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Forum Index : Windmills : Birds
| Author | Message | ||||
| VK4AYQ Guru  Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi All I was reading an article today on the great danger of windmills to the bird population, I have two mills spinning away most times and have watched the birds avoiding them, even when stopped they don't fly close to the mill, There is a large population of birds at my place as I encourage them, from small finches and honey eaters to several wedge tail eagles, over the last 12 months not 1 bird fatality, in the mills, but about 20 bird deaths by flying into the glass back doors, I have now reduced this a bit by putting flower stickers on the glass so they can see it. Has anyone else had any experiences with bird kills in the windmills. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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Downwind Guru Joined: 09/09/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2333 |
No! but gather their might be soon if the birds dont stop nesting in isaiah mill. If a bird can navagate a spinning mill and approach its nest daily, i doubt it is so dumb to fly into the mill blades. When you consider how a bird can see a flying bug in the air and dart around to catch it, one would expect it can see the rotating blades even if we can not. Next thing will be windmills are dangerous to small children!! Well if they ever learn to climb that is. Now if a wedgie nested on your mill that might be a bit different. Pete. Sometimes it just works |
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powerednut Senior Member  Joined: 09/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 221 |
I've got some wedgetail eagles that regularly fly over. For the first couple of days of my turbine being up they would divert from their flight to overfly and circle the wind turbine (must look like a giant white rabbit or something) before returning to flying towards their previous destination. These days they ignore it. We've got lots of birds and I'm yet to kill one with the turbine. We've lost one to flying into my shed (cream coloured colourbond, not sure why/how it missed it) and one to attempting to nest in the chimney... We have had the local bird botherers (watchers) out too, doing surveys of bird population. One of them was curious and asked about deaths in the turbines and another told her it was a load of crap. |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
A few years ago I had to give a lecture at the local university about wind power. I knew the question would be asked about bird kills, so I did some research. Bird kills from wind turbines is one of the most investigated areas in wind farm politics. And after all the research, by both pro and anti wind farm groups, its now regarded as a non issue. Fact is, birds simply get out of the way! More birds are killed by vehicles visiting the wind farm than by the wind farm itself. My glass windows of my last house claimed 3 birds in 5 years, but my windmills claimed none. Apparently birds are very good at avoiding other things in their air space. They use visual clues, ie the moving turbine blades, and they can also sense the pressure wave in front of the turbine. Some hawks do get hit, because they have a "everying gets out of my way" attitude. Bats also have very low kill rates from turbines. Its a non issue. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Glenn It makes you wonder where these people that come up with all these stories get them from. The big turbines may be a bit different to our little ones but the amount of good they do you would think would negate the loss of an occasional bird. Even the brown wood pigeons that are as stupid as politicians can miss my wind mills. They may ban glass doors if they keep killing birds 20 times worse than the windmills. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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| turnymf Regular Member  Joined: 04/10/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 84 |
I would imagine that it would be the tip speed on large turbine that would bring birds undone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9srPoOU6_Z4 |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
I wonder what vulture taste like? The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| Barry T Coles Senior Member Joined: 30/07/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 109 |
That's a teribly unfair comparison, wood pidgeons are way smarter than any poly I've come across 
Cheers Barry I need to learn from the mistakes of others. I dont have the time to make them all myself. |
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| Downwind Guru Joined: 09/09/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2333 |
Well hell we are lucky politicians cant fly then. Just think of the mill trouble we would have if they could fly. Pete. Sometimes it just works |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi All I must apologize to the brown wood pigeons for the comparison to politicians, come to think of it probably the one to compare was the DoDo, and may all the politicians go the way of the DoDo as soon as possible. On our old farm mill the birds where forever building nests in the outer weather cover on the pump head and spent many a happy hour perching on the tail boom and the only fatality there was the odd one that fell out of the nests. They may legislate to fit safety nets below nesting sites in the future, so don't mention that to politicians or the RSPCA. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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| Downwind Guru Joined: 09/09/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2333 |
[quote]the only fatality there was the odd one that fell out of the nests[/quote] Well the silly buggers should learn to fly. Pete. Sometimes it just works |
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philb Regular Member Joined: 05/07/2008 Location: United StatesPosts: 96 |
I have been flying wind turbines since at least 2002. No bird fatalities were directly associated with the prop spinning. Indirectly yes. The hawks have found they can perch on the center of the windmill in no wind conditions and wait for birds and rabbits to come along. When one hawk gets his fill, another will appear. Now if I can get them to carry a few politicians away...  philb |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Pete They where like first term politicians, hadn't developed their feathers yet, and a stronger sibling kicked them out of the nest, just like Elmer Fudd and Julie Lizzard survival of the fittest, like Darwin's theory I think. And in the case of Philb I think he needs to upgrade from Hawks to eagles and give the local politicians complementary rabbit skin hats. Start with a bigger windmill so that the bigger birds can roost on the tail of it. We need bigger windmills and smaller politicians, just think haw much power could be generated if every house had a 1 or 2 KW wind turbine and another 2 kw solar setup. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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Greenthumbs Regular Member Joined: 05/12/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 40 |
Hi all, I would have to agree mills offer no problems to birds. All birds fly around it. We have wedge tails, magpies, parrots, and finches and even kookaburras. We loose some to foxes and cats but I declared Ghad on all foxes and cats so there are less of them around now. I have a swinging turbine tower. When it was half way up it formed a T type shape the birds would roost on it. When all was completed I shot this photo 
At one with nature! Birds also like to land on the guy wires for a bit. Due to the mill being made out of fibreglass I hope the Sulphur Crested cockatoos do not land in the mill and start eating it! 
Regards Damo |
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