Seabirds in the Dutch part of the North Sea
The Dutch continental shelf is of vital importance to large numbers migrating and wintering seabirds (e.g. divers, scoters, auks, Fulmars and Kittiwakes). The numbers of red-throated divers and common scoters present in the shallow Dutch coastal area are of international significance. Our coast also forms important nesting grounds for a number of seabird species. Breeding Lesser Black-Backed gulls and Sandwich terns forage in the immediately adjacent North Sea waters.

Seabird research by Bureau Waardenburg
A broad field of subjects is covered in research or advisory projects related to the distribution and ecology of seabird species in Dutch waters. Studies are conducted by means of shipbased surveys, aerial surveys, platforms or coastal sites aided with the help of radar technology. Bureau Waardenburg has been involved in several Environmental Impact Assessments studies, studying e.g. the consequences of an artificial airport island in the North Sea, the effects of offshore windfarms on seabirds and the extension of the Rotterdam harbour.

Application of seabird research in EIA's
Within the framework of applied projects as EIAs we combine data from systematic seabirds censuses of presence and behaviour according international standardised strip transect counts (ESAS method) with knowledge of ecological aspects (availability of pelagic fish, and measurements of oceanographical features (temperature, salinity, visibility) of the North Sea (projects in cooperation with the fisheries research department of IMARES). Conclusions from these studies are substantiated statistically using general and more specialised methods of analysis, such as trend- and spatial analyses. Together they provide a better grounding of recommendations based on the understanding of the offshore foraging ecology of seabirds and their distribution patterns.