Birds And Offshore Renewable Energy
I have worried about this for some time, as die-hard wind farm opponents use birds being scythed to pieces in wind farms as an emotional reason for not building wind farms.
I searched the Internet and found this academic report from the University of Rhode Island, which is entitled How Are Birds Affected by the Block Island Wind Farm and How Do They Interact With the Wind Turbines?.
Note.
- Block Island Wind Farm is a mildly controversial 30 MW wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island.
- Block Island wind farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States.
The report gives three ways about how birds interact with wind farms.
Birds Fly Out Of The Way
First, many birds do not experience any interaction with the turbines at all as they fly either at a higher altitude or closer to the shore than the turbines’ locations.
Wind Farms Become A Food Source
The second interaction between birds and offshore wind turbines is a positive one that has been documented throughout Europe; but, with only the Block Island Wind Farm, it is too early to document in the United States. Researchers have found that the base of a wind turbine can create artificial reefs that act as an attractive site to both fish and shellfish. These artificial reefs provide a feeding ground for certain species of birds as the turbines essentially become a central habitat for many bird species’ prey.
Displacement Of The Birds
The final interaction that birds have with offshore wind turbines is displacement. This primary negative effect is experienced when wind turbines are constructed in areas that birds would naturally like to be; but, due to the structures, no longer have access to. To put it simply, he says, “if you put the turbines where the birds want to be, you take away these areas from the birds”.
Conclusion
It appears to me, that if you are putting up wind farms, whether they are offshore or onshore, that it is essential you do your research.
As in this case, experts from the local university are often a good resource to call upon.
Birdstrike On An Electric Locomotive
It would appear that whatever bird this Class 90 hit, didn’t have much of a chance.
Birdstrike On A Class 90
But then none of us would, if hit by 84.5 tonnes of electric locomotive.
Where Have the Birds Gone?
I was on Newmarket Heath yesterday, with a racehorse trainer, who like me is a countryman.
Newmarket Heath has not changed much environmentally in centuries. The link gives a history on the racecourse website. The grass is mown fairly short and it is not fertilised with anything artificial. The wildflowers are of a bigger variety than normal and there are hares (big bunnies) in abundance. It’s importance as a wild life area is recognised in that it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
We wondered, if when everything is so constant, have a lot of the birds and especially the songbirds disappeared in recent years.
As someone, who has been on the Heath for over twenty years and knows it well, the trainer put it down to one thing – sparrowhawks.
Now the site of birds of prey is wonderful. But so is the site of all the smaller birds that sing and give us so much pleasure! It’s a tricky dilemma, but then if they’ve gone on Newmarket Heath, where conditions haven’t changed in centuries, it can’t be down to bad farming practices in that instance.
In my garden, I used to have lots of yellow hammers, swallows and pied wagtails. They have become a lot less common in recent years.
