Branta ruficollis

6.3.8 Red-breasted Goose ( Branta ruficollis View in CoL )

Red-breasted goose is a qualifying interest feature of Cheile Dobrogei SPA, with a population on passage of 2,000 individuals. No red-breasted geese have been recorded during any of the migration surveys undertaken at the Crucea North Wind Farm site in 2013 or during the passage and winter 2008/2009 surveys of the wider area around Crucea North.

The key wintering and passage locations for red-breasted geese are located on the Romanian coast as illustrated by the sensitivity maps prepared for the Romanian Environment Ministry (see Figures 4.3 to 4.6). These maps indicate the key roosts are associated with Lake Sinoe, and that the main feeding areas are all well to the south of the wind farm near Navodari and Cernavodã. Birds occurring on passage at Cheile Dobrogei SPA are likely to move east to the coast rather than west across the Crucea North Wind Farm site.

No geese have been recorded within any of the project sites for which information has been reviewed despite specific winter surveys and autumn and spring VP watches. This is supported by sensitivity maps that indicate that the main goose foraging and roosting sites are either associated with the Danube or the Lake Sinoe-Razim complex. As a result the likelihood of Crucea North contributing to increased mortality of either species is insignificant.