Wind Turbines Kill a Few Birds

Guppy06 writes "The Houston Chronicle has an article about how a 7000-turbine windfarm in Altamont Pass, California (the world's largest collection) has killed an estimated 22,000 birds during the past 20 years or so of operation, 'including hundreds of golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, kestrels and other raptors(.)' There are efforts to keep the operators from renewing their permit until they take measures to protect bird populations. To put things in perspective the article goes on to point out that the Exxon Valdez spill is estimated to have killed around 250,000, while the whole story can just about be summed up by one quote by a biologist: 'When you turn on your lights you kill something, no matter what the source of electricity.'" Killing 3-4 birds per day doesn't seem too bad. It's a shame that larger, rarer birds are getting killed, but... How many birds would die from the acid rain that a coal power plant would cause?

If those birds are so smart

[Anonymous Coward]

why are they dead?

Eh... Big deal...

[iiioxx]

Evolution in action. Obviously it only kills the dumb birds, the *smart* birds fly *around* the propellors...

I wish we could take this tact with the human population. I say, take the warning labels off of everything and let the chips fall where they may.

Re:Solution ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Just put up a giant scarecrow in the middle of the turbine farm.

Tux

[DomCurtis187]

Thankfully Tux has nothing to worry about -- penguins can't fly!

Re:Solar?

[DaHat]

UV Radiation no doubt, or not.

Just imagine a microwave installation receiving power from space, flapping birds would enter one side, and a KFC would set up shop on the other (yes, I know such frying would require a high intensity area).

Re:Solution ?

[Washizu]

"Why not put big metal grid around each turbine?"

Ever see a flock of birds stuck to a giant fan?

Warning: Driving Kills Innocent Animals and Bugs

[Limecron]

I recommend all people stop driving until we can do something about the thousands of innocent animals and millions of innocents insects killed by motor vehicles each day.

Thank you. :)

Easy solution!

[Rinikusu]

Hunters. Get hunters to stand below the turbines and SHOOT the birds before they can be chopped to pieces.

Oh wait, we're saving the BIRDS not the TURBINES.. damn damn damn!

Re:Solution ?

[kfg]

Any solution with magnetic fields?

Oh sure, condemn them to a slow and painful death by cancer instead of quickly and cleanly in the aero-electric abattoir.

KFG

Sure, but that'll cause more problems

[th3axe]

> My fan here has one so I can't put my fingers in.

If you put screens around the turbines, that'll just be an attractive nusiance, and you'll get sued by people who try sticking their hands or heads into the fans. We're better off with turbines that are only dangerous to birds.

Re:Solution ? Duh..

[cheeseSource]

Just encase the fans in glass.

Re:I think it has something to do with location

[cnkeller]

I remember seeing something about it's location being in a migratory flight path and other wind projects did not have the same problem.

Nah, it's probably the guy that hung the birdfeeders behind the turbine....

Re:Three people a day?

[Shockmaster]

When people start crapping on my windshield, I will treat them as equals to birds.

And move.

Duh! Simple solution

[Anonymous Coward]

Put these turbines underground and you've solved the problem. Why can't the eco-nuts think outside of the box.

Note to self:

[crowdozer]

Start a KFC franchise in Altamont Pass, California .

Greenpeace volunteers...

[N8F8]

Get treehuggers to stand in front of the turbines and catch the birds before they hit the blades.

Re:Men step on insects too

[dynamiteweb]

I am afraid these guys are for real...

http://www.vhemt.org/ [vhemt.org]

options

[potpie]

as i see it, they have several options: 1) relabel the dead birds as a product and sell the meat 2) claim they are trying to advance the evolution of the bird population by eliminating the ones stupid enough to run into big spinning blades 3) shoot the birds before they hit the blades so that it's not recorded as a casualty of wind power 4) get everyone to decide that birds are bad and they deserve to be killed 5) put all birds through a 4 hour wind power safety training course 6) find out how many birds are killed each day by running into glass windows and begin an anti-window campaign to draw attention away from themselves

True then again

[SmallFurryCreature]

How many housecats does it take to kill a golden eagle?

Answer: One if it goes down the wrong way.

Solution

[Stonent1]

Put the bird carcasses and a big furnace that boils water that spins more turbines! Think OUTSIDE the box people! We just got yet another energy source!

Re:Solution ?

[kfg]

Nonsense. I know lots of people with cancer and the correlation with living under the influence of earth's magnetic field is remarkably high.

KFG

nothing is free

[bmajik]

if you're absorbing that solar energy for evil, greedy, human consumption, then you're using energy that could have been doing something else.

Plants need the photon energy of sunlight in order to make food for themselves. When you install solar panels you're STEALING FROM PLANTS.

Furthermore, you're sucking heat energy and turning it into electricity. widespread use of efficient solar panels could cause local cooling to the detriment of local ecosystems. YOUR FREEZING THE BABY ANIMALS.

All of you freaking solar energy pundits are SUCKING THE SUN DRY. OUR SUN WILL RUN OUT SOMEDAY - WHY SPEED THAT UP?

Re:Solution ?

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

few birds be damned -- lets look at the bigger picture

As a lovely woodpecker who's currently undergoing treatment in a small padded cage for psychological disorders following a close encounter with a huge wind turbine several years ago, I resent that remark.

Love,
Woody.

Re:Solar?

[pergamon]

That's hardly a victimless energy source. We all know that the Sun is only able to continue emitting energy by consuming a steady stream of kittens.

Re:Solution ?

[Billy the Mountain]

Chicken wire is just too specific, man. You'd also need eagle wire, wren wire, and african swallow wire, just to name a few.

BTM

you don't BELIEVE in global warming?

[Anonymous Coward]

How cute.

Personally, I don't believe in gravity.

Re:Solution ?

[JWW]

Actually, I'd bet they've killed exactly 0 chickens with the turbines.

Chicken Wire would be useless!!!!! ;-)

Re:Solution ?

[Lemmy Caution]

I've got a spare weekend and a home-made catapult waiting to prove you a liar.

Oh, great idea

[Dirtside]

Just put up a giant scarecrow in the middle of the turbine farm.

Yeah, let's erect an enormous scarecrow amidst a bunch of energy-generating machines. First time there's a lightning storm you just know there's gonna be some Frankenstein action going on, and then we've got a hundred-foot scarecrow rampaging across California, slashing budget programs and repealing taxes left and right... wait, that's the governor.

On the plus side, we'd have to get Godzilla and Mothra to team up against the scarecrow, so, it wouldn't be a complete loss.

Re:Solution ?

[Dirtside]

As a quick comparison, in the past year, three birds have died after running into the living-room window in my house. Those turbines are downright safe!

And your living room window has a bird death rate nineteen times higher than one of these turbines. Clearly your house must be demolished! :)

Re:Solution ?

[althalus]

Careful, moderate talk like that will get you permanently branded as an arch-conservative here on /.

Remember, extreme beliefs are the norm here, but only in one direction.

How does this compare to McDonalds ?

[ron_ivi]

In this article Pamela Anderson takes on KFC [cnn.com] (really - not a troll) it says KFC kills 750 million birds per year. Add that to McDonalds and you have over a billion/year. Puts some perspective on the turbines...

(and it has a nice picture)

Re:Solution ? Duh..

[vsprintf]

However, between 7000 turbines and 22,000 birds, thats not exactly a bad statistic. More birds are killed by lots of other things, such as aircraft, cars, and yes, even your humble domestic cat.

I can vouch for that. I got two pheasants and a sparrow this year with one Toyota. Multiply 3 by the the number of Toyotas on the road, and one can easily see that wind farms and turbines are not the problem. Save the birds! Ban imported cars!

Re:Solution ?

[addaon]

Warning: Parent post is long. Cliff's notes follow:

Lots of my friends are environmentalists!

I'm an environmentalist!

A bad one!

Re:Solution ?

[Afrosheen]

Here's the solution right here:

Make the propeller blades out of NERF! Also put cameras on top of each pole. You can then sell the video to America's Funniest Home Videos and make some money to help pay for the Nerf conversion. The birds get a chance to learn this way! And it's fun for the whole family. *bonk* hahah look at the sillie birdie *baf* almost got him that time!