Offshore Aerial Bird Surveys for Renewable Energy
APEM is involved in several aerial surveys of offshore renewable energy projects, including Round 1, 2 and 3 offshore wind farms, and wave and tidal energy developments. Using high resolution digital stills imagery we can identify birds (and marine mammals) from an altitude where disturbance is minimal. Flight heights and direction can also be determined.
From the images collected, we can map locations of birds and estimate bird population sizes with a very high degree of precision. The images generated can be stored indefinitely. The technique also lends itself to many statistical and spatial analyses.
The method can be applied to other situations, from comprehensive surveys of waterbirds in inaccessible or expansive locations to surveys of nesting wildfowl or seabirds, bird habitat mapping to protected site condition assessment.
