4 replies to this topic

[spookyjimjams]

http://www.latimes.c...0,2831784.story

I am not convinced that wind farms do more harm than good. We need energy like this and nothing comes for free.

[creeker]

I agree with you Spooky. Our need for an alternative sources of energy supersedes our need to keep every individual bird alive. You're right close to that big wind farm on the Altamont Pass, aren't you? Do you know any of the stats on bird deaths there?

[spookyjimjams]

Yes, I live within a few miles of the Altamont wind farm. It's gigantic, I think overall running about 40 miles end to end.

From what I have gathered, it is really difficult to guage the toll on birds from wind farms because of the likely predation of the carcasses. There are huge numbers of foxes and coyotes in this area, and they might be cleaning up the birds before anyone knows that they were killed. The farms do not post any information about what their employees find, but I see a very healthy population of Red-tailed & Swainson's Hawks, Great Horned & Barn Owls, White-tailed Kites, Turkey Vultures and Golden Eagles, which are our standard large raptors in this area and are the birds they are most worried about.

The wind farms here are old, some of the oldest in the country I think and many turbines are outdated or broken. Many of the turbines are small by modern standards, and are constructed on lattice-type stands. They also spin incredibly fast. In the migration season, the farms are shut down completely. But when blades stop turning, some birds try and nest in the lattice structures. This of course is bad!

But in defense of the farms, I have to say that they appear to be trying to mitigate bird deaths while at the same time maximizing profits. There is a big push right now to replace these old blenders with turbines that are both more bird friendly and less bird friendly. The are less bird friendly in the sense that they are built on single poles that have no perching or nesting opportunities. They are more bird friendly in the sense that they are much taller, taller than many birds normally fly, and considerably larger, making them spin slower. There are also much fewer of them. Where once there would be a dozen, they are all replaced with one single tower.

Now another thing that no one seems to talk about is the activity and decision-making ability of the local birds. While I agree that occasional bird strikes are probably inevitable, I also think that birds are not that dumb. We all know that birds are "flighty" (pun intended). They spook for just about anything. When they stop getting spooked, it's because they have learned something. Most birds must be too scared to fly around these wind farms at first. They are crazy loud, and have lots of scary movement. Of course, eventually, some will get used to it. But in that time, I doubt they intentionally want to get too close. Accidents will always happen.

I see this as very similar to the perils of any animal, birds included, on roadways. How many millions of creatures get creamed every year on our roads? I myself have wiped out an adult Great Horned Owl on Interstate 580. I felt like crap, but that didn't mean that I didn't go to work anyway. What should we do, stop driving? There is a certain sacrifice that we need to make, and unfortunately the animal kingdom makes sacrifices too. We can try to limit injuries and deaths, but unless there is a better alternative, we have to trudge along. I think that wind farms are necessary and are a better alternative than dams on rivers, or coal miners slugging it out underground.

[creeker]

Well put Spooky. I know what you mean about hitting birds with the car. I have hit A Western Screech Owl and numerous passerines over the years. Narrowly missed a Great-horned last year that was eating something in the middle of the road.

[BigSkyKen]

Hope you don't mind me adding my two-cents worth here. We have several wind turbine farms in my area, and the same controversy looms here as well. I know a couple of the ranchers who have leased ground for the wind turbines, and they comment on seeing a few dead birds each year, but then they also add that they don't think there are very many more than they noticed prior to the turbines being constructed. I think that one of the real positive wildlife aspects of the wind farms is that their existence means that the geography will not be developed, thus establishing valuable habitat for breeding, foraging, etc. In fact some of these areas are now known to be pretty good upland gamebird hunting districts (when the lease-holder allows that kind of access).