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Study: Wind Farms = Bird Killers
dailytech.com ^

Posted on 06/07/2010 9:23:14 AM PDT by Sub-Driver

Study: Wind Farms = Bird Killers Tiffany Kaiser - June 7, 2010 11:51 AM

A recent study in Klickitat County, Washington shows that active wind farms in Washington and Oregon kill more than 6,500 birds and 3,000 bats annually.

Biologist Orah Zamora works for West, Inc., an ecological field study company, monitors the Windy Flats project, one of the largest wind farms in the United States. Zamora looks for dead birds and bats that have been severed by the spinning blades of the surrounding wind turbines in order to conduct survey's to observe how wind-power development is affecting birds.

"It's like a crime scene, and you try to figure out what happened," said Zamora. "Sometimes it's really obvious because you can see a slice mark."

These surveys are financed by the wind industry and are mainly concerned with birds like eagles, hawks, and other raptors. Klickitat County is especially a concern because the area has an abundance of prey for these larger birds, hence, they tend to stay in the area. According to the study, these birds are diving for their prey and do not pay attention to the large wind turbine blades that may be in the way.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailytech.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: birds; capandtrade; energy; envirofascism; globalwarming; globalwarminghoax; wind; windmills; windpower; windturbines
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To: bigbob
I can’t stand Obama any more than the rest of us, but wind energy is good.

Actually its a freakin joke that's criminal to force on the people.
21 posted on 06/07/2010 9:36:49 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: bigbob

Nice retort. I once killed an owl with a U-Haul while he was diving for his next meal. Flew right in front of me and I clipped him.


22 posted on 06/07/2010 9:37:45 AM PDT by LiberConservative
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To: Paladin2
Theoretically it’s so cheap, it will not need to be metered.

Yeah ...

Meantime, please direct me to the nearest nuclear fusion powerplant.

23 posted on 06/07/2010 9:40:27 AM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: Sub-Driver

It’s important because the enviro-wackos ALWAYS have said that to kill non-game (ALL critters really, including game birds and animals) is “immoral”, thus they hold up the oil soaked birds in self-righteous indignation for all to see.

I’ve been accessing studies on this very thing (at least studies before they were hidden and certainly not talked about) for years trying to whack the enviro-wackos with their own ammunition, but windpower is PC donchaknow so it’s untouchable.

Hey, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. NO QUARTER!! (and pun intended)


24 posted on 06/07/2010 9:40:36 AM PDT by brushcop (CW4 Matthew Lourey CW2 Joshua Scott/ Kiowa pilots KIA Iraq '05. Thank you for our son's life.)
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To: Paladin2

“Theoretically it’s so cheap, it will not need to be metered.”

That is in part the problem. Lots of solutions on the micro level that don’t get attention because, as I understand it, nobody has figured out how to put a meter on it. Just google off grid solutions for individual homes. At the macro level (ie providing a city or even a significant part of one), while I like the idea of wind and solar, there is just no way I can see it ever being viable.


25 posted on 06/07/2010 9:42:36 AM PDT by DonaldC (A nation cannot stand in the absence of religious principle.)
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To: ArrogantBustard
What's the current cost per kWh of electricity derived from nuclear fusion? Please limit your response to power plants located on planet Earth.

To my knowledge, we have not succeeded in ever harnessing fusion to produce electricity... Bombs yes, reactors, no.

26 posted on 06/07/2010 9:42:57 AM PDT by doc11355
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To: Paladin2

Here in Michigan, the legislature is forcing electric and gas producers to cut production. Then they’re refusing permits to clean coal plants citing the lack of demand that they’ve forced. Then they’re approving wind farms despite the lack of demand that prevents clean coal. Top it off with already doubled prices, taxpayer subsidies for the wind farms that they predict will produce at the low end of the scale.

Yee haw


27 posted on 06/07/2010 9:43:35 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: doc11355

Indeed. Notice that I insist the powerplant be located on Earth ...


28 posted on 06/07/2010 9:44:56 AM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: doc11355
BTW, one could pedantically argue that solar and wind power are fusion power ... with an astonishingly inefficient transfer mechanism.
29 posted on 06/07/2010 9:46:26 AM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: Sacajaweau

high correlation


30 posted on 06/07/2010 9:46:43 AM PDT by pointsal
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To: bigbob
I can’t stand Obama any more than the rest of us, but wind energy is good.

Your bird death statistics are pretty incredible - it would be nice to see some links to back them up.

Even still, there is a serious issue about initial energy requirements in manufacturing and setup of windfarms - it takes them years to make up these costs. And then maintenance is a big problem - they have a lot of downtime.

In addition, they create a humming sound that is driving entire nearby towns crazy by preventing sleep.

31 posted on 06/07/2010 9:51:34 AM PDT by Talisker (When you find a turtle on top of a fence post, you can be damn sure it didn't get there on it's own.)
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To: ArrogantBustard
BTW, one could pedantically argue that solar and wind power are fusion power ... with an astonishingly inefficient transfer mechanism.

LOL - great point!

32 posted on 06/07/2010 9:52:15 AM PDT by Talisker (When you find a turtle on top of a fence post, you can be damn sure it didn't get there on it's own.)
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To: Sub-Driver

And how many little red male Cardinals have beat themselves to death trying to kill their reflection in patio doors?

Sliding glass doors should be banned.


33 posted on 06/07/2010 9:53:23 AM PDT by lurk
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To: DonaldC
"while I like the idea of wind and solar, there is just no way I can see it ever being viable."

I like it conceptually as a backup system (with batteries and hooking up a few car alternators as needed) and as a freedom from Gov't intervention (thermostat set points, kWh/mo limits, etc.) device/system.

34 posted on 06/07/2010 9:57:12 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: gulfcoast6

Actually the loss of so many insect eating bats concerns me more.


35 posted on 06/07/2010 9:57:50 AM PDT by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ( Ya can't pick up a turd by the clean end!)
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To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra

Don’t windmills kill insects too?


36 posted on 06/07/2010 9:59:20 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: equalitybeforethelaw; Sub-Driver
The OWNERS of most of our WV windmills are from Chicago, and none (that I have noticed) of the workers are from WV. Imagine that... and they are crowding the hills near the coal power plants and mines!


37 posted on 06/07/2010 9:59:20 AM PDT by WVKayaker ( Ridicule is the best test of truth. - Philip Dormer Shanhope, Lord Chesterfield)
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To: ArrogantBustard

What’s the current cost per kWh of electricity derived from nuclear fusion? Please limit your response to power plants located on planet Earth.

Are you suggesting a windmill is more cost effective than a nuclear power plant. These stats I would like to see. Somehow the Government does not see fit to subsidize Nuclear energy, while the do subsidize “green” power.


38 posted on 06/07/2010 10:02:38 AM PDT by equalitybeforethelaw
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To: equalitybeforethelaw
Are you suggesting

I am suggesting nothing at all.

I asked a question.

I note that you failed to answer the question, preferring (apparently) to go off on an irrelevant rant.

The question is:

What’s the current cost per kWh of electricity derived from nuclear fusion? Please limit your response to power plants located on planet Earth.

39 posted on 06/07/2010 10:06:23 AM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: DonaldC
I caught something on TV the other day (maybe from Robert Bryce, author of “Power Hungry: The Myths of ‘Green’ Energy”.) He said something to the effect that to produce the same amount of power from wind turbines as that from one nuclear power plant in Texas, it would take an area the size of Rhode Island. To produce the same amount of energy with ethanol, another “green” fuel, it would take 24 Rhode Islands to grow enough corn.

He called it ‘energy sprawl’.

40 posted on 06/07/2010 10:06:57 AM PDT by JustSurrounded (Our predatory government is now fully engaged in disaster profiteering.)
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