Page 8: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Oct/Nov 2013)

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Editor’s Column

Colloquy

Nina Rach

Eyes around the North Sea any stakeholder programs ben- recorded sightings of 206 different bird

It would be nice to see this eft from oil industry funding species offshore, including rarities and

M ofshore initiative take fight and local community approval gives even birds underwater. in the Gulf of Mexico and oil companies a social license to oper- —A Black-billed Cuckoo seen on an ate. Just before the Offshore Europe oil rig 180 miles east of Aberdeen was other areas.

conference in Aberdeen, I discovered the frst British sighting of the species. the deep industry connections of the observations of all birds seen offshore —

The pilot of an inspection ROV

North Sea Bird Club (NSBC). • Produce reports of observations and reported: “At a depth of 130m (430 ft),

The frst wells were drilled off the an annual report and later at 140m (460 ft), we observed

UK coast in the 1960s and were almost • Promote the collection of data on a bird swimming. At frst we thought immediately followed by reports from other wildlife offshore.

it was a Guillemot, but the shape of keen British birders working on the The Club is fnanced by 10 corporate the bill later led us to believe it was a rigs. What started as a pastime, grew sponsors: BG Group, Total E&P UK Plc,

Razorbill.” into a constructive data collection Chevron, Centrica Energy, Marathon In November 1991, four authors from program with the approval and support Oil (UK) Ltd.; ConocoPhillips, the University of Aberdeen presented a of North Sea operators. Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd.; Shell paper at an SPE HSE conference in The

The precursor to the NSBC was a Exploration and Production, Europe; Hague: “The North Sea Bird Club: Ten monitoring program started by a single and TAQA Bratani Ltd. Years of Recording in the North Sea.” oil company in 1971 to record offshore NSBC developed a “Guidance for “All over Britain, at strategic points bird sightings on data forms. After Observers” booklet with advice for off- on the coastline, there are bird obser- collating the data for a few years, it shore workers about keeping records of vatories which record the arrival and became apparent that migrating land sightings and guidance on all aspects departure of migrating birds. The birds were using offshore facilities as of wildlife offshore. presence of several hundred solid staging posts, and that the collected NSBC has amassed more than structures up and down the North information would be useful in study- 120,000 records of birds, cetaceans, Sea, which are used by birds en route, ing bird movements. and insects reported since 1979. Over represents a huge, unique bird observa-

The North Sea Bird Club was estab- the decades, the NSBC data has shown tory, capable of uncovering facts about lished in 1979, by a few individuals that British land birds travel much bird migration which have long eluded in the oil industry and at Aberdeen farther than previously thought. land-based scientists.”

University, who “saw a unique oppor- Occasionally, birds recovered from tunity” to obtain offshore data on birds UK platforms have been sent ashore

Early reports and other wildlife. NSBC was initially In August 1990, Reuters’ Ron Askew via helicopter, such as the Scops Owl sponsored by eight companies and reported that North Sea oil rigs “swarm found stranded on the Forties Delta received data from 41 installations with birds,” and that the 200 oil instal- platform, 110 miles ENE of Aberdeen, along the coast. lations in the British North Sea “make in June 2004.

The NSBC issues a bulletin, The a unique network of observatories More recently, in mid-September,

Fulmar, from its offce at the University for studying their movements.” Bird a TAQA Bratani observer reported two of Aberdeen’s Ocean Laboratory and watching is a natural recreation dur- Great Spotted Woodpeckers on the

Centre for Ecology in Newburgh, about ing long offshore shifts, and he cited Tern Alpha platform, raising hope that 15 miles north of Aberdeen, at the offshore UK felds named for birds: outdoor activities remain attractive, mouth of the River Ythan. Fulmar, Tern, and Dunlin. despite the allure of online pursuits.

The stated aims of the NSBC are to: The NSBC recorder in 1990, Sandy It would be nice to see this offshore • Provide a recreational pursuit for Anderson, said that in the club’s frst initiative take fight in the Gulf of people employed offshore decade, its 500 members (roustabouts, Mexico and other areas. • Obtain, collate and analyze engineers, medics, and radio operators) More: http://abdn.ac.uk/nsbc/

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