Here's a nice link to the question of whether wind turbines kill birds?
Answer: Yes they do, but not as many as are killed by cars, windows, power lines, communications towers, pesticides, cats, both feral and housecats, jet engines, smoke stacks, bridges, and a few other human structures and activities - including one I just remembered: oil well and refinery flares.
It's a tough life, being a bird, but the compensations are enormous: all that flying, free food, and fresh air.
Modern large turbines turn relatively slowly, which has reduced the kill.
Which is not to be complacent. Has anyone tried painting silhouetted raptors on the blades? Might scare off some non raptors - but could be bad for horny single raptors.
Or a directional loudspeaker cold fire off hungry raptor noises when sensors detected approaching birds. Experiments should be designed and carried out.
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2 comments:
for the effect of turbines on raptors etc try the BTO, Birdlife International, British Ornithologists' Union, or even the RSPB etc as your current approach appears slightly, er, unscientific.
As for the suggestions of yours that I've copied below, they sound like the twisted brainwrongs of a one-off man mental or the ramblings of a drugged horse:
Which is not to be complacent. Has anyone tried painting silhouetted raptors on the blades? Might scare off some non raptors - but could be bad for horny single raptors.
Or a directional loudspeaker cold fire off hungry raptor noises when sensors detected approaching birds. Experiments should be designed and carried out.
Anonymous, my approach made no claim to be "scientific". I gave a link to a review of the evidence, and made a comment summarising the impact of human activities on birds.
"...suggestions...they sound like the twisted brainwrongs of a one-off man mental or the ramblings of a drugged horse"
Judging from your approach here, I suspect that Anonymous is in a state of climate change denial. He also probably stands on the political Right.
Insults are not a substitute for reason, yet the Right relies very heavily on ad hominem arguments.
The RSPB site says: "If wind farms are located away from major migration routes and important feeding, breeding and roosting areas of those bird species known or suspected to be at risk, there is a strong possibility that they will have minimal impact on wildlife." http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/policy/windfarms/index.asp
The RSPB stated in its 2004 information leaflet Wind farms and birds13, that "in the UK, we have not so far witnessed any major adverse effects on birds associated with wind farms" RSPB (2004), Information leaflet on Wind Farms and Birds.
I will ask some wind energy experts whether the preventive measures I suggested have been tested already.
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