Digital aerial seabird and cetacean surveys off the east coast of Scotland

3. Distribution

Survey accounts have been provided below, which includes survey collection summary, raw count tables of avian species, raw count tables of other marine megafauna, summary of anthropological targets and distribution maps of all targets found during the survey. For more detail on species groupings see Appendix I.

3.1. Survey 1 – Winter 2019/2020

Survey 1 was conducted in winter 2019/2020 over three days, transects one and two were collected over 12 February and 6 March, transects three and four on 13 February, transects five over 13 February and 4 March, and data for all remaining transects (six, seven, eight, nine and 10) were collected on 4 March (Figure 2). The total coverage collected for this survey represented 1.94% of the wider survey area.

A total of 10,282 birds were recorded in the survey area during Survey 1 (Table 5). The most abundant species recorded was guillemot/razorbill (n=5,720), followed by fulmar (n=1,838), kittiwake (n=794), large gull species (n=411), auk species (n=393), gannet (n=377), herring gull (n=271), small gull species (n=245), great black-backed gull (n=184), puffin (n=29), common gull (n=13), lesser black-backed gull (n=3), black-backed gull species (n=2), gull species (n=1) and razorbill (n=1).

A total of 2,123 birds (21%) were recorded in flight during this survey, these consisted of fulmar (n=967), kittiwake (n=633), gannet (n=183), guillemot/razorbill (n=127), herring gull (n=100), great black-backed gull (n=66), large gull species (n=22), common gull (n=13), small gull species (n=6), auk species (n=4), gull species (n=1), lesser black-backed gull (n=1). There were 8,154 birds (79%) recorded as sitting. There were 4 birds (<1%) recorded as diving.

Table 5: Raw counts of avian species recorded in Survey 1.

Species	Flying	Sitting	Diving	Total
Kittiwake	634	160	-	794
Common Gull	13	-	-	13
Small Gull sp. – unidentified	6	239	-	245
Great Black-backed Gull	66	118	-	184
Herring Gull	100	171	-	271
Lesser Black-backed Gull	1	2	-	3
Black-backed Gull sp. – unidentified	-	2	-	2
Large Gull sp. – unidentified	22	389	-	411
Gull sp. - unidentified	1	-	-	1
Razorbill	-	1	-	1
Guillemot / Razorbill	127	5,589	4	5,720
Puffin	-	29	-	29
Auk sp. – unidentified	4	389	-	393
Fulmar	967	871	-	1,838
Gannet	183	194	-	377
Total	2,124	8,154	4	10,282

A total of 96 marine mammals were recorded in the survey area during Survey 1 (Table 6), these were recorded as dolphin/porpoise (n=51), dolphin species (n=27), grey seal (n=6), common dolphin (n=5), phocids (n=3), white-beaked dolphin (n=3) and common minke whale (n=1).

Table 6: Raw counts of marine megafauna species recorded in Survey 1.

Species	Submerged	Surfacing	Total
Grey Seal	2	4	6
Seal sp. – unidentified	1	2	3
Common Minke Whale	1	-	1
Common Dolphin	4	1	5
White-beaked Dolphin	1	2	3
Dolphin sp. – unidentified	22	5	27
Dolphin / Porpoise	35	16	51
Total marine mammals	66	30	96

A total of eight anthropogenic objects were recorded in the survey area during Survey 1, these were recorded as platform (n=4), fishing vessel (n=2), supply vessel (n=1) and wind turbine (n=1).

shows the location of all birds and marine megafauna recorded throughout the survey area during Winter 2019 / 2020 (Survey 1).

Figure Note: Individuals may appear to overlap if they are in close proximity to each other.

3.2. Survey 2 – Spring 2020

Survey 2 was conducted over three days and all flight lines were successfully completed. Data for transects one and two were collected on 13 April, transects three, four, five and six on 14 April, and transects seven, eight, nine and ten on 16 April (Figure 3). The total coverage collected for this survey represented 1.43% of the wider survey area, this lower than expected due to a camera malfunction.

A total of 9,606 birds were recorded in the survey area during Survey 2 (Table 7). The most abundant species recorded was guillemot / razorbill (n=4,230), followed by kittiwake (n=1,356), fulmar (n=1,300), razorbill (n=1,043), gannet (n=720), guillemot (n=701), auk species (n=87), puffin (n=74), small gull species (n=31), great black-backed gull (n=21), large gull species (n=21), herring gull (n=14), common gull (n=2), gull species (n=2), black guillemot (n=1), great northern diver (n=1), great skua (n=1) and lesser black-backed gull (n=1).

A total of 2,720 birds (28%) were recorded in flight during this survey, these consisted of kittiwake (n=1,068), fulmar (n=996), gannet (n=505), guillemot (n=67), guillemot / razorbill (n=60), small gull species (n=7), auk species (n=5), great black-backed gull (n=3), common gull (n=2), herring gull (n=2), large gull species (n=2), great skua (n=1), gull species (n=1) and razorbill (n=1). There were 6,886 birds (72%) recorded as sitting.

Table 7: Raw counts of avian species recorded in Survey 2.

Species	Flying	Sitting	Total
Kittiwake	1,068	288	1,356
Common Gull	2	-	2
Small Gull sp. – unidentified	7	24	31
Great Black-backed Gull	3	18	21
Herring Gull	2	12	14
Lesser Black-backed Gull	-	1	1
Large Gull sp. – unidentified	2	19	21
Gull sp. – unidentified	1	1	2
Great Skua	1	-	1
Guillemot	67	634	701
Razorbill	1	1,042	1,043
Guillemot / Razorbill	60	4,170	4,230
Black Guillemot	-	1	1
Puffin	-	74	74
Auk sp. – unidentified	5	82	87
Great Northern Diver	-	1	1
Fulmar	996	304	1,300
Gannet	505	215	720
Total	2,720	6,886	9,606

A total of 22 marine mammals were recorded in the survey area during Survey 2 (Table 8), these were recorded as dolphin / porpoise (n=13), common minke whale (n=3), phocids (n=3), dolphin species (n=2) and grey seal (n=1).

Table 8: Raw counts of marine megafauna species recorded in Survey 2.

Species	Submerged	Surfacing	Total
Grey Seal	1	-	1
Seal sp. – unidentified	2	1	3
Common Minke Whale	3	-	3
Dolphin sp. – unidentified	2	-	2
Dolphin / Porpoise	7	6	13
Total marine mammals	15	7	22

A total of five anthropogenic objects were recorded in the survey area during Survey 2, these were recorded as platform (n=2), fishing vessel (n=1), supply vessel (n=1) and wind turbine (n=1).

Figure Note: Individuals may appear to overlap if they are in close proximity to each other.

3.3. Survey 3 – Summer I 2020

Survey 3 was conducted over four days and all flight lines were successfully completed. Data for transects one and two were collected on 2 June, transect three on 8 June, transect four over 8 June and 24 June, transect five, six, seven and eight on 24 June, and transects nine and ten on 26 June (Figure 4). The total coverage collected for this survey represented 1.94% of the wider survey area.

A total of 18,141 birds were recorded in the survey area during Survey 3 (Table 9)

The most abundant species recorded was guillemot (n=4,371), followed by kittiwake (n=3,718), razorbill (n=2,843), guillemot / razorbill (n=2,370), fulmar (n=2,056), gannet (n=1,773), herring gull (n=301), auk species (n=254), puffin (n=251), small gull species (n=59), large gull species (n=44), great skua (n=28), lesser black-backed gull (n=17), 'commic' tern (n=13), gull species (n=7), black guillemot (n=6), curlew (n=5), great black-backed gull (n=4), storm petrel (n=4), Arctic skua (n=3), Manx shearwater (n=3), black-backed gull species (n=2), common tern (n=2), tern species (n=2), cormorant / shag (n=1), great northern diver (n=1), red-throated diver (n=1), skua species (n=1) and unidentified bird species (n=1).

A total of 4,720 birds (26%) were recorded in flight during this survey, these consisted of kittiwake (n=2,067), fulmar (n=909), gannet (n=909), guillemot (n=406), herring gull (n=174), razorbill (n=106), guillemot / razorbill (n=65), great skua (n=26), auk species (n=16), 'commic' tern (n=13), puffin (n=6), curlew (n=5), lesser black-backed gull (n=4), Arctic skua (n=3), large gull species (n=3), Manx shearwater (n=3), common tern (n=2), tern species (n=2) and great black-backed gull (n=1). There were 13,417 birds (74%) recorded as sitting. There were three birds (<1%) recorded as diving, and one bird (<1%) recorded as perched.

Table 9: Raw counts of avian species recorded in Survey 3.

Species	Flying	Sitting	Diving	Perched	Total
Curlew	5	-	-	-	5
Kittiwake	2,067	1,651	-	-	3,718
Small Gull sp. – unidentified	-	59	-	-	59
Great Black-backed Gull	1	3	-	-	4
Herring Gull	174	127	-	-	301
Lesser Black-backed Gull	4	13	-	-	17
Black-backed Gull sp. – unidentified	-	2	-	-	2
Large Gull sp. – unidentified	3	40	-	1	44
Gull sp. – unidentified	-	7	-	-	7
Common Tern	2	-	-	-	2
'Commic' Tern	13	-	-	-	13
Tern sp. – unidentified	2	-	-	-	2
Great Skua	26	2	-	-	28
Arctic Skua	3	-	-	-	3
Skua sp. – unidentified	-	1	-	-	1
Guillemot	406	3,964	1	-	4,371
Razorbill	106	2,737	-	-	2,843
Guillemot / Razorbill	65	2,304	1	-	2,370
Black Guillemot	-	6	-	-	6
Puffin	6	245	-	-	251
Auk sp. – unidentified	16	238	-	-	254
Red-throated Diver	-	1	-	-	1
Great Northern Diver	-	1	-	-	1
Storm Petrel sp. – unidentified	-	4	-	-	4
Fulmar	909	1,147	-	-	2,056
Manx Shearwater	3	-	-	-	3
Gannet	909	863	1	-	1,773
Cormorant / Shag	-	1	-	-	1
Bird sp. – unidentified	-	1	-	-	1
Total	4,720	13,417	3	1	18,141

A total of 517 marine mammals were recorded in the survey area during Survey 3 (Table 10), these were recorded as dolphin/porpoise (n=249), harbour porpoise (n=128), marine mammal species (n=29), phocids (n=29), dolphin species (n=24), common dolphin (n=22), common minke whale (n=12), grey seal (n=11), white-beaked dolphin (n=10) and whale species (n=3).

A total of one other marine species was recorded in the survey area during Survey 3 (Table 10), this was recorded as shark species (n=1).

Table 10: Raw counts of marine megafauna species recorded in Survey 3.

Species	Submerged	Surfacing	Total
Grey Seal	10	1	11
Seal sp. – unidentified	25	4	29
Common Minke Whale	11	1	12
Whale sp. – unidentified	3	-	3
White-beaked Dolphin	8	2	10
Common Dolphin	20	2	22
Dolphin sp. – unidentified	19	5	24
Dolphin / Porpoise	228	21	249
Harbour Porpoise	108	20	128
Marine Mammal sp. – unidentified	28	1	29
Total marine mammals	460	57	517
Shark sp. – unidentified	1	-	1
Total other marine megafauna	1	-	1

A total of 18 anthropogenic objects were recorded in the survey area during Survey 3, these were recorded as fishing vessel (n=7), platform (n=5), supply vessel (n=3), cargo ship (n=2) and wind turbine (n=1).

3.4. Survey 4 – Summer II 2020

Survey 4 was conducted over two days and all flight lines were successfully completed. Data for transects five, six, seven, eight nine and 10 were collected on 18 July and transects one, two, three and four on 19 July (Figure 5). The total coverage collected for this survey represented 2% of the wider survey area.

A total of 14,284 birds were recorded in the survey area during Survey 4 (Table 11). The most abundant species recorded was fulmar (n=2,906), followed by kittiwake (n=2,802), guillemot (n=2,713), guillemot / razorbill (n=1,694), gannet (n=1,582), razorbill (n=1,397), 'commic' tern (n=384), auk species (n=243), herring gull (n=148), wader species (n=87), large gull species (n=67), puffin (n=65), small gull species (n=40), great skua (n=33), tern species (n=31), redshank (n=28), gull species (n=17), great black-backed gull (n=11), lesser black-backed gull (n=10), Manx shearwater (n=9), skua species (n=5), common gull (n=3), red-throated diver (n=3), diver species (n=2), storm petrel species (n=2), Arctic skua (n=1) and black-backed gull species (n=1).

A total of 4,584 birds (32%) were recorded in flight during this survey, these consisted of fulmar (n=1,841), kittiwake (n=1,159), gannet (n=973), 'commic' tern (n=255), wader species (n=87), guillemot (n=57), herring gull (n=54), great skua (n=31), redshank (n=28), razorbill (n=25), guillemot / razorbill (n=21), auk species (n=9), Manx shearwater (n=9), great black-backed gull (n=7), lesser black-backed gull (n=7), small gull species (n=6), puffin (n=5), large gull species (n=4), common gull (n=3), Arctic skua (n=1), gull species (n=1) and skua species (n=1). There were 9,696 birds (68%) recorded as sitting. There were four birds (<1%) recorded as diving.

Table 11: Raw counts of avian species recorded in Survey 4.

Species	Flying	Sitting	Diving	Total
Redshank	28	-	-	28
Wader sp. – unidentified	87	-	-	87
Kittiwake	1,159	1,643	-	2,802
Common Gull	3	-	-	3
Small Gull sp. – unidentified	6	34	-	40
Great Black-backed Gull	7	4	-	11
Herring Gull	54	94	-	148
Lesser Black-backed Gull	7	30	-	10
Black-backed Gull sp. – unidentified	-	1	-	1
Large Gull sp. – unidentified	4	63	-	67
Gull sp. – unidentified	1	16	-	17
'Commic' Tern	255	129	-	384
Tern sp. – unidentified	-	31	-	31
Great Skua	31	2	-	33
Arctic Skua	1	-	-	1
Skua sp. – unidentified	1	4	-	5
Guillemot	57	2,656	-	2,713
Razorbill	25	1,371	1	1,397
Guillemot / Razorbill	21	1,673	-	1,694
Puffin	5	60	-	65
Auk sp. – unidentified	9	233	1	243
Red-throated Diver	-	3	-	3
Diver sp. – unidentified	-	2	-	2
Storm Petrel sp. – unidentified	-	2	-	2
Fulmar	1,841	1,065	-	2,906
Manx Shearwater	9	-	-	9
Gannet	973	607	2	1,582
Total	4,584	9,696	4	14,284

A total of 660 marine mammals were recorded in the survey area during Survey 4 (Table 12), these were recorded as dolphin / porpoise (n=293), harbour porpoise (n=250), white-beaked dolphin (n=71), dolphin species (n=17), seal species (n=16), grey seal (n=7), common minke whale (n=3) and marine mammal species (n=3).

Table 12: Raw counts of marine megafauna species recorded in Survey 4.

Species	Submerged	Surfacing	Total
Grey Seal	5	2	7
Seal sp. – unidentified	11	5	16
Common Minke Whale	1	2	3
White-beaked Dolphin	60	11	71
Dolphin sp. – unidentified	15	2	17
Harbour Porpoise	223	27	250
Dolphin / Porpoise	265	28	293
Marine Mammal sp. - unidentified	3	-	3
Total marine mammals	583	77	660

A total of 13 anthropogenic objects were recorded in the survey area during Survey 4, these were recorded as platform (n=4), fishing vessel (n=3), supply vessel (n=2), unidentified vessel (n=2), cargo ship (n=1) and wind turbine (n=1).

Figure 13 shows the location of all birds and marine megafauna recorded throughout the survey area during Summer survey II (Survey 4).

Figure Note: Individuals may appear to overlap if they are in close proximity to each other.

1.1 3.5. Survey 5 – Autumn I 2020

Survey 5 was conducted over three days and all flight lines were successfully completed. Data for transects seven, eight, nine and ten were collected on 16 September, transects three, four, five and six on 17 September, and transects one and two on 18 September (Figure 6). The total coverage collected for this survey represented 1.94% of the wider survey area.

A total of 64,034 birds were recorded in the survey area during Survey 5 (Table 13). The most abundant species recorded was guillemot/razorbill (n=38,482), followed by kittiwake (n=9,178), fulmar (n=8,003), guillemot (n=3,311), gannet (n=3,012), razorbill (n=996), auk species (n=365), great black-backed gull (n=223), large gull species (n=170), small gull species (n=119), black-backed gull species (n=31), great skua (n=31), Manx shearwater (n=22), herring gull (n=20), gull species (n=18), puffin (n=12), red-throated diver (n=11), common gull (n=8), diver species (n=7), skua species (n=7), 'commic' tern (n=3), Arctic skua (n=2), common eider (n=1), great northern diver (n=1) and shearwater species (n=1).

A total of 7,947 birds (12%) were recorded in flight during this survey, these consisted of kittiwake (n=3,883), fulmar (n=2,186), gannet (n=1,518), guillemot/razorbill (n=131), great black-backed gull (n=69), large gull species (n=40), great skua (n=31), Manx shearwater (n=22), black-backed gull species (n=19), herring gull (n=16), common gull (n=6), razorbill (n=6), small gull species (n=3), 'commic' tern (n=3), guillemot (n=3), auk species (n=3), Arctic skua (n=2), puffin (n=2), skua species (n=2), red-throated diver (n=1) and diver species (n=1). There were 56,063 birds (88%) recorded as sitting and 24 birds recorded as diving.

Table 13: Raw counts of avian species recorded in Survey 5.

Species	Flying	Sitting	Diving	Total
Common Eider	-	1	-	1
Kittiwake	3,883	5,295	-	9,178
Common Gull	6	2	-	8
Small Gull sp. - unidentified	3	116	-	119
Great Black-backed Gull	69	154	-	223
Herring Gull	16	4	-	20
Black-backed Gull sp. - unidentified	19	12	-	31
Large Gull sp. - unidentified	40	130	-	170
Gull sp. - unidentified	-	18	-	18
'Commic' Tern	3	-	-	3
Great Skua	31	-	-	31
Arctic Skua	2	-	-	2
Skua sp. - unidentified	2	5	-	7
Guillemot	3	3,308	-	3,311
Razorbill	6	990	-	996
Guillemot / Razorbill	131	38,350	1	38,482
Puffin	2	10	-	12
Auk sp. - unidentified	3	362	-	365
Red-throated Diver	1	10	-	11
Great Northern Diver	-	1	-	1
Diver sp. - unidentified	1	6	-	7
Fulmar	2,186	5,817	-	8,003
Manx Shearwater	22	-	-	22
Shearwater sp. - unidentified	-	1	-	1
Gannet	1,518	1,471	23	3,012
Total	7,947	56,063	24	64,034

A total of 58 marine mammals were recorded in the survey area during Survey 5 (Table 14), these were recorded as dolphin/porpoise (n=18), white-beaked dolphin (n=12), common minke whale (n=8), harbour porpoise (n=8), dolphin species (n=5), seal species (n=4), grey seal (n=2) and marine mammal species (n=1).

A total of one other marine megafauna species was recorded in the survey area during Survey 5, this was recoded as basking shark (n=1).

Table 14: Raw counts of marine megafauna species recorded in Survey 5.

Species	Submerged	Surfacing	Total
Common Minke Whale	5	3	8
White-beaked Dolphin	10	2	12
Dolphin sp. - unidentified	3	2	5
Harbour Porpoise	6	2	8
Dolphin / Porpoise	12	6	18
Grey Seal	1	1	2
Seal sp. - unidentified	-	4	4
Marine Mammal sp. - unidentified	-	1	1
Total marine mammals	37	21	58
Basking Shark	1	-	1
Total other marine megafauna	1	-	1

A total of 13 anthropogenic objects were recorded in the survey area during Survey 5, these were recorded as fishing vessel (n=4), platform (n=3), cargo ship (n=2), supply vessel (n=2), wind turbine (n=1) and fixed structure (buoy, rigs etc.; n=1).

Figure Note: Individuals may appear to overlap if they are in close proximity to each other.

3.6. Survey 6 – Autumn II 2020

Survey 6 was conducted over four days and all flight lines were successfully completed. Data for transects one and two were collected on 27 October, transects six, seven, eight, nine, and ten on 29 October, transects four and five on 30 September, and transects three on 6 November (Figure 7). The total coverage collected for this survey represented 1.94% of the wider survey area.

A total of 19,551 birds were recorded during Survey 6 (Table 15). The most abundant species recorded was guillemot/razorbill (n=8,434), followed by fulmar (n=5,384), gannet (n=2,146), kittiwake (n=903), great black-backed gull (n=532), guillemot (n=469), large gull species (n=449), razorbill (n=455), herring gull (n=378), gull species (n=168), small gull species (n=81), auk species (n=65), common gull (n=35), black-backed gull species (n=25), wader species (n=7), puffin (=6), great skua (n=5), skua species (n=2), red-throated diver (n=2), diver species (n=2), black-headed gull (n=1), great northern diver (n=1) and shag (n=1).

A total of 4,720 birds (24%) were recorded in flight during this survey, these consisted of fulmar (n=2,609), gannet (n=855), kittiwake (n=642), herring gull (n=214), great black-backed gull (n=143), guillemot / razorbill (n=107), large gull species (n=48), common gull (n=35), guillemot (n=28), auk species (n=10), wader species (n=7), gull species (n=5), great skua (n=5), black-backed gull species (n=4), razorbill (n=3), small gull species (n=2), black-headed gull (n=1), diver species (n=1) and shag (n=1). There were 14,813 birds (76%) recorded as sitting, 17 birds recorded as perched (<1%) and one bird recorded as diving (<1%)

Table 15: Raw counts of avian species recorded in Survey 6.

Species	Flying	Sitting	Diving	Perched	Total
Wader sp. – unidentified	7	-	-	-	7
Kittiwake	642	261	-	-	903
Black-headed Gull	1	-	-	-	1
Common Gull	35	-	-	-	35
Small Gull sp. – unidentified	2	79	-	-	81
Great Black-backed Gull	143	372	-	17	532
Herring Gull	214	164	-	-	378
Black-backed Gull sp. – unidentified	4	21	-	-	25
Large Gull sp. – unidentified	48	401	-	-	449
Gull sp. – unidentified	5	163	-	-	168
Great Skua	5	-	-	-	5
Skua sp. – unidentified	-	2	-	-	2
Guillemot	28	441	-	-	469
Razorbill	3	452	-	-	455
Guillemot / Razorbill	107	8,327	-	-	8,434
Puffin	-	6	-	-	6
Auk sp. – unidentified	10	54	1	-	65
Red-throated Diver	-	2	-	-	2
Great Northern Diver	-	1	-	-	1
Diver sp. – unidentified	1	1	-	-	2
Fulmar	2,609	2,775	-	-	5,384
Gannet	855	1,291	-	-	2,146
Shag	1	-	-	-	1
Total birds	4,720	14,813	1	17	19,551

A total of 84 marine mammals were recorded in the survey area during Survey 6 (Table 16), these were recorded as harbour porpoise (n=34), white-beaked dolphin (n=20), dolphin/porpoise (n=18), seal species (n=4), common minke whale (n=4), marine mammal species (n=3) and whale species (n=1).

A total of one other marine megafauna species was recorded in the survey area during Survey 6, this was recoded as ocean sunfish (n=1).

Table 16: Raw counts of marine megafauna species recorded in Survey 6.

Species	Submerged	Surfacing	Total
Seal sp. – unidentified	4	-	4
Common Minke Whale	2	2	4
Whale sp. – unidentified	1	-	1
White-beaked Dolphin	18	2	20
Harbour Porpoise	33	1	34
Dolphin / Porpoise	14	4	18
Marine Mammal sp. – unidentified	3	-	3
Total marine mammals	75	9	84
Ocean Sunfish	1	-	1
Total other marine megafauna	1	-	1

A total of 12 anthropogenic objects were recorded in the survey area during Survey 6, these were recorded as supply vessel (n=6), platform (n=4), fixed structure (buoy, rigs etc.; n=1) and wind turbine (n=1).

Figure Note: Individuals may appear to overlap if they are in close proximity to each other.

1.1 3.7. Survey 7 – Winter 2020 / 2021

Survey 7 was conducted over five days and all flight lines were successfully completed. Data for transects one and two were collected on 27 November, transects seven and eight on 29 November, transects three and four on 17 January, transects five and six on 19 January, and transects nine and ten on 23 March (Figure 8). The total coverage collected for this survey represented 1.67% of the wider survey area.

A total of 14,525 birds were recorded during Survey 7 (Table 17, Table 15). The most abundant species recorded was guillemot/razorbill (n=7,246), followed by fulmar (n=3,284), gannet (n=1,088), kittiwake (n=982), herring gull (n=705), great black-backed gull (n=483), guillemot (n=246), large gull species (n=224), auk species (n=142), small gull species (n=35), common gull (n=29), black-backed gull species (n=27), gull species (n=11), knot (n=5), diver species (n=3), long-tailed duck (n=3), glaucous gull (n=2), great skua (n=2), lesser black-backed gull (n=2), black guillemot (n=1), grebe species (n=1), Iceland gull (n=1), red-breasted merganser (n=1), red-throated diver (n=1) and velvet scoter (n=1).

A total of 3,881 birds (26%) were recorded in flight during this survey, these consisted of fulmar (n=2,171), kittiwake (n=770), gannet (n=366), herring gull (n=240), great black-backed gull (n=157), guillemot / razorbill (n=51), large gull species (n=43), common gull (n=29), guillemot (n=19), auk species (n=7), small gull species (n=6), gull species (n=5), knot (n=5), black-backed gull species (n=3), long-tailed duck (n=3), great skua (n=2), glaucous gull (n=1), lesser black-backed gull (n=1), red-breasted merganser (n=1) and velvet scoter (n=1). There were 10,631 birds (73%) recorded as sitting, 12 birds recorded as perched (<1%) and one bird recorded as deceased (<1%)

Table 17: Raw counts of avian species recorded in Survey 7.

Species	Flying	Sitting	Perched	Deceased	Total
Velvet Scoter	1	-	-	-	1
Long-tailed Duck	3	-	-	-	3
Red-breasted Merganser	1	-	-	-	1
Grebe sp. – unidentified	-	1	-	-	1
Knot	5	-	-	-	5
Kittiwake	770	212	-	-	982
Common Gull	29	-	-	-	29
Small Gull sp. – unidentified	6	29	-	-	35
Great Black-backed Gull	157	314	12	-	483
Glaucous Gull	1	1	-	-	2
Iceland Gull	-	1	-	-	1
Herring Gull	240	465	-	-	705
Lesser Black-backed Gull	1	1	-	-	2
Black-backed Gull sp. – unidentified	3	24	-	-	27
Large Gull sp. – unidentified	43	181	-	-	224
Gull sp. – unidentified	5	6	-	-	11
Great Skua	2	-	-	-	2
Guillemot	19	227	-	-	246
Guillemot / Razorbill	51	7,195	-	-	7,246
Black Guillemot	-	1	-	-	1
Auk sp. – unidentified	7	135	-	-	142
Red-throated Diver	-	1	-	-	1
Diver sp. – unidentified	-	3	-	-	3
Fulmar	2,171	1,113	-	-	3,284
Gannet	366	721	-	1	1,088
Total birds	3,881	10,631	12	1	14,525

A total of 20 marine mammals were recorded in the survey area during Survey 7 (Table 18), these were recorded as dolphin / porpoise (n=9), Risso's dolphin (n=5), white-beaked dolphin (n=2), marine mammal species (n=2), whale species (n=1) and dolphin species (n=1).

Table 18: Raw counts of marine megafauna species recorded in Survey 6.

Species	Submerged	Surfacing	Total
Whale sp. – unidentified	1	-	1
Risso's Dolphin	2	3	5
White-beaked Dolphin	2	-	2
Dolphin sp. – unidentified	1	-	1
Dolphin / Porpoise	7	2	9
Marine Mammal sp. – unidentified	2	-	2
Total marine mammals	15	5	20

A total of 13 anthropogenic objects were recorded in the survey area during Survey 7, these were recorded as platform (n=4), fishing vessel (n=3), fixed structure (buoy, rigs etc.; n=3), supply vessel (n=2) and cargo ship (n=1).

Figure 15 shows the location of all birds and marine megafauna recorded throughout the survey area during Winter 2020/2021 (Survey 7).

Figure Note: Individuals may appear to overlap if they are in close proximity to each other.

3.8. Survey 8 – Spring 2021

Survey 8 was conducted over six days and all flight lines were successfully completed. Data for transects one and two were collected on 21 of February, transect three on 28 February, transect four on 5 March, transects five, six, seven and eight on 6 March, transect ten on 14 March and transect nine on 23 March. The total coverage collected for this survey represented 1.92% of the wider survey area.

A total of 12,901 birds were recorded in the Survey Area during the survey 8 (Table 19). The most abundant species recorded was Guillemot/Razorbill (n= 6,922), followed by fulmar (n=2,440), kittiwake (n=1,203), gannet (n=826), guillemot (n=675), auk species (n=392), razorbill (n=131), great black-backed gull (n=92), large gull species (n=65), herring gull (n=57), small gull species (n=56), gull species (n=19), black-backed gull species (n=7), black guillemot (n=6), common gull (n=6), diver species (n=3) and red throated diver (n=1) .

A total of 3,132 birds (24 %) were recorded in flight during this survey, these consisted of fulmar (n=1,870), kittiwake (n=702), gannet (n=394), herring gull (n=42), great black-backed gull (n=39), guillemot / razorbill (n=36), large gull species (n=18), guillemot (n=7), common gull (n=6), small gull species (n=5), auk species (n=4), razorbill (n=4), gull species (n=3) and black-backed gull species (n=2). There were 9,769 birds (76 %) recorded as sitting.

Table 19: Raw counts of avian species recorded in Survey 8.

Species	Flying	Sitting	Total
Kittiwake	702	501	1,203
Common Gull	6	-	6
Great Black-backed Gull	39	53	92
Herring Gull	42	15	57
Black-backed Gull sp. – unidentified	2	5	7
Small Gull species	5	51	56
Large Gull species	18	47	65
Gull sp. – unidentified	3	16	19
Guillemot	7	668	675
Razorbill	4	127	131
Guillemot/Razorbill	36	6,886	6,922
Black Guillemot	-	6	6
Auk sp. – unidentified	4	388	392
Red-throated Diver	-	1	1
Diver sp. – unidentified	-	3	3
Fulmar	1,870	570	2,440
Gannet	394	432	826
Total birds	3,132	9,769	12,901

A total of 59 marine mammals were recorded in the Survey Area during survey 7 (Table 20), these were recorded as dolphin/porpoise (n=22), harbour porpoise (n=17), white-beaked dolphin (n=12), marine mammal species (n=6) and phocids (n=2).

Table 20: Raw counts of marine megafauna species recorded in Survey 8.

Species	Submerged	Surfacing	Total
Phocids sp. – unidentified	1	1	2
White-beaked Dolphin	12	-	12
Harbour Porpoise	11	6	17
Dolphin / Porpoise	16	6	22
Marine Mammal sp. – unidentified	4	2	6
Total marine mammals	44	15	59

A total of 12 anthropogenic objects were recorded in the survey area during Survey 8, these were recorded as supply vessel (n=3), unidentified vessel (n=3), platform (n=3), fishing vessel (n=2), cargo ship (n=1) and fixed structure (buoy, rigs etc.; n=3).

Figure 17 shows the location of all birds and marine megafauna recorded throughout the survey area during Spring 2021 (Survey 8).

Figure Note: Individuals may appear to overlap if they are in close proximity to each other.