Abstract
Avian flight heights are currently a focus of interest in terms of assessing possible impacts of offshore and inland wind farms on birds. We therefore analyzed the flight-height distribution in a tracking study of foraging Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus fuscus) on the southern North Sea coast during the incubation period. We distinguished between marine and terrestrial, nocturnal and diurnal, straight and tortuous, and outbound and inbound flights. Individuals were equipped with specifically programmed GPS data loggers to ensure accurate flight-height measurements. A total of 89 % of recorded fixes were below 20 m above sea level, indicating an overlap between foraging flights and the rotor area of most operating wind turbines. The gulls flew lower over the sea than over land, and lower at night than during the day. Straight commuting flights were higher than tortuous flights, when the gulls were supposed to be foraging. Outbound and inbound flights occurred at similar heights, and flight height was unaffected by wind. This study provides insights into the individual flight-height distribution in a common seabird species throughout a range of foraging behaviors. These results might prove important for developing a comprehensive understanding of bird movements within and around wind farms, and the potential impacts of such wind farms on foraging patterns.
Zusammenfassung
Was Flughöhen uns über Nahrungssuche und potentielle Konflikte mit Windparks erzählen: Eine Fallstudie an Heringsmöwen ( Larus fuscus )
In Bezug auf mögliche Einflüsse von Offshore- und Onshore-Windparks auf Vögel sind derzeit deren genauen Flughöhen von besonderem Interesse. Mit Hilfe von GPS-Datenloggern wurde die Höhenverteilung der Nahrungsflüge von Heringsmöwen (Larus fuscus) der südlichen Nordseeküste während ihrer Inkubationsphase analysiert. Dabei wurde zwischen marinen und terrestrischen Nahrungsflügen, Flügen nachts und tagsüber, geraden Strecken- und kurvigen Nahrungsflügen sowie solchen aus der Brutkolonie heraus bzw. dorthin zurück unterschieden. Die Individuen wurden mit speziell programmierten GPS-Datenloggern ausgerüstet, um die Flughöhen genau messen zu können. Insgesamt waren 89 % der aufgezeichneten Positionen unterhalb von 20 m ü. NN, was auf eine Überlappung der Nahrungsflüge mit dem Rotorbereich der meisten betriebenen Windenergieanlagen hindeutet. Die Heringsmöwen flogen auf See niedriger als über Land und nachts niedriger als tagsüber. Gerade Streckenflüge zwischen verschiedenen Nahrungsgebieten wurden in größerer Höhe absolviert als kurvige Flüge, die auf aktive Nahrungssuche schließen lassen. Hin zu den Nahrungsgebieten und zurück in die Kolonie flogen die Heringsmöwen ähnlich hoch; die Flughöhe der Tiere wurde nicht vom Wind beeinflusst. Diese Studie liefert Einblicke in die individuelle Flughöhenverteilung einer häufigen Seevogelart während verschiedener Nahrungssuch-Verhaltensweisen. Diese Ergebnisse sind von besonderer Bedeutung, um die Flugbewegungen von Vögeln innerhalb und um Windparks sowie deren potentielle Einflüsse auf die Nahrungssuchmuster der Tiere zu verstehen.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the National Park Administration of the Wadden Sea National Park of Lower Saxony, Germany, for supporting our fieldwork in the breeding colonies. Gerrit Peters (Earth & Ocean Technologies, Kiel) provided technical support with the GPS data loggers. Bettina Mendel, Kai Borkenhagen, Jana Kotzerka, Julia Sommerfeld and Victor Corman provided extensive help with fieldwork. Fränzi Korner-Nievergelt and Tobias Roth provided statistical advice. We are grateful to Sue Furness for providing linguistic support. This study was funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety according to a decision of the German Bundestag. Birds were caught, ringed and equipped with GPS data loggers under the license of the National Park Administration of the Wadden Sea National Park of Lower Saxony, Germany and the Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Germany (file number: 33.9-42502-04-11/0666). All animals were handled in strict accordance with good animal practice to minimize handling time and stress.
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Communicated by F. Bairlein.
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Corman, AM., Garthe, S. What flight heights tell us about foraging and potential conflicts with wind farms: a case study in Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus fuscus). J Ornithol 155, 1037–1043 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-014-1094-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-014-1094-0