Estimates of bird collision mortality at wind facilities in the contiguous United States

Science Direct ^ | December 2013 | Scott R. Loss, Tom Will, Peter P. Marra

[Bulwyf]

The turbines kill a lot of birds in Canada too. My company built a big wind farm in BC. I wasn’t on that project, but most of had a good laugh at the whole absurdity of it all. They take more energy to make than they’ll produce in their lifespan, and they are a blight on the landscape. They don’t even make a blip on the radar compared to nuclear, hydro, coal and natural gas. The latter is a great one because we have it in abundance and it is great at making energy.

[Bulwyf]

As I said to another poster, wind energy doesn’t even register in the graph when you compare it to nuclear, hydro, coal and natural gas.

[This_Dude]

I spend lots of time suspended up there and I’ve never seen a bird hit it is all I’m saying

[familyop]

It must be an interesting job, counting the birds that are sucked into those wind turbine vortexes.

[9422WMR]

“I never see dead birds surrounding the turbines.”

Maybe you should try looking on the ground. That’s where the dead birds end up.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

2.9 Billion Bird Deaths Linked to Solar, Wind

To believe that headline, you'd have to believe that every bird death in the last 50 years was because of wind and solar.

[Pontiac]

We have coyotes here as well, I think everyone does these days.

But I still see plenty of cats wandering around.

Lots of sail cats too.

[rktman]

Had a, heretofore unseen, feline stroll past the slider this morning. It was a handsome rascal but bolted as soon as it heard the slider opening.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

I am no fan of wind turbines but the biggest killer of small birds, especially song birds, is feral house cats.

There seems to be a lot of pearl clutching about the poor birds and windmills, but nobody seems to care much about the other ways birds get killed.

The biggest cause of the decline is probably urban sprawl. We've simply built suburbs and big box stores and parking lots over a lot of former wild bird habitat over the last 50 years.

[Pontiac]

I’m no expert, but could coyotes and other scavengers clean them up?

Scavengers will quickly learn where they can find an easy meal and make it a regular stop on their rounds.

[Pontiac]

The biggest cause of the decline is probably urban sprawl. We've simply built suburbs and big box stores and parking lots over a lot of former wild bird habitat over the last 50 years.

No argument.

My biggest gripe on wind solar is that it simply is not cost effective and it is not good for the grid.

Government has gotten far to involved in generation and is picking winners and losers in the market place.

It can only end badly.

[This_Dude]

I’m up on top of the thing. I’ve never seen anything hit the blades

Maybe YOU should try working on one.

[familyop]

"I repair wind turbines for a living. I never see dead birds surrounding the turbines. HOW are they dying exactly?"

I frequently see the ground around them and haven't seen any dead birds over the years. The neighbors (farmers) who own the land under them haven't seen any dead birds, either. They said that some odd women from somewhere else protested against the wind turbines and left their protest signs along the roads--signs apparently used for target practice.

[1FreeAmerican]

I suppose this means there will be a lot less bird sh!t in the world.

[9422WMR]

You up there during the night? And you have never seen a dead bird on the ground around a wind spinner?
I climbed Communication towers back in my youth, up to 300’.
Not impressed with your ladder in a tube, high rise antics.
Maybe if your industry was not government subsidized and only generated a puny amount of power would we reconsider our annoyance at the ugly crap that is blotting the horizons....

[Karl Spooner]

I repair wind turbines for a living. I never see dead birds surrounding the turbines. HOW are they dying exactly?

[This_Dude]

No disagreement about inefficient and ugly, but it pays good

[texas_mrs]

There are several behind my office and I’ve never seen a bird struck by one, nor seen any on the ground below. I’m sure it happens occasionally but I’ll bet there are a lot more struck by cars. And the cars kill a LOT more racoons, possums, and armadillos. LOL.

[familyop]

True! I’ve hit quite a few birds while driving. Some of the other animal strikes require inspections and sometimes break parts on low riding cars. Headlight upgrades are becoming more common in rural areas.

[Albion Wilde]

these studies do not differentiate between turbines with a monopole tower and those with a lattice tower, the former of which now comprise the vast majority of all U.S. wind turbines and the latter of which are largely being de-commissioned.