Part  B  -  Technical  instructions

29

Presentation ­
  of
results
(continued)

Baseline  study

Construction
phase

Operation  phase

•  Table  showing  mean  bird  abundance  per  km 2  or,  in  the  case  of  less  abundant
species,  average  number  of  individuals  per  km  covered,  broken  down  by  months
indicating  the  value  range  and  number  of  mapping  cruises.  When  analysing  ship
based  survey  data,  abundance  calculations  for  swimming  birds  within  the  transect
have  to  be  corrected  regarding  distance  according  the  (Distance)  method  described
by  Buckland  et  al.  (2001)  either  on  the  basis  of  own  data  or  alternatively  on  the
basis  of  published  factors  (e.  g.  Garthe  et  al.  2007).
•  (Statistical)  presentation  of  occurrence  changes  over  the  assessment  period  (baseline ­
  study-construction  phase-operation  phase,  BACI  design).

Presentation  of  distribution  for  relevant  species:

•  Point  sightings  maps  with  the  original  positions  of  the  birds,  the  positions  of  ships
present  during  the  surveys,  and  the  positions  of  wind  turbines.
•  Separate  monthly  or  seasonal  grid  abundance  maps  for  the  most  frequently  occurring ­
  species/groups  of  species.  The  geographic  reference  for  all  computations  is
rectangles  of  2’  latitude  and  3’  longitude  (WGS  84,  degree  minute  second).  The
rectangles  should  be  aligned  with  the  geographic  grid.  Size  classes  should  be  selected ­
  according  to  Garthe  et  al.  (2004).
•  Movement  of  ships  and  helicopters  should  be  documented  on  the  basis  of  existing
AIS  data  (AIS,  GPS,  VMS)  and  should  be  taken  into  account  in  the  analyses.

The  cumulative  evaluation  of  species  that  cannot  be  clearly  identified  at  the  species
level  should  follow  the  next  highest  taxonomic  level  (e.  g.  Alcidae,  Gaviiformes).