Wind Power Dangerous to Birds

Birds, bats and wind turbines – still a bad combination.

Researchers are studying wind farm in the Northwest to determine their impact on the local raptor population (that’s hawks, eagles, vultures and other big birds of prey). Big wind farms, naturally, are located in areas with strong, consistent wind patterns; unfortunately, those winds are also appealing to large birds, allowing them to glide for hours while scouting for prey. And when a diving hawk comes into contact with the whirring blade of a wind turbine, well it’s not pretty. Turbines also are a danger to bats, for all the same reasons.

“It’s like a crime scene,” says one researcher in this article from The Seattle Times, who’s been keeping track of the number of bird-kills for the wind-power industry. The initial results show that wind power is not a major threat to wildlife (but the studies were commissioned by the power companies, so were you really expecting a different answer?).

Still, this is an issue that won’t go away. I covered it back in 2005, when the Altamont Pass wind farm in California was temporarily shut down so environmental researchers could find a way to minimize the number of bird kills. A 2004 report found 880 to 1,300 raptors were killed at Altamont every year, including red-tailed hawks and the federally protected golden eagle.

The best answer, it seems, is finding locations for wind farms without a major population of raptors. Of course, if you don’t do your homework, then a big wind farm will eventually make sure the local area doesn’t have a substantial raptor population.