Birds like redfree

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Birds like red-free

• Joop Marquenie, Hanneke Poot and Maurice Donners

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Why ever start with birds?

• 1992 exploration well Terschelling
• Concerns about flaring and birds
• Working with the Royal Airforce
• No investigation no permit!

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Important aspects

• Massive swarms of birds around installations
• End August mid November
• Broad front migration and
• gt 80 cloud cover
• Midnight till dawn

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Bird migration
Autumn migration July-December

• 60 million birds, twice a year
• West Canada Wadden Sea Guinea Bissau
• Southern Scandinavie Wadden Sea
• 12 hrs fat reserves, 10 hrs flight time
• Rare, endangered, protected and common birds

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10 days 100 km offshore 42 species Smallest
3-5 g (sugar cube)
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Licht on licht off experiment on L5 platform
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Ameland Westgat
How is was
How it is
250.000
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Onshore impacts of illumination
Common crane circling all night above small
town in Beieren during festivities with extra
lighting Noord-Holland (NL) Impact of road
illumination on Gotwitts. Breeding success was
reduced till a distance of 1500 meters (Alterra
institute)
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Cross the North Sea without encoutering a platform
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Impact of light color on migationlocation
Ameland-Oost
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Impact on nocturnal migrating birds freshly
arriving from sea

• Lamp HPI-T 1000 Wt
• Filters groen, blauw, rood en wit
• Hoogte ca. 5 m
• Richting NO

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Results autumn 2003, 2005 and 2006


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Filter results
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Experiments with Robins 2004

• Caught onshore during autumn migration
• Studied in closed rooms keep southward drift
• Loss of direction in red light
• Explanation disturbance of internal compass
• Conclusion attraction by offshore platforms is
  not attraction but disorientation of internal
  compass

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Human eye
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Day-nightvisionNight vision is much more
effective(500 nm)
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Other organisms

• Amphibians directional sensitive to red
• Insects attracted by blue and UV
• Plants
• Growth need red and blue
• Directional growth blue
• Seed setting, blooming red and far red

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L15 results50-90 reduction in birds
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Safety lifting and hoisting

• Less blinding as sodium floodlight
• Keeps full contrast and visibility
• Score 9 (was 8 for original)

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Where we are

• Started in 1992 assessed impact on birds North
  Sea 10 of population
• Problem caused by spectrum 570-620 nm
• Test in Philips Lab positive, test on L15
  positive
• Birds 50-90 reduction of impact
• Safety no impact walkways, positive for lifting
  and hoisting
• No negative impact on well-being comfortable
• Nature2000 conservation legislation develops for
  offshore
• Product will be commercially available in 2008
• Also effective onshore Ameland

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Marine protected areasunder Natura2000
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Ameland Emerald pearl of the Wadden Sea
Foto J. Krol
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Conclusions

• Green light 50-90 less birds impacted
• May improve situation for 6 million birds each
  year
• Only works at full extend if all platforms in all
  North Sea countries support
• Limited extra cost if implemented in regular (2-6
  yr) exchange scheme Low budget measure with high
  impact
• Also partial replacement is effective
• Great interest from media and politicians
• Reduces environmental footprint and gives space
  for economic growth
• Last but not least dutch invention and product