auma carried out thebird survey for two photovoltaic plants in Alt Empordà across a full annual cycle of fieldwork: twelve months of counts documenting which species actually use the site and how, rather than estimating it from databases.
Project overview
| Client | Renewable energy engineering developer (confidential) |
| Market | Renewable developers |
| Practice area | Biodiversity · Environment |
| Location | Alt Empordà (Spain) |
| Services | Full annual cycle bird survey |
| Year | 2023 |
The challenge
For most solar plants, birdlife is the environmental factor that decides whether the project proceeds. It is also the one least well resolved from a desk:
- Seasonality: wintering, breeding and migratory birds use the same space at different times of the year.
- Generic data is not enough: distribution atlases say which species could be present, not which are there or how they fly.
- Regulator expectations: incomplete monitoring is one of the usual causes of information requests and delay.
The auma solution
The approach was the most demanding one from the outset: a complete annual cycle.
- Fixed transects and observation points, repeated with identical methodology across the twelve months.
- Counts through every phase of the biological cycle: wintering, spring migration, breeding and autumn migration.
- Analysis of actual site use to define measures matched to the risk detected, rather than generic ones.
The result
- A bird survey built on a full year of the project's own data, not bibliographic estimates.
- Preventive and corrective measures justified by verifiable observations.
- Robust documentation before the environmental authority, cutting the risk of requests for insufficient data.
In bird studies, the literature tells you what might be there. Only fieldwork, across a whole year, tells you what actually is.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a bird survey need a full year?
Because the bird community changes radically with the season: wintering, migratory and breeding species occupy the same territory at different times. A partial survey may miss precisely the species that governs the project.
When is a bird survey required?
When the environmental authority requires it within the impact assessment, which is standard for solar and wind projects, particularly in areas with protected species, steppe habitats or migratory corridors.
What is a Natura 2000 impact assessment?
Thespecific analysis of whether a project may significantly affect the habitats and species for which a European protected site was designated. It is a distinct procedure from general environmental impact assessment.
Is birdlife the critical factor in your renewable project?
We do the full fieldwork and turn the observations into defensible measures.
Let's talk about your project