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Forum Index : Windmills : Is vawt any safer for wildlife?
| Author | Message | ||||
| donb Newbie  Joined: 30/09/2013 Location: United StatesPosts: 3 |
I've seen reports about birds flying into windmills and being hurt (and attracting attention). I assumed the mills were horizontals. Are verticals mills any less likely to have the same issue? |
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Madness Guru  Joined: 08/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2498 |
There are also reports that birds are smart enough to avoid the blades and bird strikes are rare. It is just something anti wind groups try to use. There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Yeah agree with Madness. Bird strike is well researched and the actual numbers of birds killed by contact with a wind turbine blade are tiny. Around any wind turbine, more birds are killed by flying into glass windows, and domestic cats. Just one wild cat would kill more birds than a typical wind farm. Birds are smart enough to avoid things moving in their air space, like other birds. Occasionally a bird will get hit, but its more down to bad luck and a pre occupied bird. If you wanted to do something about bird deaths, wind turbines would be a long long way down the list of things you could change that would have any benefit. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| anteror Senior Member  Joined: 06/10/2009 Location: FinlandPosts: 189 |
Birds fly with full speed in dense twilight forest.. SO !! I have never seen any bird strikes during years because of my wind generator. If you want to make something for the birds, drive slower , because most bird deaths are because of the traffic. In the wintertime here in Finland I have several bird boards and fat for all the birds that spend the winter here. They take care of our trees and eat parasites from them etc I have some special flowers very early.. to feed bees. Bees are the most important to make ALL !!.. our food, pollination. We would die of hunger, very quickly without bees and our trees would die with parasites, without birds.. We are here altogether in wild nature, we all Lords of creation.. 
Nature gives us all but we just take and take.. My wind generator has been a special place for local swallows. They always keep meetings in autumn to sniff the best winds, to get to the south, with northern strong winds for free. Here some pictures; 
Antero |
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| donb Newbie Joined: 30/09/2013 Location: United StatesPosts: 3 |
I did some more reading and found stories on both sides of the issue, but that's not really what I was asking about. In fact, I guess I didn't realize the were anti-wind groups (sounds like nonsense to be anti-wind, but....OK....whatever). I was asking if horizontal or vertical made any difference. Since it's so rare, perhaps it's just not an issue to consider. I was considering building a portable mill that would sit at ground level (very small, very low output), so if vertical was safer than horizontal, it might influence some decisions. Thanks for all the great information, I did know it was such a common topic. |
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| Madness Guru Joined: 08/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2498 |
A VAWT will work better in turbulent conditions, near ground level is very turbulent. Putting it up higher will make a big difference, have you considered solar? There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. |
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yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
Its like the three stooges around here (but with birds). They fly into everything, windows, satellite dishes, trees, shed walls. I have even seen a Pt Lincoln parrot (ringneck) try and do a somersault around a branch, lose his grip and face-plant the ground. Ban soil....and branches for that matter, far to risky. If a wind farm has a cat and fox control program and replacement of food and habitat as part of its works program they would show a rapid increase in rare bird populations and could afford to prune a few. If the surrounding community will not follow suit, they have no business pointing the finger at the turbines. Ban rural communities as well. cars... banned! I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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MacGyver Guru Joined: 12/05/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 1329 |
Crew In all my years of tinkering with windmills, I've had only one bird strike. It was when a cat jumped up a pole supporting a bird feeder and several dove, that were busily feeding, took flight after being startled; one flew through the turning mill (which had solid aluminum blades, by the way) = "poof!" . . . . . Mac Nothing difficult is ever easy! Perhaps better stated in the words of Morgan Freeman, "Where there is no struggle, there is no progress!" Copeville, Texas |
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| donb Newbie Joined: 30/09/2013 Location: United StatesPosts: 3 |
Initially I wasn't planning for solar, but it would probably be easy to add, so maybe both wind and solar. |
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norcold Guru Joined: 06/02/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 670 |
I have a crazy Wedge Tail Eagle that enjoys nothing better then attacking and destroying my RC Gliders. If he is in the air near me I do not fly. Lately he has taken up a perch on a granite knob 50 m from my wind turbines, he seems to be studying them with intent. How do I stop him destroying them? Gently and without violence of course. We come from the land downunder. Vic |
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| Madness Guru Joined: 08/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2498 |
Someone I know that was a army helicopter pilot said the wedge tails would try to dominate them by flying over them. They played games with them, seems they have no natural enemies and no fear. There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. |
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Bryan1 Guru Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1344 |
Eh Vic, You may have to do a sacrificial fly with your RC glider and film the whole thing. With a bit of photoshop work one could impose a modern airliner and I reckon it would make a great hit on you tube........ |
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| norcold Guru Joined: 06/02/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 670 |
That's a thought, trouble is, the bugger is that aggressive I`d only just get in the air and he`d rekit the glider. Takes 100s of hours to build these things from kit, 2 secs for a wedge tail to rekit. Incredible they get above you probably 50m and just dive bomb, evade all you like they don`t miss. Big puff and bits and pieces of balsa etc float for awhile gently to the earth all over. It would be a spectacular video but. We come from the land downunder. Vic |
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| Warpspeed Guru Joined: 09/08/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 4406 |
I guess birds, (like some people) have accidents, lose concentration, or just plain run out of luck. As others have already said, birds fly into all kinds of things, both stationary and moving. And nothing is going to change that. Cheers, Tony. |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi All I have never had a bird fatality with either WAWT or HAWT over the years but have lost a lot by impact with the house windows, mainly small birds like finches that break their neck easily larger birds like parrots magpies and noisy martians usually bounce off and look dazed for a bit then fly away, I have put stickers on the glass but the odd bird still prangs. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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powerednut Senior Member Joined: 09/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 221 |
I've had a wind turbine (HAWT) in the air for over 3 years now, and I'm yet to have a bird strike. The closest thing I've seen to it is in the behaviour of some of the locals: we have a couple of wedge tailed eagles that regularly thermal over our place and cruise around looking for rabbits. If the turbine is swinging around a bit chasing a changing wind direction the wedgies will make a beeline for it and circle it for a while (at altitude) as they ride the thermal. It could be that i've managed to park it under a particularly consistent thermal, or it could be that it looks like a rabbit if your high enough. meantime the chimney for the wood stove has killed 2 birds (got stuck inside it while we were away). determined little buggers pulled off the wire mesh to get in. |
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