Falco tinnunculus

6.3.3 Kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus View in CoL )

Kestrel is a qualifying interest feature of Stepa Saraiu-Horea SPA which supports a breeding population of 9-10 pairs. During the 2013 breeding bird surveys a single pair was recorded nesting in the vicinity of the south of the Crucean North Wind Farm, and it is likely that observations of birds recorded during the 2013 VP surveys related to these or other locally nesting birds, rather than birds from the Stepa Saraiu-Horea SPA, located 5.5 km to the northwest of the Crucea North Wind Farm site. A maximum count of 6 birds was recorded from the site at VP 3, with a total of 38 contacts across all surveys at all VPs.

The CRM calculated at the most conservative avoidance rate of 95% that one kestrel would be killed every 22.38 years, and at a more realistic avoidance rate of 99% that one kestrel would be killed every 111.91 years (see Annex C). Average adult survival for kestrel has been estimated at 0.69 (7), and the Romanian breeding population has been estimated at 10,000 – 14,000 (8) althought the population has shown a decrease in recent years.

Given the low collision mortality predicted by the CRM, the large Romanian population and the presence of the species breeding outside the SPA close to the Crucea North Wind Farm site, it can be concluded that direct collision will not result in any effects on the integrity of the SPA.

Given the distance between the Crucea North Wind Farm site and the location of breeding territories of non SPA birds present so close to the wind farm site, it is considered unlikely that breeding birds from the SPA will forage over the site, and will instead use other suitable foraging habitat elsewhere within or closer to the SPA. As a result no impacts to the integrity of the SPA are predicted from loss of habitat or disturbance during construction and operation.

During the 2013 surveys of Crucea North a total of 57 common kestrels were recorded, with one breeding pair identified nesting close to the site. During the 2008/2009 surveys of the wider Crucea area, a total of 10 kestrels were recorded in spring and 9 in autumn and a single nest was recorded. Surveys of the Crucea East Wind Farm estimated a population of kestrel within the site of 1-10 individuals (Generacion Eolica Dacia SRL 2011).

The 2008/2009 results from the wider Crucea area and information from Crucea East Wind Farm suggest that the numbers of kestrels which use these sites is relatively low in relation to the numbers recorded at Crucea North. It is reasonable to assume therefore that similar or lower collision mortality rates would apply to other nearby windfarm sites as have been calculated for Crucea North. Given the low collision mortality rates predicted for Crucea North of 0.01 birds per year based on 99% avoidance, even with multiple sites with a similar collision risk, the in-combination collision risk mortality would still be a fraction of 1 bird killed every year. This level of mortality is not considered to be likely to have an effect on the population of kestrel within the Stepa Saraiu – Horea SPA and therefore no effects on integrity are predicted.

Common name: Kestrel.

Compiled from data in Table 4 View Table 4 , Table 4 View Table 4 , Table 4 View Table 4 , and Table 4 View Table 4 .

1 ex.; Romania, Constanta County, Crucea , lat: 44.533, long: 28.233; 2009-05-15 - 2009-07-31; ( Table 4 View Table 4 ) GoogleMaps • 32 ex.; Romania, Constanta County, Crucea , lat: 44.533, long: 28.233; 2013-03-15 - 2013-05-31; ( Table 4 View Table 4 ) GoogleMaps • 25 ex.; Romania, Constanta County, Crucea , lat: 44.533, long: 28.233; 2013-06-01 - 2013-07-31; ( Table 4 View Table 4 ) GoogleMaps • 10 ex.; Romania, Constanta County, Crucea , lat: 44.533, long: 28.233; 2009-03-15 - 2009-05-31; ( Table 4 View Table 4 ) GoogleMaps .