Environment

Life finds a way: bird management at large-scale facilities

The Port of Barcelona has implemented ground-breaking actions in the port arena to manage several species of birds whose habitat was in the port facilities or neighbouring areas. These measures were kicked off two decades ago, when work began to expand the port, and culminated recently with an innovative action to relocate a colony of cormorants.

Posted on 01.03.2019

PierNext

The cormorant is a fisher bird, which likes the proximity of the sea and the wetlands. [Image by Inger Eriksen]

When planning a large-scale facility, residents and the media tend to pay attention to the impact it will have on the economy. However, the institutions managing these facilities have the responsibility to ensure the activity has as little impact on the environment as possible. In this case, actions don't only strive to reduce gas emissions or ensure water quality. Sometimes they are about finding a new home for a bird colony or stopping work during nesting season.

Ramon Griell, deputy general director of Infrastructures and Maintenance for the Port of Barcelona, has faced many such situations, always willing and with a positive attitude. Especially during the Plan Delta, a large expansion of the Port of Barcelona facilities to the south, which began in the 1990s and affected both the port and the El Prat-Barcelona Airport, as well as other facilities. The expansion meant moving the basin of the Llobregat River.

A new home for the plovers

The plan, among countless other complex actions, affected an area of the beach near the mouth of the river. "It was a small area, nothing special to look at, but some birds had chosen it as their nesting place, drawn by the beach and the wetlands nearby. These birds were Kentish plovers, a species the NGO SEO/Birdlife, which strives to conserve the diversity of ornithological species, classifies as 'vulnerable' due to development along the Mediterranean coast. "The plovers had found a perfect habitat on this beach, because they lay their eggs in the sand and this puts them at risk from predators," explains Griell. However, this small beach was quite isolated, which allowed them to live in peace, far from human activities and, we assume, attacks from predatory species.

As the plan involved using this area for port activities, it had to be cleared out and the port chose to do right by these birds. "We decided to create a new nesting area to replace the beach. A breakwater was built marking the river bank and all of the good quality sand obtained from the works was moved to the other side, where we created a new beach." So a new beach was created, "in the shape of a river basin. This way, it held the rainwater, making it like a wetlands beach, which is more suitable for this type of bird. Plus, the beach isn't accessible to humans because the topography closes it off," Griell explains proudly.

Warning! Audouin’s gulls nesting

More recently, a similar situation was detected involving Audouin’s gulls (named after French naturalist Jean Victor Audouin). The population of these gulls declined notably due to tourism along the coast, which affected its nesting habitat, and over-fishing. According to SEO/Birdlife, the population has rebounded a bit since the late 1980s but they are still quite rare.

On Illa del Molí, a small island in the mouth of the river, a "significant colony of these birds was found. As it was near, but not inside, our facility, we decided to put up protective screens to mitigate any of the effects that could disturb them (such as noise, etc.) and protect these birds." Nevertheless, life finds its own path and the screens can't always stop that. "They started nesting on land that isn't used but is part of the port facilities. These areas are isolated and protected, without any predators." This led the birds to leave their original habitat, the wetlands. "Now, the largest colonies of these birds are found in Mediterranean ports, in Barcelona, Tarragona and Castellón de la Plana." Like with the Kentish plover, these birds must be respected while nesting. So, if a nest is found near the port, activity has to stop.

The cormorants ‘move house’

The most innovative, proactive action of all those to conserve animal species, however, involved moving a population of cormorants to a new habitat.

"When designing new entrances to the port expansion," explains Griell, "we found a very stable colony of cormorants on the banks of the Llobregat River." Logically, the issue of what to do with the birds was problematic, because once the work on the entrances started, they wouldn't stick around long. "Basically, the changes and new uses of the space would make it no longer attractive to this species," he notes. That was when they proposed encouraging the colony to ‘move house’ to a safer, more attractive location. "Cormorants are very gregarious birds and generally live in communities. When they sleep, they like wooded areas with water nearby and, above all, a calm setting with little or no human presence," explains Griell.

"When the river started filling up again after being diverted, we did a pilot programme. We left a lagoon with some trees on the banks and created different types and formats of artificial structures to see if they could adapt to one of them." The idea was to give the birds a new home, one that could be recreated elsewhere to 'invite' these birds to inhabit it. To do this, the Port of Barcelona worked with Minuartia, an environmental advisory firm that has helped, for example, with bird management at the Barcelona Airport. With help from Minuartia, tests were done with several types of structures the cormorants could make their home in. "This way, we found out which of the structures they liked best. It was the tall ones that were sort of tree-shaped."

Once it had been determined which type of structure these birds liked best, "deliberations began on where they should be placed. Analysing the space available in the area, we found that there wasn't anywhere that would ensure this species was comfortable," says Griell. That is when both Minuartia and Port of Barcelona staff started to look for a different spot for these birds. "We put up structures in several areas near the port without trees nearby and, little by little, they started colonising them. It was clear that the birds liked these new 'homes' we had made them."

However, the port expansion process continued and this area, a small lagoon that had been created as a result of diverting the river, also had to be used for port activities. Another problem in relocating the cormorants was the proximity to the airport. "Several areas were found that had what the birds needed, and also wouldn't hinder the activity of the port or the airport." This was particularly important, not only to protect the birds but also for safety reasons. Cormorants are large birds (with a wingspan of up to 160 centimetres) that fly low to the ground (50 or 60 metres up), which poses a serious risk to planes.

Finally, after years of testing, the right spot was found in the wetlands of Molins de Rei (a small city roughly 12 km south of Barcelona), near the river. The tree-like structures were installed there, in addition to others closer to the original location (the river breakwater and Illa del Molí). The pilot programme for this project began in 2006 and the move to Molins de Rei took place ten years later and is still being monitored. And the cormorants, gradually, have moved into their new homes.

Topics

A

Life finds a way: bird management at large-scale facilities

A new home for the plovers

Warning! Audouin’s gulls nesting

The cormorants ‘move house’

Subscribe to PierNext's monthly newsletter and gain access to exclusive reports and studies

Thanks, ebook downloaded