Birds and wind farms/climate change

[Mxyzptlk]

This time Bridwatch UK is more than somewhat concerned:

http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/channel/news ... te=__14606

Some of the comments are certainly concerning.

[Michael Szabo]

This item quotes a recent US study. To put this in context, some poorly sited wind farms built in the 1970s and 1980s have certainly caused bird casualties, particularly at the Altamont Pass in California. At this site, which I have visited, planners failed to consider adequately the likely impact of placing small (now old and outdated) wind turbines in an area important for migrating raptors including eagles and vultures.

Subsequent improvements in the siting and design of larger safer turbines overseas have dramatically reduced the impact modern wind turbines have on birds. So much so that the largest bird conservation organisation in the USA, the National Audubon Society, strongly supports wind power as a clean energy source that reduces the threat of climate change.

A far larger threat to wild birds in the USA is accidental collisions with windows. Based on an anlaysis of 23 studies, Scott Loss of the Smithsonian Institute recently estimated that between 400 million and 1 billion birds are killed per year, which is 5-10% of the total US bird population.

See: Bird Strike: deaths caused by collisions with buildings severely dent populations
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_a ... tions.html

The National Audubon Society website also has a useful page on how to reduce the risk of bird collisions with windows:
http://web4.audubon.org/bird/at_home/SafeWindows.html

https://www.facebook.com/michael.szabo.560

[Michael Szabo]

This recently published article presents new findings on adaptation rates.

Rates of projected climate change dramatically exceed past rates of climatic niche evolution among vertebrate species:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 4/abstract

Abstract: A key question in predicting responses to anthropogenic climate change is: how quickly can species adapt to different climatic conditions? Here, we take a phylogenetic approach to this question. We use 17 time-calibrated phylogenies representing the major tetrapod clades (amphibians, birds, crocodilians, mammals, squamates, turtles) and climatic data from distributions of > 500 extant species. We estimate rates of change based on differences in climatic variables between sister species and estimated times of their splitting. We compare these rates to predicted rates of climate change from 2000 to 2100. Our results are striking: matching projected changes for 2100 would require rates of niche evolution that are > 10 000 times faster than rates typically observed among species, for most variables and clades. Despite many caveats, our results suggest that adaptation to projected changes in the next 100 years would require rates that are largely unprecedented based on observed rates among vertebrate species.

https://www.facebook.com/michael.szabo.560

[Mxyzptlk]

The RSPB has an issue, presumably with the latest models:

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=3880

[Michael Szabo]

This new report from the New Zealand government's Chief Science Adviser uses a projected mid-range average temperature increase of 0.9 degrees by 2040 and 2.1C by 2090. It says New Zealand can expect more drought, stronger winds, an increase in the extremes of high tides, a decrease in glacier volumes, and the snowline is projected to move upwards:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10906868

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[Michael Szabo]

The issue the RSPB rightly raises here is the inappropriate siting of new turbines at the Eisgein Estate wind farm in close proximity to golden eagle eyries, not the model of turbine to be used. The RSPB spokeman in this story clearly states the RSPB supported the construction of a wind farm near Stornoway, also in the Outer Hebrides: "There are more appropriate places for such developments in the Western Isles where the environmental impact would be much lower".

The RSPB wind farms policy also sets out their support for "a significant growth in offshore and onshore wind power generation in the UK" accompanied by thorough environmental assessment and strong planning safeguards to ensure new wind farms are not sited on identified major migration routes: http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/policy/windfarms/

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[Michael Szabo]

The reason the RSPB supports an increase in the use of wind power is the threat posed to birds by climate change, such as the increasing frequency of extreme weather events in the UK.

For example, the Barn Owl Trust reports that a run of UK extreme weather events since 2009 have devastated the species' UK population and led to the worst barn owl breeding season for more than 30 years. Monitoring of sites has revealed where birds have managed to breed, and has found that the average number of owlets at each site is just two, compared with the four or five needed for population recovery.

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) recorded a 280% increase in reports of dead birds in March at the start of the breeding season. Many had starved.

See: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... me-weather

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[GrahameNZ]

Michael those last 2 url's when read together provide interesting food for thought.
Sometimes I think there is an advantage to being a bit older......

[Michael Szabo]

Yes, I always try to take the long view - a stitch in time saves nine etc.

[Neil Fitzgerald]

I have merged a couple of threads here. Lots of interesting info heading down the same path and I think it will be easier to follow as one thread.
Cheers,
Neil.