching, that included: some extraordinary counts of Bullfinches and Hawfinches at Durlston Country Park; 162,00 birds over West Bay; 170,000+ birds over Portland and 300,000+ birds over Hengistbury Head (per Chris Chapleo); with the records confirming the significance of Dorset as one of Britain’s best counties to watch visible migration.

The surveys were a fantastic example of collaborative birding that will be remembered by many of the participants for decades to come and played an important role in helping to develop a new enthusiasm and momentum for visible migration watching across Dorset. One hopes this enthusiasm can be maintained, so that Dorset birders can capitalise on a unique opportunity to document some of the biggest regular movements of diurnal migrants in the UK and in the process help further our understanding of bird migration. There is still much to be learned.

Visible migration web links Durlston Country Park http://www.durlston.co.uk/main.asp?pg=rangersdailydiary Hengistbury Head http://www.chog.org.uk/Pages/Sightings.htm West Bay http://www.marine-life.org.uk

Acknowledgements 16th October Dorset dedicated surveyors: Michael Gould (Brenscombe Hill), David Smith (Hengistbury Head), Hamish Murray (Durlston), Dave Chown (East Bexington), John Davis (Eggardon Hill), Chris Avanti (Rawlsbury Camp), Mark Constantine (South Haven, Poole), Stephen Jones (Throop Common), Tom Brereton (West Bay). Dorset casual surveyors: John Lucas (Portland Bill), Daragh Coxson (Lodmoor), Geoff Upton (Ringstead Bay), Nick Tomlinson (Ferrybridge), Dominic Couzens (Longham Lakes), David Taylor (Sopley Common), Peter Williams (Worth Mattravers). Elsewhere: James Phillips (Blackdown Hills), Kevin Rylands (Dawlish Warren), Brian Lancastle (New Passage), Robin Rundle (Ouistreham), Jean Roberts (Pilling Lane Ends), Colin Williams (Prawle Point), David Barker (Thornton Moor), Nick Hull (Tidpit Down) and Jason Williams (Wains Hill). Also the Portland Bird Observatory, Christchurch Harbour Ornithological Group and Durlston Country Park websites. Mark Andrews, David Barker and Clive McKay kindly commented on an earlier version of this article.

Appendices

Appendix 1a: Number and variety of each species seen at the nine Dorset standardised survey sites 16/10/05. (1=Brenscombe Hill, 2=Hengistbury Head, 3=Durlston Country Park, 4=East Bexington, 5=Egggardon Hill, 6=Rawlsbury Camp, 7=South Haven, Poole, 8=Throop Common, 9=West Bay) Species 1

. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

17

Grey Heron 1 1 Little Egret 6 Spoonbill 1 Wigeon 10

Brent Goose 15 12 Golden Plover 7 2 60

Lapwing 6 6 1 10 1 Snipe 1

Sparrowhawk 1 1 Hen Harrier 1

Buzzard 6 Med Gull 1

Merlin 1 1 1 Feral Pigeon 1 Wood Pigeon 4

4 560 127 163 12 25 150 77 573

Stock Dove 121 14 34 5 10 16 reat Spot. Wood. 2

Skylark 34

210 103 144 36 3 150

Woodlark 3 3 1 1 alba Wagtail 370 197 447 20 9 330 Grey Wagtail 4 3 1

Yellow Wagtail 1 1 House Martin 7 27 41 13 30 5

Swallow 0

16 196 61 1 40 4 32

Sand Martin 1 1 Rock Pipit 7 1

Meadow Pipit

458

250 255 390 19 35 3 320

Blackbird 6 66 3 20 1 176 9 16 Fieldfare 2 43 1

Song Thrush 34

59 59 5346 101 122

Mistle Thrush 1 5 1 18 1 8 Ring Ouzel 8 41 3 4 Redwing

85

48 101 635 2500 213 316

Chiffchaff Dartford Warbler

Blue Tit 5 Starling 2

5 150 323 1340 75 127 22 1704

Jay 5

15 17 5

Raven 1 Carrion Crow 46

Magpie 6 Jackdaw 2

3 9 79

18

Rook 15 House

Sparrow 58

Tree Sparrow 1 Chaffinch 7

3 1800 744 82 17 437 630

Brambling 138 9 4 5 11 Bullfinch 13 Hawfinch 4 2

Greenfinch

2200 186 132 6 268 90 674

Goldfinch 36

4200 1535 719 15 60 240 14 1009

Siskin 25

580 121 96 222 87

Redpoll 218 44 10 21 Twite 1

Crossbill 31 2 Linnet 6

2800 1345 3006 255 88 539 2 1291

Corn Bunting Reed Bunting 211 3 8 4 12

Lapland Bunting

Yellow Hammer

2 1 27 4

Unid 560 190 Unid -

hirundines 30

Unid - thrushes

159 430 172

Unid -finches 15 170 Appendix 2a: Number and variety of each species seen at the seven Dorset casual survey sites 16/10/05. ( 1=Ferrybridge, 2=Lodmoor, 3=Longham Lakes, 4=Portland Bill, 5=Ringstead Bay, 6=Sopley Common, 7=Worth Mattravers).

Species 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Golden Plover

9

Snipe 1 Wood Pigeon

800 100 49 43

Stock Dove

8 18 13

Skylark 50 2 40 3 Woodlark 1 1

Yellow Wagtail

2

alba Wagtail

25 67 10

Sand Martin

3

19

House Martin

40

Swallow 32 3 12 20 Meadow

Pipit 20 8 120 10

Wheatear 2 Stonechat 15 Blackbird 6 16 Fieldfare 1 2 Redwing 500 440 14 10 3

Ring Ouzel

2 1

Song Thrush

400 660 26 25 183

Starling 145 50 Jay 1

Jackdaw 100 Chaffinch 25 8 35 100 Brambling 2 4 4 1 Hawfinch 1 1

Greenfinch 100 106 40

Appendix 3a: Number and variety of each species seen outside of Dorset 16/10/05 (1=Blackdown Hills, 2=Dawlish Warren, 3=NewPassage, 4=Pilling, 5=Ouistreham, 6=Prawle, 7=Thornton, 8=Tidpit Down, 9=WainsHill)

Species 1 2 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Grey Heron 1 Little Egret 1

Pintail 17 Wigeon 60

Brent Goose 21 Golden Plover 4

Lapwing 4 Snipe 1

Ringed plover 15 Sparrowhawk 1 2 Hen Harrier 1

Merlin 1 Wood Pigeon 121 109 79 1 36 351 53 Collared Dove 1

Skylark 23 55 6 22 203 28 Woodlark 1

alba Wagtail 38 69 25 2 1 4 6 10

Goldfinch 25 21 42 40 Redpoll 14 Siskin 19 13 12 1

Crossbill 2 Linnet 25 280 30 Reed

Bunting 4 2

20

Grey Wagtail 2 2 2 House Martin 1

Swallow 28 1 Meadow Pipit 123 172 10 7 4 30 57

Dunnock 2 Wheatear 2 1* Blackbird 11 15 3 12 Fieldfare 1 8 19 13 Redwing 1213 6770 205 204 273 266

Ring Ouzel 3 Song Thrush 69 72 9 6 14 Mistle Thrush 7 6

Goldcrest 4 Blue Tit 1 Great Tit 2 Starling 158 56 800 165 130 78 820

Jay 1 6 Raven 1 3

Carrion Crow 19 Jackdaw 15 17 40 40

Rook 9 6 Chaffinch 220 99 1910 4 8 2 7 2035 Brambling 1 7 3

Appendix 4a: Number seen over each hour of effort-related survey

16/10/05 Species

7:30-

8:30

8:30-

9:30

Species 7:30-

8:30

8:30-

9:30 Grey Heron Blue Tit Mediterranean

Gull Great Tit

Merlin Brent Goose 5 2

Spoonbill Starling Buzzard Jay

Hawfinch 9 1 Bullfinch Greenfinch

0 71 10

51 Goldfinch

9 76 0

5 Redpoll Siskin

6 3 5

44 Linnet

6 44

Corn Bunting Reed Bunting Lapland Bunting

Unidentified 3

21

6 5 Lapwing

2 Jackdaw

6 6 Great Spotted

Wood. Rook

1

Wood Pigeon 70 60

House Sparrow 8 0

Stock Dove 44 0

Tree Sparrow

Skylark 43 01

Chaffinch 044 731

Woodlark Brambling 55 2

alba Wagtail 00 91

Bullfinch 2

Grey Wagtail Greenfinch 289 263

Yellow Wagtail

Goldfinch 853 861

House Martin 8 4

Goldfinch* 2 8

Sand Martin Golden Plover Swallow

45 15 Siskin

06 22 Stonechat Redpoll

9 6 Rock Pipit Crossbill

1

Meadow Pipit 098 26

Hawfinch

Little Egret Linnet 540 727

Wheatear Twite Blackbird

63 34 Reed Bunting

99 9 Fieldfare

4 Lapland Bunting

Song Thrush 443 278

Yellowhammer

Mistle Thrush 8

Unidentified 75 5

Ring Ouzel 0

Unid- Thrushes 70 91

Redwing 167 829

Totals 7480 0502

Dartford Warbler 0 1

Appendix 5a: Movement in relation to wind direction at the nine

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Dorset standardised survey sites 16/10/05

Site name Number into the wind

Number with the wind

% number into the wind

Brenscombe Hill

591 459 56

Hengistbury Head

14204 0 100

Durlston CP 5481 0 100 East Bexington 6279 1101 85 Egggardon Hill 994 20 98 Rawlsbury Camp

823 323 72

South Haven, Poole

10315 1 100

Throop Common

441 115 79

West Bay 5730 1867 75

Conclusion of the Visible Migration in Dorset co-ordinated count in 2005 This very good unbiased survey was undertaken several years prior to allocating an area to a potential wind farm. It's a pity Crown Estates didn't carry out more research prior to allocation of suitable sites. The facts show for themselves in the survey that thousands of birds migrate through Poole and Christchurch Bay, Spring and Autumn. Hengistbury Head, Poole Haven and Durlston taking the majority of migrating birds to and from South Coast. No two years or days will be the same, the wind strength, direction and visibility play their part. It is noted that great numbers migrate at dawn, explaining why so many arrive at Hengistbury Head in the early hours in the Spring. Migratory birds move across seas in great numbers, over a short time period, often at night and sometimes in bad weather , so are not adequately recorded in bird surveys undertaken as part of EIAs for proposed offshore wind farms. Why is a proposed wind farm planned on an important Migratory route? Appendix 2

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Chart showing migration routes Durlston, Poole, Hengistbury, Pennington. Cherbourg Peninsular and the East / West sea bird migration route

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