Dozens of birdwatchers who traveled to a Scottish island to see an extremely fast and rare swift have been left distraught after it was killed by a wind turbine.
While not an endangered species, sightings of the White-throated Needletail are quite rare in the UK, since it’s primary breeding and migratory grounds are in the far east and India. So when one was spotted on the the Isles of Harris it caused quite an interest with birdwatchers who flocked to the island to see it.
Wikipedia says: The White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus), also known as Needle-tailed Swift or Spine-tailed Swift, is a large swift. It is the fastest-flying bird in flapping flight, with a confirmed maximum of 111.6 km/h (69.3 mph). It is commonly reputed to reach velocities of up to 170 km/h (105 mph), though this has not been verified.
Video follows.
Despite its purported speed, it wasn’t fast enough to avoid the turbine blades.
There had been only eight recorded sightings of the white-throated needletail in the UK since 1846. So when one popped up again on British shores this week, bird watchers were understandably excited. A group of 40 enthusiasts dashed to the Hebrides to catch a glimpse of the brown, black and blue bird, which breeds in Asia and winters in Australasia. But instead of being treated to a wildlife spectacle they were left with a horror show when it flew into a wind turbine and was killed.
This video was taken after the bird was killed by the wind turbine, and it seems there is no video of the actual collision with the wind turbine, though there are several reports in the British MSM about the event. Of course if it had been an oil derrick or a power plant smokestack that caused the death, you can bet every environmental organization would be having a collective cow. But, it was killed by green energy, so the death gets a pass.
Here is the bird in the area before it ventured into the wind turbine area. It certainly is fast.
h/t to Charles the Moderator
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I guess it wasn’t quite fast enough – and coincidentally, it is just a little bit … more rare. On the bright side, they at least got to see it! And now they can see it up close!
.
Is that barbecue I smell?
Enviroloons have made their Climalarmist bed, and now they must lie in it. Even beloved birds must get sacrificed on the altar. Must be tough for them to continue on.
This is why picking single examples like done here can give a false view of reality.
So cats killing birds is the fault of humans…..
Riiiiigght….
@Thomas, your comment proved my point perfectly. Thanks.
Reply to Pauls: Wind power only has three problems:
1. It’s not needed
2. It doesn’t work
3. It’s too expensive
Everything is a mere tool to the liberals.
Thomas says:
June 28, 2013 at 8:59 am
“Of course if it had been killed by a car or cat or by flying into a window you can bet WUWT wouldn’t have been writing about it. Yes, windmills kills birds and you need to consider that in deciding where to put them and how to design them, but overall it’s an insignificant number compared to birds killed by other human enterprises.”
Why are windmills in California allowed to kill a certain number of Golden Eagles a year? Which other industry is?
Thomas says:
June 28, 2013 at 8:59 am
—
Cars and windows are necessary and useful. Windmills are not.
But Shana! These birds knew the turbines were there and they knew the risk they were taking! You would have to deny evolution to believe they will not be able to adapt to these minor obstacles. In fact Shana just look at how well they have adapted to gravity? Wind turbines are not nearly as dangerous as gravity, just look at all the death it causes?
That’s an entire species of bird wiped out in Scotland. 100%. I think that’s how RSPB / FoE / Greenpeace / WWF / Guardian would report it if it had been an oil industry structure.
. I think they( The BBC) might have trouble ignoring this bird’s demise.
No trouble at all. I keep saying it but he I go again; 97% of all british people are thick as 2 short planks. The government know this, the BBC knows this and all the green orgs know it.
Thomas says:
June 28, 2013 at 8:59 am
As an engineer, let me help you with that request (and make it a win-win situation regarding the unjustifiable expenses these monsters incur):
Just construct them (the wind turbines) without blades.
Then the birds can use them as safe nesting sites.
Problems solved.
The BBC did indeed report
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-23082846
but points out that wind turbines save more birds than they kill because they mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Which brings us to the question: What climate change have they mitigated over the last 17 years during which there was none?
In other words, the BBC is still a 100% warmist catastrophist propaganda organ.
Thomas says:
June 28, 2013 at 8:59 am
You idiot. This another 1.000.000 birds worlwide. 50.000 baldeagles can’t be wrong.
deklein says:
June 28, 2013 at 9:13 am
“That’s an entire species of bird wiped out in Scotland. 100%.”
The correct term is “local extinction”. Can we say, Last Needletail in the UK killed by small windmill? Yes We Can!
So yet another very rare bird is killed and we’re expected to believe that it’s the exception rather than the norm? What, are rare birds more stupid that common ones? Do they have a fatal, moth like attraction to spinning blades? Or are large numbers of common birds going unrecorded?
Environmental Groups protect the environment the same way that the National Organization of Women(NOW) fights for ALL women’s Rights, only If it fits their political agenda.
Bit off topic,
Last night BBC news at 10 did a piece on fracking, quite informative other than the mention of water pollution and earthquakes, this is what they stuck on the end.
http://s446.photobucket.com/user/bobclive/media/Rec061_zps78436c04.mp4.html
Thank you Charles. As is well known to WUWT regulars I love birds, feed birds, and watch birds. What I feel about this appalling situation is grief and HOPE. Just maybe, maybe the travesty will inspire the world to reject these useless birdchoppers. One can hope, anyway.
WRT Thomas and Pauls’s comments that there are numerous human caused bird kills, why is it that power plants and oil refineries are fined $250,000 per bird killed and the US Dept of Interior issues permits for wind farms to kill endangered species. Equal treatment under the law is a doctrine that should be applied. It would bankrupt wind farms in days.
65 mkln years ago it was a comet that killed most of the dinosaurs.
65 mln years after that, mankind finishes the job on their last descendants with windmills.
We’ve come a long way. Green energy, because we care!
The Green Khmer is running the show now. What could possibly go wrong.
A wind farm in Oklahoma has applied for permit to kill up to 3 bald eagles every year without penalty:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Wind_farm_seeks_permit_to_avoid_fines_in_case_of_eagle/20130606_11_A1_CUTLIN168949
Quote
@ur momisugly@@ur momisugly
Despite its purported speed, it wasn’t fast enough to avoid the turbine blades.
@ur momisugly@@ur momisugly
From what I have read, I have no actual knowledge, this is wrong. Birds like this fly in areas where there are usually no obstacles like wind turbines. Their eyesight has evolved to look only at the ground; for navigation, food, whatever. So it is not that they DO not see the turbine. They CANNOT see the turbine. Their speed is a detriment in this case; not an asset.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/policy/windfarms/
Which is why I’m no longer a member of the RSPB…
birdwatchers aplenty but no image of the kill…we need stronger evidence before believing this story
REPLY: The first video shows the bird dead under the turbine. Playing devils advocate; with a bird that moves that fast, and rarely perches, how would one shoot it out of the sky if they wanted to fake it? The other video shows the bird flying at high speeds. Even though I’m pretty good at skeet shoot, I don’t think I could snag a clay pigeon as fast or as darty as that one. – Anthony