Identification of “Primorsk-1” wind power plant impact on the ecological situation connected with the behavior of ornithofauna on the Azov Sea coast
Authors: Siokhin V D , Osadchyi V V , Gorlov P I , Yeremieiev V S 
Published: June 2021

The results of ornithocomplexes monitoring in the territory of the wind power plant (WPP) “Primorsk-1” in 2017 and 2018 are presented. The research was conducted by two methods: observations made according to the recommendations of the Scottish Natural Heritage Fund (SNH) and route accounting method (RAM). The distribution of birds by seasons, direction of migration and flight altitudes has been identified. The number of birds, registered in 2017 by the SNH method, was 5923 specimens of 45 species: 3795 specimens of 33 species were flying in transit, 2,113 specimens of 40 species belonged to the forage group, 15 birds of four species belonged to the demonstration type. Most of the birds (64.2%) were flying in transit. The greatest activity of birds was observed in spring (36.3%) and autumn (35.0%) seasons of migration, when the share of the transit group accounted for 75.5% of all annual transit flights. At an altitude of up to 10 m 5086 (86.2%) birds were registered, in the range of altitudes (11÷25) m – 697 (11.8%), in the range of altitudes (26÷50) m – 53 (0.7%). No birds were found at an altitude above 180 m. In the risk zone of interaction with turbines, there were 72 birds of four species: Larus ridibundus, Merops apiaster, Circus aeruginosus, Buteo buteo. The total number of birds, registered by the RAM method in 2018, was 8927 specimens of 72 species: 802 specimens of 11 species were flying in transit, 2511 specimens of 32 species belonged to the forage group, 5614 specimens of 60 species belonged to the terrestrial group. The greatest activity of birds was registered in autumn (70.0%) and spring (15.2%) seasons of migration, and the share of the transit group in these seasons accounted for 93.4% of all annual transit flights. The predominant directions of migration were western, north-eastern and south-western. At an altitude of up to 10 m – 2369 (71.5%) birds were registered, in the range of altitudes (11÷25) m – 371 (11.2%), in the range of altitudes (26÷50) m – 367 (11.2%). At an altitude above 51 m – 202 birds (6.1%) were registered. Comparison of the results, obtained by different monitoring methods, was carried out by bringing the number of birds to 1 hour of observation in an area of 1 km2. The total bird density in the case of the RAM method was 3.3 times higher. The density of transit type birds according to different methods was within the admissible statistical dispersion of 10.2÷12.7 specimens/hour·km2. However, the density of forage type birds, registered by the RAM method, was 7.1 times higher than the density, identified by the SNH method. The average number of all the birds flying over the wind park territory at each moment of time according to various counting methods was within the statistical scatter (1.15÷1.28) specimen/(hour·km2). The size of the transit group in the case of the SNH method use was 3 times larger than that calculated by the RAM method, while the size of the forage group, on the contrary, was 2.5 times less. The anticipated number of collisions during one year of the wind power plant functioning, calculated by the SNH and RAM methods, was in the range of 5.6÷6.7 (about 0.6 specimens per turbine for one year of its functioning, or 0.2 specimen/1 MW/year). The number of collisions was about 6.9
−4
% of the total number of transit and forage type birds in the wind park territory, 3.3-3% of the number of the considered species specimens present at all altitudes, and 0.25% of all birds in a risk zone. The data obtained indicate an insignificant impact of the “Primorsk-1” wind power plant on the ornithofauna of the Azov sea coast.