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["An estimated 5,000 to 10,000 birds, mostly Lapland Longspurs, were killed on the night of January 22, 1998, at a 420 foot tall communications tower in western Kansas. Apparently a heavy snowstorm sent the birds up looking for bare ground. Dense fog caused the tower's aviation-safety lights (required on structures over 200') to reflect off water in the air and form an illuminated space, causing the birds to switch to their diurnal (visual) mode of navigation. The flock circled the lighted tower and collided with its guy wires. Some birds were impaled by wheat stubble, suggesting they were so disoriented that they couldn't tell which way was up and flew into the ground at full force. The tower had three white strobes. This is interesting because it has been suggested that flashing lights cause less mortality than steadily illuminated lights. Evidence suggests that continent-wide, communications towers kill 2 to 4 million songbirds each year." (American Bird Conservancy, Bird Calls, March 1998).]

This is an interesting story. It seems a rather unique situation that is worded to sound plausible. Why are the bird deaths estimated? Where are the photos of 5,000 to 10,000 dead birds? That is a rather large pile of birds. The article describes a pretty detailed account of the incident on that night in Kansas. Nobody actually counted the birds close enough to be able to estimate the deaths any closer than 100%? The rest of the article is the same drivel that you get about towers anywhere.

If their "estimated deaths" are this far off in this one instance, I highly doubt the 2 to 4 million deaths estimate. Do you have a link to photos of 5,000 dead birds littering the base of a communications tower?

Do you have a link to photos of 5,000 dead birds littering the base of a communications tower?

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:lWYWQzSJcPcJ:cacx.org/pier/environmental/avian_bibliography/2004_AVIAN_BIBLIOGRAPHY.XLS+american+-bird-conservancy,+tower-kills,+australia&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9

I don't think bird groups really have a selfish agenda here, but tower contractors and developers could.

Funny, I just visited a site that stated, "If we don't open up the [endangered] manatee safety zones to boat traffic, how is the state [of Florida] going to be able to accurately count the numbers killed by boats?"

Logic...of sorts.

:^)