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 have put an abstract of this article on my blog at http://wingedhearts.org/death-of-a-friend, including comments from CodeTech and Janice Moore.
Jimbo says (June 28, 2013 at 5:52 pm): “RSPB makes a killing… from windfarm giants behind turbines accused of destroying rare birds…”
That reminds me of Willis Eschenbach’s story (told here) about a logging company “buying” the island council so it could log the forests of Vella Lavella Island for a pittance. Looks like we’re not all that advanced compared to the “primitive” islanders after all.
This story of the White-throated Needletail killed by the wind turbine also reminds me of another Willis story, the one in which fishing guide Willis thanks the salmon they’ve just caught for its sacrifice. Maybe the RSPB can organize (for a fee, of course) a mass thanksgiving to the birds killed by RSPB-approved wind turbines.
The killer turbines that caused the death of the Scottish swift and James Delingpole’s Brighton gull are both small turbines. The larger ones are designed to operate at slower speeds. I doubt that the overall bird and bat casualties are more than stated by the RSPB, and other organisations.
However the large wind turbines are only able to operate at slow speeds because of their neodymium rare-earth supermagnets, and neodymium mining has its own environmental problems.
deklein says:
> The killer turbines that caused the death of the Scottish swift and James Delingpole’s Brighton gull are both small turbines. The larger ones are designed to operate at slower speeds.
Don’t confuse revolutions per minute with airspeed. Properly optimised turbine blades will have roughly the same velocity at the tip, regardless of their size. It is one of the design constraints that they all want to approach as close as possible.
To give an idea of where the UK’s activist Luddite energy policy is taking it, here is a BBC report of the energy minister Michael Fallon being “fully behind” a proposal from the National Grid to ration energy. The amusing thing is that in the first version of this report (withdrawn but partly reported here) Fallon denied that companies would be asked to reduce power usage at certain times. A few hours later he U-turned and supported the proposal for rationing. Clearly behind the scenes there is some PR-panic in government.
deklein says: June 28, 2013 at 10:57 pm
However the large wind turbines are only able to operate at slow speeds because of their neodymium rare-earth supermagnets, and neodymium mining has its own environmental problems.
———————-
Not true for all turbines:
ENERCON WECs produce clean energy without neodymium
29.04. 2011
ENERCON wind energy converters (WECs) generate electricity in an environmentally friendly way without the use of the controversial element, neodymium. The gearless WEC design on which all WEC types – from the E-33/330 kW to the E-126/7.5 MW – are based includes a separately excited annular generator. The magnetic fields required by the generator to produce electricity are created electrically. By design, and unlike the majority of competing products, ENERCON WECs do without permanent magnets whose production requires neodymium.
Neodymium has made the headlines recently because its extraction partly involves significant environmental damage. China, where neodymium-containing rocks are quarried in mines, is the main supplier of this so-called rare earth element. According to investigations by Germany’s NDR TV station, separation of neodymium from mined rocks results in toxic waste products (Menschen und Schlagzeilen and Panorama television magazines aired on 27 and 28 April). In addition, radioactive uranium and thorium are released by the mining process. These substances find their way into the ground water, heavily contaminating plant and animal life. They are seen as harmful to humans. According to the reports, part of the locals at the neodymium production sites in Baotou in northern China are already seriously ill.
ENERCON feels that these environmental and health aspects support its choice of WEC design. “We are a high-tech company that sets great store by environmental protection,” says ENERCON Managing Director Hans-Dieter Kettwig. “Our choice to rely on separately excited generators was the right one, not only from a technological but also from an environmental point of view.” According to Kettwig, renewable energies need to be viewed in their entirety in order to offer a convincing alternative. Producing clean energy is one thing; however, sustainability in production is just as important.
ps the data for deaths of birds came from:
http://www.sibleyguides.com/conservation/causes-of-bird-mortality/
This bird was martyred.
It ought to be praised for laying down its life for the good cause.
I had planned to reincarnate as a Swift.
Gene Selkov says:
June 29, 2013 at 1:15 am
Don’t confuse revolutions per minute with airspeed. Properly optimised turbine blades will have roughly the same velocity at the tip, regardless of their size. It is one of the design constraints that they all want to approach as close as possible.
Spot on Gene, if designers of these anachronistic machines wish to extract maximum power output, then optimum blade tip speed is essential. Tip speed for maximum power output has little to do with the electric generator to which the turbine is connected, rare earth or otherwise. Too higher speed and following blades encounter disturbed air, too lower speed and maximum potential power is not extracted. Contemporary double fed induction generators employed in many current wind turbine designs allow generator RPM to be matched to optimum turbine speed.
Multi-pole (rare earth) generators can overcome to some extent the inherent problems of high ratio reduction gear boxes, but they certainly don’t change the fundamental physics of turbine design.
CodeTech says ” Windmills are DELIBERATELY placed where the birds need to be,..”
This is true. In Nova Scotia Canada there is a world famous bird migratory marsh, migrating flocks stop there and rest as they pass north and south when the seasons change. Birders go there and take lots of pictures. Wikipedia says ” The marshes are an important stopover for migrating waterfowl such as semi-palmated Sandpipers and Canada Geese. Now a National Wildlife Area the marshes are the site of two bird sanctuaries.”
So they built a wind farm right in the middle of it, the Tantramar Wind Farm. I kid you not.
If I ever doubted who the true conservationists were and who wore the cloak of environmentalism to hide their true agenda, this post cinched it.
Thank you CodeTech and Janice Moore.
After living all my adult life in [self-snip] apartments I am now on a 106 ac farm. Nothing tickles me more than to see a hawk perched on a fence post, blue birds and herons and geese flying over head or to hear the eight hoots of the barred owl at night (my cats will just have to watch out for themselves). Seeing a mother fox teaching her kits to hunt is a big kick too. I have even had the pleasure of seeing a pair of bald eagles nesting about 6 miles from home. And bats? I love bats. We have several big browns that hang around in the evening.
Needless to say I HATE WINDMILLS. They are a very harmful wealth transfer mechanism and nothing more. One would think the environmentalist/socialists would be outrage about this very obvious transfer of wealth from the poor and middle class to the big corporation. Yet they DEFEND them! Sure makes you wonder what their true beliefs and hidden agendas are doesn’t it.
Gail and other bird fans, nice to see us meeting in this thread.
I have turned my modest suburban block into a bird sanctuary. There are lots of plants that they like to eat, plus always a birdbath in a secure location, with fresh water every day.
I never feed them directly. In the last 10 years, I have had almost 50 species of birds here. Some of that reflects short-term climate effects, such as flocks of budgies passing through at the height of the drought a few years ago.
There are no dogs, and invading cats are reminded in non-politically correct ways to piss off, with 100% success so far.
Have to say, scale is everything in these matters. A 200 pound currawong would be truly frightening, having had them perch on my windowsills and fix me with a beady eye …
Still, birds have a lot to teach us. For example, sometimes when the weather is wet and stormy, the magpies start calling, and it 100% means that blue skies are on the way in the next hour. It doesn’t guarantee that more rain is behind it, but it certainly means that a clear zone is coming up.
I won’t go into the details of OCDC blackbirds and peewees who take multiple, long and messy baths.
Then there are the parrots who adore the (again) politically incorrect European trees in my yard and all over Canberra. It lifts my spirit every time I see them – which is often.
But, we are the planet-destroying, nature-hating, (insert your favourite hate-group) funded, grandchildren-murdering psychopaths, so they say.
deklein says:
June 28, 2013 at 10:57 pm
“…..the large wind turbines are only able to operate at slow speeds because of their neodymium rare-earth supermagnets”
—————————————————–
It may look like it’s going slowly but the speed at the tip of the blade is very fast. That’s how they manage to slice raptors so effectively.
Yup, typical; jump to a very biased site for unproved estimates.
As far as the general stats; they have been discussed here in another thread on WUWT. Nope! I’m not providing a link; you can exercise gray matter and search yourself.
Interesting ad hominem there Thomas the bird…; Did it make you feel better? Superior? Holier?
There are a number of studies out there; all provide a very wide range of bird mortality per turbine per year.
What is interesting is that each study depends on a minimalist approach; weekly searches and a few 2-5 day searches. They’ve even performed ‘sample tests’ to estimate search success.
In a day and age where simple wildlife and bird observers can and do purchase then install field video and/or camera equipment, why is it that a ‘study’ fails to install a video system to capture ALL critter hits by windmills? Comprehensive, the windmill mortality studies, are not.
Odd also, that when searching for bird mortality, windmill research, all of these other studies crop up too. Any reason you chose an older study with a lower bird mortality ‘estimate’? Yes, estimate is bolded by me to highlight that all of the studies purporting to study windmill critter mortality only offer an estimate. Which makes them just a little better than the window/building/etcetera ‘extrapolations’.
Interesting? Yes.
Definitive studies? No..
Pure diversion. Yes, exceptions had to be provided for; only the politically correct get said permits gratis, usually with waived fees. All others must pursue a long expensive court challenge.
Here is that ‘alta’ statement that ‘mentions’ possible condor strikes.
http://www.fws.gov/cno/press/release.cfm?rid=497
Kindly note the lack of threat regarding said condors. Also note the ‘statement that ‘alta’ is applying for an official ‘take’ permit for eagles and they even mention that such strikes are unlikely.
What all the biased reporting and research fails to mention is that wind sites are expected to ‘report’ such strikes. Oh yeah, they’re good at that; if they were honest there would be a whole lot more outcry about our loss of Federally protected and often endangered birds.
Honest as: From Reuters; http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/13/us-usa-eagles-wind-idUSBRE95C1GH20130613
Search for eagles and ‘alta’ and read the odd information that contradicts the so-called sample studies minimizing bird mortality.
You make a wonder dismissive statement about wrong windmill placement. Does that make the windmill killing endangered species less offensive? All forgiven now, wash hands and move on?
How about any windmill that kills a ‘protected’ species must be dismantled?
Oh? Reliable? Doesn’t the name of the site indicate a lack of objectivity? I’d think you are jesting if this was your only post in the thread.
Rather than just trying to insist of the might and right of the green lord (khmer vert) ‘wind power’; broaden yourself and read the basics! Read about the cost of windmills and then read about a windmills total operating life, including maintenance and repair. Contrast that with the total, (highly variable), output, low frequency noise issues, rare earth and fossil fuel chemical requirements for construction, current state of ‘unexpected windmill failures’ and don’t forget scenic blight. “Oh! Look Thomas, isn’t that the cutest hugest wind farm ruining good property and killing birds?”
Point taken, better read some more before pursuing this line of thought.
And check out the photo (and provided video above) on the swift.
The only way for this bird to “…look only at the ground…” is to fly upside down or fly straight at the ground. Their eyes are up top, facing forward (mostly) and capable of providing excellent binocular vision.
This bird is adapted to catch insects on the wing, at remarkable speeds with remarkable agility.
This swift has:
–excellent vision
–excellent depth of field and distance perception
–incredible speed
–incredible agility
–high metabolic rate
–high protein, high fat insect diet
If any bird is better adapted to avoid turbine blades, I’ve not read nor heard of it.
Windmills are also notorious bat killers. Bats utilize in flight radar (sonar if you insist) and have remarkable flight avoidance abilities, yet windmills do not find bats difficult to mulch.
When one honestly matches windmill benefits against windmill costs and damages, windmills rank with Attila for societal benefit and far worse than maligned carbon fuels.
(“Hurry folks, yes you too Thomas! Buy your windmill operated personal vehicles now! Before the subsidies run out!”) (Yes, that last bit was sarcastic)
Thank you, Ron House, for honoring my tribute to a valiant little bird. Your affirmation was much appreciated. I tried to comment on your site, not sure if it “took.”
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Some WUWT Highlights from 6/29/13:
“This bird was martyred.”
[Ed Z. 1:27 AM 6/29/13]
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“… anachronistic machines … ” [Bob in Castlemaine 3:12 AM 6/29/13]
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“In Nova Scotia Canada there is a world famous bird migratory marsh, …
So they built a wind farm right in the middle of it, … .” [klem 4:02AM 6/29/13]
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@ur momisugly Gail Combs, thank you. What a wise, healthy, caring, person you are. Glad you’re on WUWT (along with scores of others I won’t even begin to list!). I grew up in a setting much like what you describe. EVERY weekend (except for the fall quarter of my freshman year when I wanted to see what it would be like to have been away from home for a “long” time) during college, I drove home. I just got sick of seeing buildings everywhere.
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@ur momisugly Johanna — yes, indeed, a pleasure. What a delightful place you have! Around here (NW Washington State, U.S.A.), cats, but not dogs, threaten backyard bird visitors (none are ground travelers). No cats for me. But, “Home is where the dog is,” so …… there he is, lying on the floor, all 95 lbs. of his German Shepherd self, snuggled against my left ankle.
Parrots! Wow. That would be SO cool.
Yeah, the propaganda about us “evil, selfish, greedy” anti-CAGW people reminds one of how the Soviet Communists convinced their people to hate Americans for the same reasons (and, no doubt, Australians would have been included if the Soviets had thought it worth their while).
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@ur momisuglyAtheok — powerful argument (amongst many — like that of MANY others above whom I should but won’t take the space to mention) that if a swift (or a bat) with their extra-fine abilities cannot avoid being killed by a windmill, no flying creature can.
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“When one honestly matches windmill benefits against windmill costs and damages, windmills rank with Attila for societal benefit .” [Atheok 10:53AM 6/29/13]
I’m sure the windmills only struck at the nasty right wing.
CBS affiliates seem to have picked up on this story. I just heard it on KNX.
Thanks, Janice.
I don’t know about your hound, but next door are a pair of Jack Russell terriers, and I can assure you that not a bird settles in their yard.
At my place, it is rare to look out of the window and not see a bird fossicking in the lawn or mulch, nibbling on seeds or nectar in the vegetation, bathing or drinking in the birdbath, or just hanging around (including on my windowsills!).
Apart from the sheer pleasure of seeing them, they eat countless bugs, slugs and so on. Except for a bit of snailbait around the tender shoots in spring, I never have to use pesticides – on the contrary, despite a fairly harsh climate, hacking back the vegetation is the main priority.
The parrots are an absolute delight – although they are sometimes destructive – especially the sulphur-crested cockatoos, whose beaks can shred woodwork in a trice and who prune branches the thickness of a man’s thumb off my trees all the time. Not that it seems to bother the trees.
What brings huge numbers of parrots here is the planting of millions of European trees that produce nuts of one kind or another. Pine cones, acorns, liquidamber seed balls – that kind of thing. In my street, we have plum trees, and after feasting on the fruit, they come back in Autumn to exhaustively search under the trees and carefully crack the seeds for the tiny, but apparently very tasty, kernels within. They will happily spend days doing that.
I hate bird-killing windmills, I really do. Even if they were a partial solution to energy provision (which they are not), I would hate them with a passion.
Thanks for sharing, Johanna. What a lovely place. Fortunately, while my shepherd keeps a close eye on birds (the big ones like red tailed hawks soaring overhead — I’ve gotten him to associate the phrase, “It’s a bird, a BIG bird” with seeing them, so, if I spot one before he does, I love to earnestly whisper that to him and watch him immediately look up and scan the sky), he doesn’t chase them (the ones on the ground, I mean, such as robins — he only barks occasionally at the big scary ones in the sky).
Take care and keep warm!
The observation that the conservationist response to bird death’s caused by wind-turbines, differs from that when other methods of producing energy is involved, seems inarguable, and worth making. After that the posts, dealing with estimates of how many birds are killed by different structures are largely silly. Rare birds are rare for reasons other than how they might meet their deaths, whether that be from flying into man-made structures of whatever kind, and common ones would be no more common did they not exist. This Darwin chap you might not have heard of, developed a stunning scientific theory based largely on the observation that in living organisms, far more offspring are produced, than will survive. The way they meet their deaths is largely immaterial. In the 40 years or so I have been interested in such things, the UK population of The Blackbird, Turdus merula, is generally estimated at around 10 million breeding pairs. These will lay something in the order of 100 million eggs annually, and yet the following year there are, again around 10 million breeding pairs. If they avoid predation or turbines, conservatory windows or car windscreens, then disease or starvation will get them in the end anyway.
All of these commentators who have referred to “windmills” are incorrect. This is a wind turbine. Windmills use the power of wind to mill corn. As “they” say – the clue is in the name. By the way, I’m surprised that a bird was killed – I drive past the large Eaglesham wind power station frequently, and half the time they are either not moving or moving so slowly they couldn’t power a light-bulb
Thomas says:
June 28, 2013 at 8:59 am
“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. ”
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. I found some statistics here:
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2011/06/cats-tnr-birds-feral
This is why picking single examples like done here can give a false view of reality.
++++++++++++
I hear this type of nonsense all the time from liberals. Whenever their causes are attacked, they justify it by pointing to other examples of “negative things.” The problem is that liberals always talk about their side of the story and brush of counter arguments. I could use the trite old saying, “Who’s calling the kettle black?”