There is a double standard in how the energy industry is punished for killing birds, Robert Bryce, a green energy critic, wrote in a Wall Street Journal commentary. He noted how oil companies have been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for birds killed by oil spills or faulty power lines. Yet wind farms kill thousands more birds each year, many of which are endangered, and wind companies are never fined. For example, a 2008 study estimated that the wind farm at Altamont Pass, Calif., kills about 10,000 birds each year — nearly all protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Bryce wrote. However, the Wind Energy Association argues that bird kills by wind turbines are a “very small fraction of those caused by other commonly accepted human activities and structures — house cats kill an estimated 1 billion birds annually.”
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39 Comments
“In July, for example, the Oregon-based electric utility PacifiCorp paid $1.4 million in fines and restitution for killing 232 eagles in Wyoming over the past two years.”
Well that is a small number compared to the number killed by natural predators like cats. No double standard here, move along. . .
That would be a heck of a cat. The one killing those eagles!
World celebrities sing to stop global warming
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iyAzv7fCgFLJDVt-S1PGzJwKMM6g
_________________
We don’t need wind generators anymore. All we need is for the libs to sing “kum ba ya”.
Cosmos,
Your thoughts on the Bird Grinders?
‘Save Birds by Promoting Wind Energy‘
http://scitizen.com/stories/future-energies/2009/05/Save-Birds-by-Promoting-Wind-Energy/
Sometimes the Greens totally outfox themselves.
When they helped put a ban on DDT, millions of humans start dieing from vector base diseases like malaria.
The ‘Save our Wetlands’ projects allowing for wetlands to be uninhibited have allowed for the same, more vector based diseases near populated areas, like encephalitis, dengue fever and etc.
Wind farms killing birds on the endangered species list – no humans killed, but the Greens have been pretty tight-lipped about it.
What’s next on the list? EMF from all the electric cars in the future. EMF that will cause an explosion of biological cell distortions, cancerous and tumorous growths.
[PDF 218 KB]
‘Wind Energy and Wildlife: Frequently Asked Questions‘
http://www.awea.org/pubs/factsheets/Wildlife_FAQ.pdf
Is there any way to design the fans so they do not kill birds? If so then they should have the holy pee fined out of them for killing the birds (maybe $10,000 for each bird). If not then there is nothing that can be done to prevent the deaths of the birds. Power lines that kill eagles CAN be prevented by capping tranformers, putting bird gaurds (plastic pointed things) on power pole cross arms and spreading the A B and C phases apart on poles so that the B phase is higher than the A and C phases which prevents the wing of the eagle from touching the other 2 phases when it lands on the higher wire.
Kev
Posted September 15, 2009 at 2:16 pm | Permalink
Is there any way to design the fans so they do not kill birds?
—————–
Ask ANTI – If I remember correctly, he has worked at some of these Wind Farms in constructing them.
If anyone comes up with a solution, the aircraft industry would like to know as well – the bird strike thing.
Kev
Posted September 15, 2009 at 2:16 pm | Permalink
Is there any way to design the fans so they do not kill birds?
=======================================
First, they are not fans.
Second, the only way to prevent bird kills from wind turbines is to not build the wind turbine.
BTW, they also kill bats.
If the AGW alarmists make a bigger “carbon footprint” on spinning science to promote their socialist agenda than we are saving on wind power.
To be fair, all (main)power creation has an impact on wildlife-hydroelectric, coal, solar, wind…
It’s just the nature of the beast.
Trying to limit the wildlife losses is the trick.
With wind power however, you either accept the losses or do not use the power.
Keeping the towers away from migratory routes would limit the bird losses.
Unfortunately migratory routes are generally the most efficient places for wind farms.
JETS PLANES , INSECTS , CHMICALS ARE MORE HARMFUL SO BIRDS MUST ADAPT AS ALL SPECIES MUST
Outie,
“That would be a heck of a cat. The one killing those eagles!”
I’ve watched large hawks carry off cats. Seems there is justice in the world after all. Of course the hawks kill birds too.
SHADOW_KNOWS
Posted September 15, 2009 at 3:15 pm | Permalink
JETS PLANES , INSECTS , CHMICALS ARE MORE HARMFUL SO BIRDS MUST ADAPT AS ALL SPECIES MUST
==============================
WTF?
I’ve watched large hawks carry off cats. Seems there is justice in the world after all. Of course the hawks kill birds too.
===================================
Powerful creatures, indeed.
[PDF 218 KB]
‘Wind Energy and Wildlife: Frequently Asked Questions‘
http://www.awea.org/pubs/factsheets/Wildlife_FAQ.pdf
“A reasonable, conservative estimate is that of every 10,000 human-related bird deaths in the U.S. today, wind plants cause less than one. The National Academy of Sciences estimated in 2006 that wind energy is responsible for less than 0.003% of (3 of every 100,000) bird deaths
caused by human (and feline) activities.
A paper from the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative (NWCC) (Erickson et al.) found the leading human-related causes of bird kills, in the U.S. alone, include:
o cats (1 BILLION per year)
o buildings (100 million to 1 BILLION per year)
o hunters (100 million per year);
o vehicles (60 million to 80 million per year)
o communications towers (10 million to 40 million per year)
o pesticides (67 million per year)
o power lines (10,000 to 174 million per year)”
I feel sorry for the poor bastid that has to count the carcasses.
ANTI posted September 15, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I feel sorry for the poor bastid that has to count the carcasses.
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Especially around the smoke stacks at coal-fired power plants.
If we don’t kill all the killer cats for killing birds, then why kill the wind farms for killing birds?
Cats Kill 269 Million Birds Per Year
The long-term ecological implications of cat predation on birds in Wichita are far from clear. More investigation is called for, especially with regards to such sensitive birds as the Dickcissel. Certainly there are many threats to birds besides cat predation; habitat loss on wintering and nesting grounds may be the primary factor in the decline of many songbirds. Cats may not be one of the primary causes of avian mortality, but they do kill birds, and in some areas may well prove to be a cause for serious concern. The latest estimate of the number of pet cats in the U.S. is from the 1999-2000 American Pet Products Manufacturers Association’s Pet Owner Survey which estimates there are 64 million pet cats in the U.S. It seems reasonable to assume that on the basis of the pet cat population alone in this country, that if each cat killed 4.2 birds per year as did the average cat in this study, this would result in the death of at least 269 million birds per year due to predation by pet cats alone. Further assuming that half of these cats never go outside (e.g., the phone survey in this study indicated that 43% of pet cats were never allowed outdoors), at least 134 million birds could be expected to die as a result of domestic pet cats. It is likely that well under 43% of pet cats are kept strictly inside, especially if rural cats are considered. The inclusion of feral and stray cats would greatly increase this figure.
http://www.geocities.com/the_srco/Fluffy_article.html
I can’t believe the Democrat Congress isn’t addressing this problem.
Is Saving Birds Wrong?
In November of 2006, a man was arrested in Galveston and charged with animal cruelty. He allegedly shot a feral cat that was hunting wild birds in an area that threatened and endangered species of birds frequent. The event sparked a furious debate between extremists on both sides and everyone in between – not a new debate, but an eruption of an issue that has been ongoing for many years.
How many birds do feral cats kill?
Again, estimates vary, but even if each cat killed only one bird each year (studies have shown that some cats kill up to 1000 animals each year), it’s clear that hundreds of millions of birds are dying. Add to this the toll taken by roaming domestic cats (pets that are allowed to roam out of doors), thought to also be in the hundreds of millions, and you begin to comprehend the catastrophic effect that Felis silvestris is having on bird populations.
http://birds.suite101.com/article.cfm/feral_cats_kill_birds
Thread topic: “How hazardous are wind farms for birds?”
70 Million Feral Cats in US Kill Over 1 Billion Birds Each YEAR!
Some feline experts now estimate 70 million feral cats live in the United States, the consequence of little effort to control the population and of the cat’s ability to reproduce quickly.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/0907_040907_feralcats.html
Cats Kill Over 1 Billion Birds Each Year in U.S.
Some folks don’t seem willing to accept the magnitude of the cat predation problem. While it is a bit tricky to come up with solid numbers of birds and other animals killed, we can make estimates based on a growing number of studies of cat predation.
http://birdchaser.blogspot.com/2008/03/cats-kill-over-1-billion-birds-each.html
cosmos_originally
Posted September 15, 2009 at 8:06 pm | Permalink
Thread topic: “How hazardous are wind farms for birds?”
=====================
Cosmos hates wind farms!
Doesn’t care about cats killing birds!
Possibly 1.75 BILLION Birds Killed by Cats Every Year!
Another study in San Diego (Crooks and Soule 1999 cited here) found each cat to kill an average of 15 birds per year (and 41 other small animals). IF you multiply this number by the number of outdoor cats you get 1.75 billion birds killed per year. And that’s just in the U.S. and doesn’t take into account our migratory birds killed by cats in Canada or Latin America.
http://birdchaser.blogspot.com/2008/03/cats-kill-over-1-billion-birds-each.html
Birds killed by cats is TOTALLY relevent to this ANTI-WINDMILL topic.
Windmills kill how many birds each year?
How’s that compared to the birds killed by cats?
It’s ok for cats to kill birds, but it’s not ok for windmills to kill birds?
WTF?
Y’all pu ss y whipped?
ProudMan
Posted September 15, 2009 at 6:05 am | Permalink
Well that is a small number compared to the number killed by natural predators like cats. No double standard here, move along.
===================
70 million feral cats in the US are NOT natural predators.
Man caused this cat killing problem.
How to solve it?
How about a whistle or some sound like the deer whistle’s on cars?
Robert Bryce’s commentary, link in header.
“Yet there is one group of energy producers that are not being prosecuted for killing birds: wind-power companies.”
———————–
Are coal-fired power plants fined when birds are killed by flying into the side of the smoke-stacks?
I saw one article recommending pet owners, who are irresponsible enough to let their cats run loose, to at least attach a bell to their collar.
While it may embarras the pus sy somewhat, at least the bell will help alert would-be bird prey and give them a chance to fly away before being swallowed by the pus sy.
One solution:
How to Hunt Feral Cats in Wisconsin with a
12 pound Coehorn Mortar Cannon
So, what is a Feral Cat? It is a free-roaming “wild” cat that is no longer domestic. Most Feral Cats were “let go”, out in the country, when their owners decided that they no longer wanted them. There they are free to breed and raise subsequent generations of “wild” offspring. Most Feral Cats are un-approachable by humans and kill thousands of song birds and wild pheasant and grouse chicks each year. They cause damage while scrounging for food, they carry diseases, and they bite. Interestingly, a recent attempt was made here in Wisconsin to pass a law that specifically allowed “Feral Cat Hunting”. Although most hunters were in favor of this law, it was vetoed by our Governor. Therefore, I have decided to attack this nuisance Feral Cat problem by myself, single-handed, and go a-field “Feral Cat Hunting” with my 12 lb. Coehorn Mortar.
http://www.buckstix.com/CoehornMortarHunt.htm
THE ” CAT HUNT ”
To begin with, one must decide on a proper load with which to shoot a Feral Cat using a Coehorn Mortar Cannon.
Since it would be extremely dangerous, and Federally illegal, to use an exploding ball, ( see figure above ) it was decided to use a “Solid” ball for the Cat hunt.
But, rather than use a solid Cast Iron Ball, we opted for a “Hard-Rubber” ball of 4-1/2? diameter. Where do you find such a hard rubber ball of that diameter? Well, there is a sport that’s popular out on the East Coast called “Candle-Pin Bowling”.
Candle Pin bowling uses 5, skinny bowling pins that are very tall and look like candles. The candle pin bowling ball is palm size with no holes, is exactly 4-1/2? in diameter, weighs only 2-1/4 pounds, and comes in a marvelous assortment of colors. They typically come in sets of 2 and used candle pin balls are often available on EBay at reasonable prices.
In fact, I recently purchased such a set of 2 Candle Pin bowling balls for only $45 and they came with a ball bag and bowling shoes. ( Note: The shoes flew erratic to about 100 yards, and I never did get the bag to fit down the bore. )
Developing a load for your Coehorn Mortar can be a bit tricky. I started with 2 standard 35mm film canisters full of Fg black powder under one of my 2-1/4 pound Mortar Balls. Grain weight of 2 film canisters of powder was 1,100 grains. That load was a bit too hot. . . ? ? ?
Cutting back the powder to just “one” film canister full, gave a nice 400 yard shot with reasonable accuracy. By randomly changing the powder charge and slightly adjusting the Coehorn Mortar angle, I finally settled in at 350 yards with about a 15 second hang time for the Mortar ball.
The “hang-time” is the time delay from when the Mortar is fired until the ball reaches the target. This 15 second hang time proved to work quite well on the Feral Cat hunt because by the time the sound reached the location of the Cat, ( or Cats ) about 1-1/2 seconds after firing, the cat would “perk-up” and look in the direction of the sound, and then see the distant white smoke of the Mortar.
Shortly after, he would sit and gaze whimsically at the approaching cannon ball, fixated in place, as the ball of the Mortar would silently race closer and closer. I like using dark colored Mortar balls because the Cats can easily see them silhouetted against the bright sky.
Note: Hang time is critical for “effect”.
http://www.buckstix.com/CoehornMortarHunt.htm
What to use for bait?
You guessed it, “Milk” is best, although cheap cat food also works well.
I prefer milk because it can be reused and it doesn’t create a big clean-up issue. You can keep using it for days on end. Hungry Feral Cats will come to it even if it goes sour.
A successful technique is to put some in a squirt gun and sprits it around the area to create a large milk scented trail into the smaller target zone.
However, one word of caution on bait containers. I would suggest using unbreakable bowls made of tin or paper since you don’t want to smash your wife’s good soup bowls from random Mortar hits. Wives are not very understanding when you break their dishes.
As a matter of fact, they’re not too keen on Cat Hunting with a Mortar either. Believe me, I speak from experience. Personally I prefer using lots of Tin pans. The reason for this will become obvious in step 5.
http://www.buckstix.com/CoehornMortarHunt.htm
The full technique can be found at:
http://www.buckstix.com/CoehornMortarHunt.htm
Johnson hates cats… wonder how he feels about Rottweilers?? LOL