7. St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA

7.1            Site Description

St Abb's Head to Fast Castle SPA lies 6.9 km south-east of the Site and comprises an area of sea cliffs and coastal strip stretching over 10 km along the Berwickshire Coast north of St Abb’s (JNCC, 2001). The boundary of the SPA overlaps with that of St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SSSI, and the seaward extension extends approximately 1 km into the marine environment to include the seabed, water column and surface.

7.2            Qualifying Interests:

N.B. All figures below relate to numbers at the time of classification except where amended by the 2001 SPA Review.

St Abb's Head to Fast Castle SPA qualifies under Article 4.2 by regularly supporting in excess of 20,000 individual seabirds. The site regularly supports 79,560 seabirds including nationally important populations of the following species: razorbill; common guillemot; black-legged kittiwake; herring gull; and European shag. The HRA screening process summarised in Table 4 concluded a single species, breeding herring gull, was scoped in and all other species were scoped out of the assessment (See Annex A).

7.2.1           Feature Summary

Feature Condition and Conservation Objectives

The Conservation Objectives of the St Abb's Head to Fast Castle SPA are as follows:

       “To avoid deterioration of the habitats of the qualifying species (listed below) or significant disturbance to the qualifying species, thus ensuring that the integrity of the site is maintained; and

       To ensure for the qualifying species that the following are maintained in the long term:

• Population of the species as a viable component of the site
• Distribution of the species within site
• Distribution and extent of habitats supporting the species
• Structure, function and supporting processes of habitats supporting the species
• No significant disturbance of the species.”

The SPA overlaps with both the St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SAC and the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast SAC.

7.2.1.1     Herring gull (breeding)

Herring gull are Red Listed on the Bird of Conservation Concern 5 (Stanbury et al., 2015) and are also a Scottish Priority List species.

The most recent condition assessment of breeding herring gull (as part of the overall assemblage qualifier) resulted in an assessed condition of Unfavourable at the At Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA.

7.2.2           Assessment of Adverse Effects Alone

7.2.2.1     Herring gull (breeding)

There is no direct overlap between the onshore Project footprint and the SPA boundary. The edge of the SPA lies 8.7 km away at its closest point from the nearest infrastructure (i.e., onshore cable route at the proposed substation location).

Although herring gull were recorded during the breeding bird survey, no breeding territories were identified within the BBS Study Area. Intertidal surveys recorded herring gull in all months in the IS Study Areas A1 and B1 (see Figure 1). The desk study identified a further 240 records within 5 km of the site between 2011-2021 of which 13 records, totalling 333 individuals, were recorded within the Site. The desk study records of herring gull are notably spread throughout the wider East Lothian region

Disturbance/Displacement

The onshore site infrastructure is all located within what could be classed as typical habitat for herring gull. The SNH and JNCC document providing advice to support management of the Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA (SNH & JNCC, 2016), as referred to above (see Section 5.2.2.2), outlines that, with respect to vessel movements and other fishing activities, although all species display some level of avoidance behaviour, gulls exhibit a low level of sensitivity to such disturbance.

Visual, human presence and vehicle-associated disturbance from the limited footprint of the scheme (primarily in the form of the undergrounding construction works associated with the cable route) is considered to be limited and short-term temporal. Furthermore, herring gull are regularly witnessed utilising the ground disturbance associated with field ploughing and other farming activities to forage on worms and other invertebrates brought to the surface during the process. As such, they are assumed to have not only habitualised to some disturbance but to make opportunistic use of such disturbance.

Therefore, it is considered that there is no likely adverse effect on integrity, having regard to the conservation objectives of the breeding herring gull feature of the St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA from any pressure associated with disturbance / displacement.

7.2.3           Assessment of Adverse Effects In-Combination

As discussed and described in Section 5.2.3 a total of two projects and the Berwick Bank Wind Farm Offshore Proposed Development are considered to the in-combination assessment.

The SPEN Eastern Link Project and SPEN Branxton Grid Substation did not predict any significant impacts on any species. The assessment of the SPEN Eastern Link Project assessed the impacts on breeding herring gull as minor and not significant. The Berwick Bank Wind Farm Offshore Proposed Development did not predict any significant impacts on breeding herring gull as a result of disturbance or displacement during construction.

It is therefore considered that there would be no contribution in terms of adverse effects on breeding herring gull as a result of disturbance or displacement during construction either in-combination with any other development on the integrity of the St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA and its conservation objectives.

7.2.4           Summary

The potential pressure pathway identified in relation to breeding herring gull, as part of the overall assemblage of the St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA, included disturbance/displacement. The baseline assessment included breeding bird surveys in 2020 (as well as wintering bird surveys in 2020/2021 and intertidal surveys in 2020/2021) to establish use of the onshore cable route and wider area by priority birds of conservation value. Herring gull were not recorded as a breeding species during the breeding bird survey but was regularly record as a foraging or roosting species during all surveys. The baseline surveys were further complimented through consultation and purchasing of historical data from TWIC (which included records from the BTO and RSPB as well as other data sources). 

Due to the lack of proximity and the proposed route taken by the onshore cable it is determined there will be no adverse effect on integrity, having regard to the conservation objectives of the breeding herring gull feature of the St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA from the identified pressure associated with any effect resulting from the Project (alone or in combination).

8. Forth Islands SPA

8.1            Site Description

Forth Islands SPA consists of a series of islands supporting the main seabird colonies in the Firth of Forth. The islands of Inchmickery, Isle of May, Fidra, The Lamb, Craigleith and Bass Rock were classified on 25 April 1990. The extension to the site, classified on the 16 February 2004 consists of the island of Long Craig, which, at the time of classification, supported the largest colony of roseate tern in Scotland. It is the most northerly of only six regular British colonies. The seaward extension extends approximately 2 km into the marine environment to include the seabed, water column and surface.

The boundary of the SPA overlaps with the boundaries of the following Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Long Craig, Inchmickery, Forth Islands, Bass Rock and the Isle of May. A small overlap also occurs with the Firth of Forth SPA.

8.2            Qualifying Interests:

Forth Islands SPA qualifies under Article 4.1 by regularly supporting populations of European Importance of the Annex 1 species: Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea); roseate tern (Sterna dougallii); common tern and sandwich tern.

Forth Islands SPA further qualifies under Article 4.2 by regularly supporting populations of European importance of the migratory species: northern gannet; European shag; lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) and Atlantic puffin.

Forth Islands SPA also qualifies under Article 4.2 by regularly supporting nationally important populations of razorbill; common guillemot; black-legged kittiwake; herring gull and great cormorant.

The HRA screening process summarised in Table 4 concluded a single species, breeding herring gull, was scoped in and all other species were scoped out of the assessment (see Annex A: Table 5).

8.2.1           Feature Summary

Feature Condition and Conservation Objectives

The Conservation Objectives of the Forth Islands SPA are as follows:

       “To avoid deterioration of the habitats of the qualifying species (listed below) or significant disturbance to the qualifying species, thus ensuring that the integrity of the site is maintained; and

       To ensure for the qualifying species that the following are maintained in the long term:

• Population of the species as a viable component of the site
• Distribution of the species within site
• Distribution and extent of habitats supporting the species
• Structure, function and supporting processes of habitats supporting the species
• No significant disturbance of the species.”

8.2.1.1     Herring gull (breeding)

Herring gull are Red Listed on the Bird of Conservation Concern 5 (Stanbury et al., 2015) and are also a Scottish Priority List species.

The most recent condition assessment of breeding herring gull (as part of the overall assemblage qualifier) resulted in an assessed condition of Favourable Maintained at the Forth Islands SPA.

8.2.2           Assessment of Adverse Effects Alone

8.2.2.1     Herring gull (breeding)

There is no direct overlap between the onshore Project footprint and the SPA and the nearest edge of the SPA lies 18 km northwest at its closest point from the nearest infrastructure (i.e. landfall and the transition joint bays).

Although herring gull were recorded during the breeding bird survey, no breeding territories were identified within the BBS Study Area. Intertidal surveys recorded herring gull in all months in the IS Study Areas A1 and B1 (See Figure 1). The desk study identified a further 240 records within 5 km of the site between 2011-2021 of which 13 records, totalling 333 individuals, were recorded within the Site. The desk study records of herring gull are notably spread throughout the wider East Lothian region.

Disturbance/Displacement

The onshore site infrastructure is all located within what could be classed as typical habitat for herring gull. The SNH and JNCC document providing advice to support management of the Forth Islands SPA (SNH & JNCC, 2016), as outlined above for herring gull (see Section 5.2.2.2 above) outlines that, with respect to vessel movements and other fishing activities, although all species display some level of avoidance behaviour, gulls exhibit a low level of sensitivity to such disturbance.

The visual, human presence and vehicle-associated disturbance from the limited footprint of the scheme (primarily in the form of the undergrounding construction works associated with the cable route) is considered to be limited and short-term temporal. Furthermore, herring gull are regularly witnessed utilising the ground disturbance associated with field ploughing and other farming activities to forage on worms and other invertebrates brought to the surface during the process. As such, they are assumed to have not only habitualised to some disturbance but to make opportunistic use of such disturbance.

Therefore, it is considered that there is no potential for an adverse effect on integrity, having regard to the conservation objectives of the breeding herring gull feature of the Forth Islands SPA from any pressure associated with disturbance / displacement.

8.2.3           Assessment of Adverse Effects In-combination

As discussed and described in Section 5.2.3 a total of two projects and the Berwick Bank Wind Farm Offshore Proposed Development are considered to the in-combination assessment.

The SPEN Eastern Link Project, SPEN Branxton Grid Substation did not predict any significant impacts on any species. The assessment of the SPEN Eastern Link Project assessed the impacts on breeding herring gull as minor and not significant.  The Berwick Bank Offshore Proposed Development did not predict any significant impacts on breeding herring gull as a result of displacement or disturbance during construction.

It is considered that there would be no contribution in terms of adverse effects on breeding herring gull as a result of disturbance or displacement during construction either in-combination with any other development on the integrity of the Forth Islands SPA and its conservation objectives.

8.2.4           Summary

The potential pressure pathway identified in relation to breeding herring gull included disturbance/displacement. The baseline assessment included breeding bird surveys in 2020 (as well as wintering bird surveys in 2020/2021 and intertidal surveys in 2020/2021) to establish use of the onshore cable route and wider area by priority birds of conservation value. Herring gull were recorded during the breeding bird surveys on multiple occasions. The baseline surveys were further complimented through consultation and purchasing of historical data from TWIC (which included records from the BTO and RSPB as well as other data sources). 

Due to the lack of proximity and the proposed route taken by the onshore cable it is determined there will be no adverse effect on integrity, having regard to the conservation objectives of the breeding herring gull feature of the Forth Islands SPA from the identified pressure associated with any effect associated with the Project (alone or in combination).

8.2.4.1     Conclusions

The potential for connectivity between the Proposed Development and four Special Protection Areas (SPAs) namely the Firth of Forth SPA/Ramsar; the Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA; the St. Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA; and the Forth Islands SPA.  A screening exercise completed in September and October 2021 outlined specific qualifying species and assemblage species that may be subject to negative impacts due to the proposed development:-

-          the Firth of Forth SPA/Ramsar – wintering pink-footed goose and wintering  golden plover;

-          Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA (wintering eider, black-headed gull, common gull and herring gull;

-          St. Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA (breeding herring gull); and

-          Forth Islands SPA (breeding herring gull).

The assessment determined there will be no adverse effect on integrity, having regard to the conservation objectives of the screened in features of the Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA, the Firth of Forth SPA/Ramsar, St. Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA and Forth Islands SPA from the identified pressure associated with any effect resulting from the Project (alone or in‑combination).

9. References

Gilbert G, Gibbons DW & Evans J (2011). Bird monitoring methods, a manual of techniques for key UK species. RSPB, Sandy, Bedfordshire UK.

JNCC (2001) SPA Description - Firth of Forth. Available online at http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=1979.

Merkel F.R., Mosbech A. & Riget F. (2009). Common Eider Somateria mollissima feeding activity and the influence of human disturbances. Ardea, 97(1): 99–107.

Mitchell, C. (2012). Mapping the distribution of feeding Pink-footed and Iceland Greylag Geese in Scotland. Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust/Scottish Natural Heritage Report, Slimbridge.

Mitchell, C.R. & Hearn, R.D. (2004). Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus (Greenland/Iceland population) in Britain 1960/61 – 1999/2000. Waterbird Review Series, The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust/Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Slimbridge.

NatureScot (2022). SiteLink Map Search. Available online at: https://sitelink.nature.scot/map

NatureScot & JNCC (2021). Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex Special Protection Area (SPA): Draft Conservation Objectives. Joint publication: NatureScot & JNCC, Nov. 2021. Available online at: https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/10478

Scottish Government (2023). National Planning Framework 4. Available online at:  https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-planning-framework-4/ (accessed February 2023).

SNH (2016). Assessing Connectivity with Special Protection Areas (SPAs). Scottish Natural heritage.  Available online at: https://www.nature.scot/assessing-connectivity-special-protection-areas.

SNH (2018). Natura sites and the Habitats Regulations Scottish Natural Heritage How to consider proposals affecting SACs and SPAs in Scotland: The essential quick guide. Available online at: https://www.nature.scot/doc/natura-sites-and-habitats-regulations-how-consider-proposals-affecting-sacs-and-spas-scotland

SNH & JNCC (2016). Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex proposed Special Protection Area (pSPA). Advice to Support Management: Advice under Regulation 33(2) of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) and Regulation 18 of the Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats &c.) Regulations 2007 (as amended). Available online at: https://www.nature.scot/doc/outer-firth-forth-and-st-andrews-bay-complex-proposed-marine-spa-supporting-documents

Stanbury, A., Eaton,M., Aebischer, N., Balmer, D., Brown, A., Douse, A., Lindley, P., McCulloch, N., Noble, D., and Win I. 2021. The status of our bird populations:the fifth Birds of Conservation Concern in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man and second IUCN Red List assessment of extinction risk for Great Britain. British Birds 114: 723-747.

Wilson, M. W., Austin, G. E., Gillings S. and Wernham, C. V. (2015). Natural Heritage Zone Bird Population Estimates. SWBSG Commissioned report number SWBSG_1504. pp72. Available online at: www.swbsg.org

Figure 1 – Study Areas

Figure 1: Scoping Boundary

Figure 1: Scoping Boundary

Figure 2 – Protected Sites

Figure 2: European Protected Sites

Figure 2: European Protected Sites

Annex A – HRA Screening Results

Table 5: Sites screened for the next stage of the assessment for the Proposed Development in relation to Annex I birds (From HRA Screening)