A windfarm company delayed the installation of £50million of turbines for weeks in order to protect a pheasant’s nest – only for the eggs to be eaten by a badger.
Energy company Fred Olsen Renewables was preparing to take delivery of the gear at the Crystal Rig wind farm site, near Dunbar in East Lothian, when the nest was found.
The discovery meant the costly turbine parts had to be stored at Rosyth Dockyard in Fife for three weeks as the firm waited for the pheasant eggs, which are protected by environmental laws, to hatch and the birds to fledge.
While they waited, the firm installed protective barriers around the nest with workers monitoring it both in person and with the use of cameras.
However, after weeks of protecting the eggs, their efforts were scuppered when they spotted that the nest had been ransacked.
It was only when they watched footage from the cameras that they discovered the nest had raided by a badger, with clips showing it disappearing behind long grass into the area where the eggs had been.
Details of the nest were revealed at a meeting of East Lothian Council as operators Fred Olsen Renewables argued their case for an access road for new turbines.
A greedy badger ruined the breeding season for a game bird
The badger was caught on camera exiting the scene of the crime
It had been breeding season for the pheasants in East Lothian
Crystal Rig 1 was the largest wind farm in Scotland when it began operating in 2003 and its original turbines are due to be decommissioned in 2028.
The firm has applied to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consent Unit (ECU) to replace them.
At the meeting council officers said that while they approved of the repowering of the site in principle they could not approve a proposed access route without more information.
They also recommended objecting to the plans over the impact on the countryside after the landscape officer raised concerns.
During the meeting Euan Hutchison, Fred Olsen’s development director, provided the example of the nest incident last spring to show how seriously the company takes its responsibilities to its surroundings.
A company spokesman said: ‘Nesting pheasants were identified close to the site access, requiring works in that area to be restricted for around three weeks to avoid any disturbance during the breeding season.’
At the meeting on Wednesday, councillors voted to submit an objection to the ECU.
They also agreed that the council’s chief planning officer undertake discussions with the ECU to seek to resolve these objections and that conditions be agreed and attached to the consent if required.