Windmills Take Toll on Wildlife

Los Angeles Times ^ | December 8, 2003 | Rone Tempest

[NutmegDevil]

Checkout - http://www.cleanpowernow.org/birdkills.php

[RightWhale]

I toyed with windpower here, put up a big windvane and propeller to see what to expect. It turned this way and that, and sometimes the propeller would turn over lazily. You want about 7 knots steady to get anything at all, and we get about 2 most of the time. There are times in the winter when the air won't move for weeks at a time, maybe just drift a few feet this way and that. If there were 20-30 knots regularly, I would set up a couple shrouded fans and go for it, but it loks like fossil fuel plants is the only practical thing. Nuclear is out for political reasons.

[kinsman redeemer]

LOL

[Lazamataz]

I have a soft spot in my heart for raptors. Elegant, wonderful birds.

You have your light rail. I have my falcons.

[nothingnew]

...hundreds of golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, kestrels and other raptors, after flying into the spinning blades of the wind turbines.

Are these wind turbines manufactured by Popeil?

FMCDH

[js1138]

My million-man-math calculates 22,000 birds in 20 years as three birds a day for the entire 7000 windmill farm, or approximately one bird every seven years per windmill.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[george wythe]

If this were true, we would be inundated with pictures of dead birds at the bottom of the windmills. They are trying the same story with wireless antennas.

I did not know they were going after antennas now.

[tbpiper]

That's what this county needs! More people with vision!

[tbpiper]

Out here in West Texas, the wind is always blowing,

I remember in Amarillo, 20mph was considered 'calm'.

[Koblenz]

Wind power is a darned silly idea.

Powering 100% of the grid through wind power is darned silly. Powering 2% or 5% of the grid through wind power can be economically viable. Windmills obviously have to be built where there's a lot of wind, and on a plains or even on pylons in the ocean. Solar power is currently not good for much more than powering a calculator. But with wind power, they've gotten it advanced technologically enough now that for relatively small amounts of power, you can do it economically. Best if you have a windy desert....

22,000 birds over 20 years isn't that many, probably as many as are killed by FedEx trucks or something.

[Slicksadick]

Seems like a lot of dead tweety birds, until you compare it to the fact that 267,000 birds a DAY, perish in the US striking pane glass windows.

[happydogdesign]

So THAT'S how they make McNuggets!

[Slicksadick]

Rush talking windmills right now...

[Diddle E. Squat]

"Sometimes your the windshield windmill, sometimes your the bug bird..."

[Diddle E. Squat]

lol

[joesnuffy]

wonder if all the windmills slow down or speed up the rotation of the earth....hmmmm
more sunshine on one spot longer...might mean global warming..

[alloysteel]

The giant net is to be dropped over the envirowhackos.

[graycamel]

Put screens around the windmills so the birdies can't fly thru.

[HamiltonJay]

This thing is one ugly thing to look at, the put one up in PA recently as well you can see from the turnpike... but come on 1000 birds a year die by flying into windmill blades? Damn.. if windmills are such a hazard, how have the dutch managed to have birds after all these centuries?

Envirowackos.... gotta love em.