• Title: NatureScot Commissioned Report 523: Survey of the feeding areas, roosts and flight activity of qualifying species of the Caithness Lochs Special Protection Area
• Summary:Caithness has recently seen a large increase in applications for small-medium scale wind energy developments. The agricultural landscape in North Caithness is heavily used for foraging by geese and swans from the Caithness Lochs SPA. The current and anticipated numbers of small scale turbine applications has the potential to present increasing risks to these species from collision, disturbance and displacement. Current knowledge of the distribution of foraging SPA species is both dated and limited, and the impacts of these proposals (single and cumulative) on birds is not clear. Potential impacts over a wide area need to be assessed because the SPA species are very mobile, moving between roost sites (designated as SPAs) and favoured feeding grounds (which are not designated). The current data set is over 10 years old so that a new extensive survey was considered to be necessary.
• Description:Commissioned Report

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Summary: Caithness has recently seen a large increase in applications for small-medium scale wind energy developments. The agricultural landscape in North Caithness is heavily used for foraging by geese and swans from the Caithness Lochs SPA. The current and anticipated numbers of small scale turbine applications has the potential to present increasing risks to these species from collision, disturbance and displacement. Current knowledge of the distribution of foraging SPA species is both dated and limited, and the impacts of these proposals (single and cumulative) on birds is not clear. Potential impacts over a wide area need to be assessed because the SPA species are very mobile, moving between roost sites (designated as SPAs) and favoured feeding grounds (which are not designated). The current data set is over 10 years old so that a new extensive survey was considered to be necessary.

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SCM Assessment Date: 6th February 2020

Record Creation Date: 6th February 2020 15:17

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Original Source: Commissioned Report

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Marine_imageStartDate: 6th February 2020

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Keywords: Caithness Lochs SPA, geese, swans, feeding areas, roosts, flight activity

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Description: Commissioned Report

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Author: Patterson, I.J., Lambie, D., Smith, J. & Smith, R.

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