Windmills and Eagles, Final Thoughts
Considering how our choices impact our feathered friends.
NOTE: underlined phrases are links to the related article.
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In April I put out a post about a wind company that was in trouble for killing eagles without a permit. Here is the quote from the NBC article that raised my concern:
Almost all of the eagles killed at the NextEra subsidiary’s facilities were struck by the blades of wind turbines, prosecutors said. Some turbines killed multiple eagles and because the carcasses are not always found, officials said the number killed was likely higher than the 150 birds cited in court documents.
Prosecutors said the company’s failure to take steps to protect eagles or to obtain permits to kill the birds gave it an advantage over competitors . . .
My concerns were 1. that a company could buy permits to kill eagles, and 2. that 150 eagles were killed by one wind company.
A dear friend of mine who spends her career researching and teaching about the preservation of wildlife saw my post and has sent me some information that helped to clarify the situation. Here is my post in response to her help. Afterwards, she sent me even more information and I have been mulling it over ever since. I think I’m ready to post a few final thoughts about the issue. Thanks to my friend who has helped me understand the issues better. Everyone needs friends like her. Of course, I cannot understand it as well as someone who spends their career involved in the issue, but her assistance is greatly appreciated.
The Good News
Some studies indicate that the problem of wind turbines killing birds is not as bad as it seems if you put it in perspective. A 2013 study which is frequently cited by renewable energy proponents indicates that 234,000 birds are killed by wind turbines each year in the US. (Sierra Club estimates 1 million) This compares to 2.4 million birds killed by cats. Looking at it that way, it’s not as big of a problem as some might think.
Also, there are a lot of people who are working on the problem of wind turbines and bird deaths. In fact, the requirement that wind companies obtain permits to “take” eagles actually gets people like the US Fish and Wildlife Service involved in helping the business minimize harm to birds and bats. They have specific guidelines for wind companies to mitigate adverse impact on wildlife. These best management practices include each company developing Bird and Bat Conservation Strategies (BBCS) which outline steps for accomplishing operational measures to minimize the “taking” of migratory birds.
Also, there are a lot of strategies and new technology to help decrease bird deaths in wind farms being developed, which could help in future wind developments. Shutting down turbines when birds are present, acoustics which repel birds and bats from the area, illuminating turbines so they are more visible, and even painting the turbines purple are some of the methods that are being developed to help with the problem in the future.
Lingering Concerns
As hopeful as all this is, I continue to have some concerns for our eagles. Maybe I’m just a worry wart. Let me share them and you decide.
BIRDS KILLED BY TURBINES DATA SEEMS OUT OF DATE
The study that is always cited regarding 234,000 birds killed by wind turbines was published in 2013. The USGA estimates that 3,000 wind turbines have been installed in the USA every year since 2005. That means 27,000 wind turbines have been added since the 234,000 number was published. If wind turbines increased in number by 75%, wouldn’t it follow that bird deaths increased by 75% as well, especially considering that the newer turbines are taller with longer blades and increased blade velocity? Then probably 409,000 birds are killed annually now. Is my math reasonable? I know house cats kill sparrows and cardinals, as my own traumatic experience attests. But it is unlikely that house cats kill golden eagles!
GOLDEN EAGLE NUMBERS
The NBC article reported that most of the 150 eagles killed at the 50 wind farms were golden eagles. It also states the population of golden eagles is 31,800 in the Western US, which is where the vast majority of their range lies. According to the USGS there are 1500 wind projects in the US. My question is this: if approximately 100 golden eagles were killed at the 50 wind farms in question, how many are being killed by the 1450 wind farms that were not included in the lawsuit? Of course, not all wind farms are within the golden eagles range, but I think you can see what I’m asking. With a total population of 31,800, one hundred deaths here, and one hundred deaths there adds up. Even though wind turbines aren’t the main source of fatalities for the golden eagle, I wonder if the increasing number of turbines will begin to adversely affect the population. Also, once we determine a species population is adversely impacted by wind farms, will the economic interest of existing investors have priority over the preservation of the eagles. Too many questions and no crystal ball.
WHAT ABOUT THE BIRDS KILLED BY CATS?
The estimate of 2.4 million birds killed by cats is nothing to sneeze at. The bird population in the US declined by 29%, from 10 billion to 7 billion birds in the 50 years since 1970. That’s 3 billion birds lost! Approaching one third! One of the primary causes is house cats roaming outside. If you have noticed fewer birds in your backyard, it is because the songbirds are some of the hardest hit. Keeping house cats in the house would help a lot.
Another cause for the decline is land use changes. Deforestation and conversation of grassland and rangeland destroys habitat for all forms of wildlife and is exacerbated by campaigns to remove ruminants from our diet, to change millions of acres of land to make renewable diesel, and the ongoing use of millions of acres of corn production for ethanol. We need to be very careful to consider the unintended consequences of these massive changes in the way we are using land on the habitat and the wildlife that depends on it. Not to mention the impact on our own food security.
CONCLUSION
There is hope because a large number of dedicated professionals are actively working hard to find answers to these questions. Hopefully, policy makers funding subsidies for these wind farms will require that they be placed so as to minimize the impact on eagles and all other wildlife species. Hopefully, future wind farm installations will incorporate all possible technological advancements to preserve birds and bats.
Maybe we could slow down on building these wind farms until we have more answers. Perhaps we let the technology to make them safer for wildlife catch up a little bit. It would be a shame if some day we look back and wish we had been more careful.
I can tell you as a cat owner it's impossible to keep a cat who wants to go outside in the house. But as a responsible cat owner I can tell you that we've bought Vlad a collar with a bell on it, to warn away birds. That said, I see 624 million birds are killed in window collisions and another 214 million are killed by cars. We're worse for birds than cats...