50 ms·

I wonder if you might be able to use a magnetic field to screw with the birds and make them not want to go there. (since birds rely on the Earth's magnetic fiel

by foota 10y ago

I wonder if you might be able to use a magnetic field to screw with the birds and make them not want to go there. (since birds rely on the Earth's magnetic field for navigation) Alternatively, I wonder how long it would be before the birds learned not to go there if they kept dying.

timthelion 10y ago
That is an interesting thought, for such a remote area. I have no idea if it would work. I also don't know how much energy would be needed to change the magnetic feild enough. The earth is, afterall, one hellovabig magnet. Most magnets won't move a compas more than an arms length away.
- foota 10y ago
  Conveniently, there's a huge power plant nearby ;) but fair. I read the other day that the space magnet proposed to generate a magnetic field to protect a transformed Mars' atmosphere would be "charged" and then not require active power. I don't know enough physics to know if similar is possible here.
stuaxo 10y ago
Are birds more likely to die from a windmill than say electricity cables, or other structures?
- foota 10y ago
  Birds are safe from electricity cables, since there's no voltage difference when they land on a line.
  - jonathansizz 10y ago
    They don't get electrocuted, but they still die from collisions with the lines. https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds/collisions/electric-utility-lines.php https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds/...
- Maultasche 10y ago
  No. I've seen the statistics for how many birds are estimated to be killed by human-made objects. Buildings were the biggest killer of birds by far. Many millions of birds each year are killed by colliding with windows on buildings. They often don't realize the window is there. I'm guessing the bird sees through the window and doesn't realize there's a barrier or they see a reflection of the sky instead. Automobiles were also big killers of birds. Windmills were estimated to result in 0.1% of bird deaths by man-made objects or something really tiny like that. I don't understand why people freak out about birds being killed by wind turbines when vastly larger numbers are being killed by buildings and cars. Nobody is yelling about saving the birds by getting rid of buildings and cars.
  - timthelion 10y ago
    I'm not freeking out. I'm pointing something out. However, you really need to understand these statistics better. There are three types of bird mating pattern: First year breaders. These tend to be small birds who lay eggs, feed the young, teach them to fly and forget about them. First year breaders die at an enormous rate. I think that more than half don't survive the first year. But they lay a lot of eggs and if a few billion of them are eaten by cats and hit by cars it doesn't matter. Seccond year birds. These are almost as expendable as first year breaders, however, they teach their young how to find food and some cultural things as well. Far fewer of these die, but they are smarter and they don't hit windows as much. Large birds which bread at older ages. These birds spend even more time with their parents, and there are only one or two eggs per year! They rarely die before they reach maturity but every life counts. They basically NEVER die from running into windows, but they aren't smart enough to not get killed by wind turbines. So the numerical statistics are meaningless. It is like saying that the death of a single human doesn't mean anything at all, because we tend to swat a lot of mosquitoes.
  - rodgerd 10y ago
    > I don't understand why people freak out about birds being killed by wind turbines when vastly larger numbers are being killed by buildings and cars. Nobody is yelling about saving the birds by getting rid of buildings and cars. Because they don't care about the birds. But they do hate anything that smacks of clean energy.
- Derbasti 10y ago
  They regularly find large numbers of dead birds near offshore wind parks. The conclusion is obvious, but apparently wrong. What seems to happen in reality is that fatally exhausted birds rest on wind turbines, but can't take off any more, and then die.
ino 10y ago
perhaps you'd also be able to screw with the living habits of underwater life that relies of the earth's magnetic field

by foota 10y ago

timthelion 10y ago

That is an interesting thought, for such a remote area. I have no idea if it would work. I also don't know how much energy would be needed to change the magnetic feild enough. The earth is, afterall, one hellovabig magnet. Most magnets won't move a compas more than an arms length away.

foota 10y ago
Conveniently, there's a huge power plant nearby ;) but fair. I read the other day that the space magnet proposed to generate a magnetic field to protect a transformed Mars' atmosphere would be "charged" and then not require active power. I don't know enough physics to know if similar is possible here.

stuaxo 10y ago

Are birds more likely to die from a windmill than say electricity cables, or other structures?

foota 10y ago
Birds are safe from electricity cables, since there's no voltage difference when they land on a line.
- jonathansizz 10y ago
  They don't get electrocuted, but they still die from collisions with the lines. https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds/collisions/electric-utility-lines.php https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds/...
Maultasche 10y ago
No. I've seen the statistics for how many birds are estimated to be killed by human-made objects. Buildings were the biggest killer of birds by far. Many millions of birds each year are killed by colliding with windows on buildings. They often don't realize the window is there. I'm guessing the bird sees through the window and doesn't realize there's a barrier or they see a reflection of the sky instead. Automobiles were also big killers of birds. Windmills were estimated to result in 0.1% of bird deaths by man-made objects or something really tiny like that. I don't understand why people freak out about birds being killed by wind turbines when vastly larger numbers are being killed by buildings and cars. Nobody is yelling about saving the birds by getting rid of buildings and cars.
- timthelion 10y ago
  I'm not freeking out. I'm pointing something out. However, you really need to understand these statistics better. There are three types of bird mating pattern: First year breaders. These tend to be small birds who lay eggs, feed the young, teach them to fly and forget about them. First year breaders die at an enormous rate. I think that more than half don't survive the first year. But they lay a lot of eggs and if a few billion of them are eaten by cats and hit by cars it doesn't matter. Seccond year birds. These are almost as expendable as first year breaders, however, they teach their young how to find food and some cultural things as well. Far fewer of these die, but they are smarter and they don't hit windows as much. Large birds which bread at older ages. These birds spend even more time with their parents, and there are only one or two eggs per year! They rarely die before they reach maturity but every life counts. They basically NEVER die from running into windows, but they aren't smart enough to not get killed by wind turbines. So the numerical statistics are meaningless. It is like saying that the death of a single human doesn't mean anything at all, because we tend to swat a lot of mosquitoes.
- rodgerd 10y ago
  > I don't understand why people freak out about birds being killed by wind turbines when vastly larger numbers are being killed by buildings and cars. Nobody is yelling about saving the birds by getting rid of buildings and cars. Because they don't care about the birds. But they do hate anything that smacks of clean energy.
Derbasti 10y ago
They regularly find large numbers of dead birds near offshore wind parks. The conclusion is obvious, but apparently wrong. What seems to happen in reality is that fatally exhausted birds rest on wind turbines, but can't take off any more, and then die.

ino 10y ago

perhaps you'd also be able to screw with the living habits of underwater life that relies of the earth's magnetic field