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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How many Scotland birds will be killed by global warming?
None.
How many Scotland bird species will be wiped out by the numerous windmills built there?
It is hard to say because most species survive on the margins with reproduction just being sucessful enough to keep the population close to stable. Throw in one more mortality-causing impact and the numbers start going the other way so that the species doesn’t make it beyond another dozen generations.
Eventually, survival of the fittest will take over and only the non-flying birds will be left in Scotland. All none of them. But a few dozen Scots like their windmills.
I will have a good laugh when some expensive stealth surveillance drone gets clipped while hiding from the radar.
Hey, left-of-most-left-wingers here, we’re not all feel-good greeny morons, and I don’t think those of us who are grounded in reality are any fonder of the greeny morons than folks on the other end of the political spectrum might be.
The fact is, as a socialist and anarchist I am disgusted by all forms of greedy manipulations, like those which push carbon taxes and demonizing CO2, the only outcome of those policies will be to raise energy costs, which will wind up making a small number of people very rich at the expense of vastly more people suffering.
We can all agree that lying and denying reality is bad, hence the global warming scam is bad, regardless of our political outlook.
Hey, left-of-most-left-wingers here, we’re not all feel-good greeny fools, and I don’t think the more grounded in reality leftists are any fonder of them than folks on the other end of the political spectrum might be of their own nutters.
The fact is, as a socialist and anarchist I am disgusted by all forms of greedy manipulations, like those which push carbon taxes and demonizing CO2, the only outcome of those policies will be to raise energy costs, which will wind up making a small number of people very rich at the expense of vastly more people suffering.
We can all agree that lying and denying reality is bad, hence the global warming scam is bad, regardless of our political outlook.
London247 says:
June 28, 2013 at 3:14 pm
“There is a theory that the number of bird kills is under-reported as the carrion birds and rats remove the dead bodies. But do wind turbines also kill bats? In the UK it is a £ 2,500.00 fine per bat killed. Admittedly wind farm sites are not natural bat terriotory,bats prefer low level tree lined areas, but believe me in the UK there is nothing more criminal than killing a bat. ”
In Germany, the land of Northrhine Westphalia is ruled by a Social Democrat – Green coalition. They have decided that it’s time to implement the windmill regime in their land. Which is hilly, so you have to place the windmills on the hilltops. Where there is forest. That’s where the bats live. So they’re cutting the hilltops clear, build access roads, build wind turbines, and kill the bats through the pressure waves caused by the windmills which rupture the lungs of the bats.
This is a Green provincial government. They give a flying crap for endangered species when they can make a dime on wind energy subsidies extorted from the ratepayer.
Windmills are not only a hazard for real birds but also to the large metal birds. The returns put clutter in the screens of the ATC ( Air Traffic Control) radars.
Here is the link for the ATC and other radar problems produced by the windmills:http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/WindFarmReport.pdf
The issue of windmills killing flying critters will have zero effect on policy unless and until some flying progressive (with or without plumage) is killed by one. Then watch the s#it hit the fan.
[Snip. Fake email address. — mod.]
Max™ says: @ur momisugly June 28, 2013 at 4:00 pm
…. I don’t think those of us who are grounded in reality are any fonder of the greeny morons than folks on the other end of the political spectrum might be.
The fact is, as a socialist and anarchist I am disgusted by all forms of greedy manipulations…
We can all agree that lying and denying reality is bad, hence the global warming scam is bad, regardless of our political outlook.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It is the politicians that are pushing the left/right divide. No civilized human wants to see babies starved to death or old folks freeze to death. We do not want to see the environment trashed either. As far as I am concerned being civilized has nothing to do with the left/right divide the powerful use to control us.
As far as the greedy B@ur momisugly$t…ds are concerned:
NYTimes: Income inequality has soared to the highest levels since the Great Depression, and the recession has done little to reverse the trend, with the top 1 percent of earners taking 93 percent of the income gains in the first full year of the recovery.
Meanwhile back in the ghettos
That is IF they can even find a job. The real Unemployment rate is ~ 22%
The Real Numbers: Half of America in Poverty — and It’s Creeping Upward
This is the true target of Agenda 21. If you move everyone into Smart Growth cities and sustainable apartments and allow no small business via regulation, you have the ability not only to control but to TAX everyone. Smart growth is nothing more than a return to feudalism and if you think the elite are going to live in a 14ft by 14 ft Micro-mini apartment I have a bridge I want to sell. But that doesn’t mean they do not want the rest of us caged in cities with no other option but to work for them.
ALSO SEE: http://www.postsustainabilityinstitute.org/the-post-sustainable-future.html
and/or a video
Agenda 21 Micro-Apartment Scheme Being Beta-Tested in NYC
L.A. County’s Private Property War
California Declares War on Suburbia: Planners want to herd millions into densely packed urban corridors
Tips for selling the Urban Experience to Suburbanites
Respect for private property was enshrined as a civil right, due to the understanding that if you cannot own property, you are property. Once the government/banks attaches all sorts of cravats on ‘Owning Property’ you no longer actually own it since it can easily be taken away from you especially if you can not own a small business. Worse in many cases you do not even have the right to a trial by jury in the USA. A bureaucrat decides whether you broke a regualtion and whether to fine you or even send you to jail.
When the drag-racing teenagers were asked why they stage their competitions right in front of an elementary school they were heard to reply: “Well for one thing the road is straight and level so the location is simply perfect for us. Besides, children are run over every day by cars, they die of cancer, they fall in wells, shoot themselves, fall out of trees, exploding firecrackers, yada yada yada. So you see unless you’re gonna stop all those other things why are you bothering me?”
Even that parody doesn’t quite capture the insanity of the anti-envornmentalist ecotards heard from on this subject. I had prepared a better one where the propaganda minister replies to questions about the holocaust but I figure someone would charge me with a Godwin violation, and we can’t have that.
sergei MK, I have never read a post so full of crap before, and saying that on a site devoted to exposing the lies of the AGW death cult is really saying something. As so many others have pointed out, Windmills are an additional source of death and destruction, and an optional one at that. You cannot propagandize away the hypocrisy factor either because Windmills are supposedly created for the sole purpose of mitigating carbon emissions which you and your kind theorize will somehow kill something years down the road. You are rationalizing killing birds to save them.
Windows do kill a few birds, mostly when they are not draped or covered and this is increasingly rare because people with windows do not WANT or accept the killing of birds and move to mitigate it accordingly. The birds that do encounter undraped windows and smash into them occur in those cesspools of liberalism, the big cities full of skyscrapers and knuckleheads like you. And as far as cats go, this is a bigger lie than AGW itself. Cats are predators, they are natural, and feral or not the ones that are free to roam and kill animals are still part of nature, subject to her whims of survival of the fittest and will take the weak and easy prey and not more than nature requires them too. Your deception is to project upon the word “cat” all cats, domestic included to start a propaganda lie that wherever exists a cat also exists wanton bird destruction.
The worst part of this is that your Windmill fantasy means the shredding of soaring animals, the least numerous of all at the top of the food chain. This will have secondary effects of an explosion of smaller animals that these birds themselves prey on, and so on, down the line. But tampering with nature is just fine so long as leftists get to distribute taxpayer funds to “green” companies that fulfill their fantasies and buy them votes.
If windmills killed rainbows and unicorns then maybe you would take notice. In the meantime, Google the word “Rationalization”.
===========================================================================
You left out the:
“And if you call right now, we’ll include ANOTHER chopper for free! Yes that’s TWO choppers for only $4,000,000!
(Just pay shipping and carcase handling.)”
“Imagine the ‘outrage’ from environmentalists if it had been” the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Follow the money and to heck with the birds they are supposed to be protecting.
A few ecotard apologists have made the very lame point that many birds are killed by cats, windows and cars. This is of course true.
But how many of these are large raptors or, as in this case, fast flying itinerants. Have you ever had an eagle fly into your window? When was the last time you saw Tiddles with a falcon or an albatross?
Different kinds of birds, different hazards. There are plenty of sparrows and starlings around – large raptors, not so much.
Here in Oz, in the mid 90’s when plans were being made for the first windmills, I saw a handful of protesters on the news bleating some “endangered orange-bellied parrot” or other gumph would get chopped up. I laughed at the suggestion. To me it was pure garbage thinking that surely birds have eyes and can’t be that stupid.
Since then, especially after all the evidence of carnage, I changed my tune. Birds haven’t evolved to understand these new trees with branches that rotate at the top. Sure – cars, windows and other structures are an impediment but I’ve also seen dead birds beneath trees, likely being chased due to territorialism.
There’s always a reason something’s rare or endangered, but that’s very largely evolution. 99.99% of species that ever lived on this planet are now extinct without Man’s help. In places where it is, it’s also natural evolution because we’re not aliens. Others like Ursus Bogus are no longer endangered but stay on the list because they’re no threat to us, “cute” and therefore “good” – if not also being used a a political platform. I mean, how many flies, cockroaches, foxes, rabbits and other animals we consider “vermin” do we exterminate annually? If not vermin, how many bees are stuck in your radiator fins that you care nothing about?
But that doesn’t mean we can simply erect large unnecessary rotating structures to placate an imaginary problem. Imagine if these structures were large and obviously useless crucifixes placating an imaginary ideology, doing the same damage. I wonder what the verdict would be then..
Peter Wilson says:
June 28, 2013 at 6:06 pm
A few ecotard apologists have made the very lame point that many birds are killed by cats, windows and cars. This is of course true…..
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Around here you are likely to lose your cat to a red tailed hawk or a barred owl or great horned owl.
In Oscar Wilde’s short story “The Happy Prince,” a little swallow sacrifices his life to bring warmth and food and joy to the poor of the city, and the angels come and carry him away.
I am a staunch believer in free markets, private property, and am a U. S. Constitution originalist. I am for peace through military strength. I am, in short, a “conservative.” I also have tears rolling down my face as I write this. I love animals. I love them so much.
Little swift, soar through blue sky,
sunlight glinting in your eye,
free at last to Live and cry,
“I laugh at windmills — watch me FLY.”.
I dedicate this video to the memory of a little bird that closed its eyes for the last time this week.
(Yeah, the bird in the video is “only” a seagull. I hope the message still comes through.)
“‘… sparrows … not one of them is forgotten by God.'” Luke 12:6.
The EXCELLENT posts above illuminating truth and destroying lies are a living memorial; that little swift did not die in vain.
Rest in peace, little swift, rest
in peace.
Yep, irrespective of the disputes about numbers of birds killed by other factors (and the numbers are so rubbery it is hard to get any real picture anyway), I can say with absolute conviction that the birds that fly into city office blocks are, in the several cities I have lived in, mostly feral pigeons. Thank you, office blocks – keep up the good work. As others have mentioned, one of the worst things about windmills is that they shred species which are not endangered by office blocks, cars, cats etc because that is not where they live. Further, top-order predators like raptors are much slower breeders than flying rats, aka [self snip] pigeons.
As for the RSPB’s lame rationalisation, I have one question for them. How many birds and bats can they prove to have been killed by anthropogenic climate change in the UK in the last decade, as opposed to the thousands that have indisputably been butchered by windmills?
DaveR says:
“What is important to find out is how do White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) taste.”
Almost identical to the California condor and the Ivory Billed woodpecker.
stan stendera says: “omnologos; We have a body and a weapon. No evidence my ass.”
Aha, but you lack a crucial element: motivation. There is none, not even for the windmills being there in the first place. Oh, yeah, well maybe greed, but other than that?
Janice Moore, I feel your pain.
I love birds. It’s one of the reasons I love living on this lake. We get Bald Eagles here. Literally, 100 feet away from me, they’ll perch. And owls, and bats at night, and Herons, and Pelicans… I LOVE the Pelicans… they float in and you’d swear it was a squadron of bombers coming in, completely with fighter escort some days. Loons. Cormorants. Pretty much all waterfowl that ever hang around in Canada show up here at some point.
My favorites at the moment are the mundane Mallard Ducks – currently there’s a mama with no less than 10 babies following her around. I have a set of pictures from the other day when she misplaced two of them and dragged the rest back to find them. They walked not 3 feet away from me (we try not to interact with the birds, we do NOT want them too used to humans).
Last month when the video was floating around showing what I think was a buzzard getting hit and killed several people on the YouTube page were saying “stupid birds”. I commented, that YES, birds are stupid. They don’t understand technology, they don’t build heated winter homes, they don’t hold elections and drive cars. They’re BIRDS… which is why it is OUR responsibility to look after them.
It’s horrific to see what is happening almost everywhere that migratory birds migrate, and all of the Raptor flying areas are also ideal for these slicing/dicing/clubbing machines. It would be difficult to imagine a more effective way to SCREW UP NATURE, even if we were trying to do it intentionally.
The justification for this has nothing to do with “climate change”, it’s pure greed and money grubbing. It needs to stop, and these things need to be taken down NOW.
To those who mock this danger, SHAME on you. Oil derricks and office buildings are STATIC obstructions, built away from migratory paths. Windmills are DELIBERATELY placed where the birds need to be, and are spinning and confusing to any bird. They don’t understand, they are incapable of understanding. I’d like to think humans are smarter than birds, however my faith in that is very, very low right now.
Wind farms are good at hurting bird species that never be affected by any fixed structure or vehicles which so low- way lower than a wind farm. Greenies were worried that fixed structures like their local organisation offices (some are massive complexes) weren’t hurt enough types of birds so they had to have wind farms. More environmental damage is better for greenies to get their egoes and bank balances stoked.
Thanks, Code Tech. What a delightful place to live. Mama Mallards are, in my eyes, one of the most beautiful birds there is. Nothing sweeter than that little bright brown-eyed face with its pleasant “smile.”
Fine essay above. Excellent comment re: the buzzard video. What happened to those people’s hearts?!
Well, Jorge K., if we’re going to get down to brass tacks about prosecuting those who kill birds with their infernal, eternally negative, R.O.I. windmills….
We could easily convict them of Reckless Homicide. No intent or motive to kill a particular victim required. Elements:
1. Intent to incur a
2. known risk of
3. substantial bodily injury.
For instance, if you knowingly drove your car the wrong way on a freeway (just for fun) and struck a person there who died as a result of the collision.
We have all the evidence we need in those numerous eye witnesses and the dead body.
Of course, we have a little problem in that it is a bird body, but, the theory Stan Stendera proposed is essentially correct.
Hm. I suppose we could tell it to the E.P.A.-type agency in the U.K.. I’m SURE they will promptly act to fine the perpetrators — NOT. Probably already issued them a lifetime unlimited bag on birds. Sigh.
Olaf Koenders says:
June 28, 2013 at 6:23 pm
The Orange Bellied Parrot was cited as one of the endangered species that would be put at risk if the Bald Hills wind farm was built at Tarwin Lower, Victoria. That wind farm is now being built despite its proximity to the Bald Hills Wetland Reserve, which was established as a strategic sanctuary for many species of wetland birds. It is true that recorded sightings of the Orange Bellied Parrot have been very rare at Tarwin Lower, but now we find that at King Island in Bass Strait, much closer to the bird’s Tasmanian breeding ground, a massive 200+? wind farm is now proposed. While the Orange Bellied Parrot is a more frequent visitor to King Island than to Tarwin Lower it can’t be claimed that it visits in large numbers. However, the island does teem with other bird life such as the iconic Cape Barren Goose.
Now, despite their “survey” having fallen short of the 60% benchmark Hydro Tasmania still intends to proceed with that feasibility study?
Shenhua Group, China’s largest coal producer, is behind Hydro Tasmania’s push to build the 200 turbine, industrial wind factory (IWF) on King Island. Many people are probably not aware that while Hydro Tasmania has been plying the people of King Island with its “30 pieces silver” and extolling the planet saving virtues of the proposed project, the Shenhua Group in China is busy in China building a $10 billion coal to liquids plant (CTL). In addition to producing oil, CTL plants produce massive amounts of carbon dioxide.
While some might say that by building a King Island IWF Shenhua is atoning for its “climate sins” in China. But others might well conclude that the company would be simply cashing in on “free” REC (Renewable Energy Certificate) subsidy money available in gullible Australia. After all, the company would get a guaranteed market for any electricity produced, as well as trousering at least another $65 million per year thanks to the LGC/REC “electricity tax”. That thousands of birds and bats would be chopped and King Island likely become uninhabitable, well tough, just inevitable collateral damage as the wind industry gravy train passes through.
I see no problem with Shenhua profiting from its Chinese CTL plant while creating plant food (CO2) as a byproduct. However, I can imagine there may be folks who find it just a teeny weeny bit hypocritical that this same company can then make hundreds of millions of dollars in Australia on the pretext of removing a small percentage of that same CO2 from the Bass Strait air?