The Anonymous Widower

Kittiwake Compensation

The title of this post, is the same as that of this page of Ørsted’s Hornsea Three web site.

The first section of the page gives the background.

Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm received planning permission in December 2020. As part of our Development Consent Order, a requirement was included for ecological compensation measures for a vulnerable seabird species whose populations could be affected by wind farms – the Black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla).

Our compensation plan focusses on providing artificial nesting structures for kittiwake along the east coast of England. This project is the first of its kind and we are working on new and innovative designs for the artificial nesting structures. Each structure will be purpose-built, bespoke and specific to the landscape characteristics of each location. The structures also present an educational opportunity, allowing researchers to better understand kittiwake.

Developing effective environmental compensation measures is essential to ensure the UK Government’s targets for offshore wind can be realised, to deliver a net zero-carbon future.

So kittiwakes are not being paid compensation, as I don’t suspect many have bank accounts.

But they are being built a few new nesting structures.

Wikipedia has an entry on kittiwakes.

It notes that all European kittiwakes are of the black-legged variety and this is a picture, I took of some on the Baltic in Newcastle.

I’ve seen several pictures of kittiwakes lined up like these.

The document goes on to describe the work being done for the kittiwakes and this is said about work in East Suffolk.

Lowestoft and Sizewell are the only locations between Kent and Humberside with thriving kittiwake colonies. Kittiwake normally nest on steep cliffs with narrow ledges. East Anglia doesn’t have these natural nesting spaces, so kittiwake have reverted to colonising urban areas, for example on windowsills and ledges of buildings. Kittiwake breeding for the first time are most likely to find artificial structures that are situated close to these urban areas. They are less likely to find structures in places where there are not already kittiwake. Lowestoft and Sizewell are therefore two of the few places in East Anglia where artificial structures could be colonised quickly. These purpose-built nesting sites would improve breeding conditions for kittiwake, whilst successfully achieving our compensation requirements to unlock the world’s biggest offshore wind farm.

I took this picture of kittiwakes at Sizewell.

It doesn’t seem too unlike the structure on the Hornsea 3 web site.

February 4, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Energy | Ørsted, Hornsea Wind Farm, Kittiwakes, Lowestoft, Offshore Wind Power, Sizewell, Wind Power