Study: Wind farms killed 67 eagles in 5 years

[Peacetrain]

We do need to develop some technology that would spook the birds out of the way of the turbines.. living in Iowa.. we have huge windfarms with turbines every fairly close together.


http://news.yahoo.com/study-wind-farms-killed-67-eagles-5-years-160226373.html

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wind energy facilities have killed at least 67 golden and bald eagles in the last five years, but the figure could be much higher, according to a new scientific study by government biologists.

The research represents one of the first tallies of eagle deaths attributed to the nation's growing wind energy industry, which has been a pillar of President Barack Obama's plans to reduce the pollution blamed for global warming. Wind power releases no air pollution.

But at a minimum, the scientists wrote, wind farms in 10 states have killed at least 85 eagles since 1997, with most deaths occurring between 2008 and 2012, as the industry was greatly expanding. Most deaths — 79 — were golden eagles that struck wind turbines. One of the eagles counted in the study was electrocuted by a power line.

[geek tragedy]

1. As a bird lover, every such death is cause for sadness.

On the other hand, climate change and deforestation from mining are much bigger culprits for reducing bird populations.

[Peacetrain]

4. so true.. but there will be a way to address this

I have no doubt..

[Baitball Blogger]

21. Noise is the best answer.

Something unpleasant that only they can hear, and would want to avoid.

It would be wonderful if we could figure out what the warning cry for danger is to an eagle, and play it over and over again.

[Jamastiene]

33. That is a good idea, but

because eagles are predators and not prey, I'm not sure if scientists know their calls for danger. It would have to be done with each species. With prey birds, many species have distinctive calls for danger. Predator birds probably do have calls that they use for protecting their nests when their babies might be in danger. They might, if they look at video footage (with audio), be able to find what call that is and what reaction the eagles have to it.

If the reaction is to go to that sound, they could not use it, but if the reaction is to try to get away from that sound (the sound of crows when they gang up on eagles and hawks, for instance, is easy to recognize when you hear it), then, they could use those calls on a motion sensed loop for a few minutes anytime anything flies near the wind farms.

That might could help with red tailed hawks, because they know when the crows are going to chase after them by the certain types of calls the crows use to rally the troops and begin making calls of their own and hightailing it out of the area. I've seen and heard them do it. I now know when the hawks are flying around frantically and making that certain call that they've been recently chased by crows. So, other species might have some kind of call that they do for danger that means get out of that area. For birds of prey, at least in my area, it would not hurt to try recording the crows when they are doing that and see if it works. I doubt it would cost very much to put a few speakers up with a proximity switch or motion sensor that activates a loop of the crows doing their "let's gang up on this hawk" call they seem to use when they do that.

For the east coast of the US, for many of the songbirds, they could just use the sound of an eastern gray squirrel barking that one certain bark they have for danger. The songbirds know what that means. I have seen an eastern gray squirrel doing it's warning barking and the birds react to it and get defensive as well.

It sounds like a good idea to me and certainly would be worth trying. I hate to see any of the birds hurt, but at the same time, would like for wind power to be even more environmentally friendly. This idea might work. If they could make it a little more specific and somehow could detect the weight of the bird flying too close and have the specific calls for birds in that weight range go off depending on the weight the electronics circuit calculates, it would work even better. I would love to see that tried. I dream big, I know.

[Turbineguy]

2. I wonder if there is some way of painting the blades.

There's probably research or perhaps there should be.

[Peacetrain]

6. The hawks do not seem to be bothered by the blades

I see them sitting on the fence posts by the gazillions.. and of course the Canadian geese etc.. so I wonder if it is something peculiar to the sensory system of the eagles.. Yep this should light some fires under research

[liberal_at_heart]

3. That's not that many birds. Look at how many birds airplanes kill every year.

It's not a bad idea to try and find a way to spook the birds into flying around them though.

[Peacetrain]

7. that is what I am thinking

there is something to keep them out of those blades

[Blue_Tires]

13. I was about to ask about jets, too...

[Peacetrain]

20. sorry posted that in the wrong place..

[Pretzel_Warrior]

5. putting that into perspective....

No one knows what birds see when they look out at the world, says ornithologist Daniel Klem, but he's sure they don't see glass. He estimates that at least 1 billion birds are killed by flying into windows every year in the United States

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5076012

[X_Digger]

8. +1 n/t

[NYC_SKP]

9. That's billions with a "b".

But then they aren't eagles.

In any event, I say we move forward with wind power. A climate changed world is a whole shittier future for us and for birds alike.

[Peacetrain]

14. No one is going to take down windpower ..

it is a huge and massive industry here..and it is awesome.. but we can do both, take care of the eagles and save the planet by getting off fossil fuels..

[NYC_SKP]

22. I wonder what ideas are being floated to reduce the number of collisions.

I understand that the larger turbines are a minor improvement over smaller for some species.

I wonder visual or audio or even radio frequency features could be developed that would warn or repel large raptors.

[Peacetrain]

27. I was just posting

it does not seem to affect the hawks.. they are more plentiful now than I have seen in years..on every other fence post one is sitting.. oh frogs.. they are making a comeback.. I went down to a little man made lake locally..and it was frog heaven..I have not seen that many frogs in a decade if not more.. I wonder if the toxicity levels are starting to come down locally.

[randome]

28. How about some really fricking awesome scarecrows!

[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[Peacetrain]

10. Wonder if they were able to attach

streamers of some sort that would give extra dimensions to the blades.. I mean they are a thing of beauty to watch..but when they get going at a fair clip..they can become more blurry

[Pretzel_Warrior]

11. I'm definitely all for anything that might lessen the mortality rate of birds due to turbines

[Bandit]

34. I doubt a single one of that billion is an eagle though.

[randome]

12. Were the majority of these deaths at night?

If so, maybe some of the power being generated could be used to 'decorate' the turbines with tiny lights?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[Peacetrain]

17. what a good idea.. led lights.. +1

[Pretzel_Warrior]

18. are eagles nocturnal?

[randome]

24. No, they're not.

Still, bleeding off a trifling bit of wind power to light the turbines might save some avian lives.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[Pretzel_Warrior]

26. true. and a lot of wind power has to be shut down at night because usage goes down so much

and the load on transmission lines would be too great.

If we can solve the mass energy storage problem....wind power's greatness would go up by a factor of 100.

[Robb]

15. Which is why mice and salmon are the leading proponents of wind energy.

Connect the dots, people.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

19. lololol. but what about the BEARS!? those godless killing machines?

Hey, how about we now refer to wind power as Godless Killing Machines TM.

[Brother Buzz]

25. Win!

[Crimson76]

16. Not to make light, but my living room window has a higher kill ratio with sparrows.

[Peacetrain]

23. someone posted further up the thread

an npr article about birds flying into window.. really interesting

[SheilaT]

29. Is there any chance that natural selection will

eventually help out here? The birds who figure out how to avoid the wind turbines will reproduce more. Those who don't, won't.

[Vashta Nerada]

30. Surely there's something they can do to the blades so birds don't get whacked by them.

Maybe put lights on them or paint them in a color that birds of prey can see?

[SecularMotion]

31. How many were killed by gunshot?

Causes of Mortality

Most bald eagle mortality is human-related, either directly or indirectly. Of 1,428 individuals examined by the National Wildlife Health Center from 1963 to 1984, death was attributed to following causes


Cause Number Percent
Trauma
(impact with wires or vehicles) 329 23%
Gunshot 309 22%
Poisoning 158 11%
Electrocution 130 9%
Trapping 68 5%
Emaciation 110 8%
Disease 31 2%
Undetermined 93 20%

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/birds/bald-eagles.asp

[CK_John]

32. We should go for vertical wind devices, like the old fashion barber pole, which

could be screened in.

[Buns_of_Fire]

35. There are a number of companies working on new turbine designs:

This one uses an oscillating wing: http://www.vortexosc.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=87

This one looks like a big flower: http://www.gizmag.com/saphonian-bladeless-wind-turbine/24890/

Both are touted as being more efficient, and at least birds should be smart enough to realize that flying full-tilt into a giant flower probably isn't the best of ideas.

[Generic Other]

36. Bet the nuke lobbyists are being told to promote this study

A lot more eagles killed by collisions with autos and gunshots from hunters not to mention pesticides.

[A Little Weird]

38. Improvements

Hopefully they can improve turbine design and how they position them to minimize the impacts to the birds. I suspect that the impacts to eagles from fossil fuels are worse but it's just harder to measure.