3 ms·

birds will get out of the way Windmills are completely stationary, yet birds collide with them all the time.

alkonaut 7y ago
When the windmills are stationary (the blades that is), birds very rarely collide with them. When the blades do move, they are often a lot faster than these drones (120-180mph is not uncommon).
- masonic 7y ago
  "Dr. Shawn Smallwood’s 2004 study, spanning four years, estimated that California’s Altamont Pass wind “farm” killed an average of 116 Golden Eagles annually... Smallwood also estimated that Altamont killed an average of 300 red-tailed hawks, 333 American kestrels and 380 burrowing owls annually – plus even more non-raptors, including 2,526 rock doves and 2,557 western meadowlarks" http://savetheeaglesinternational.org/new/us-windfarms-kill-10-20-times-more-than-previously-thought.html http://savetheeaglesinternational.org/new/us-windfarms-kill-...
  - saberience 7y ago
    "With regard to bird fatalities, it says: "Wind turbines represent an insignificant fraction of the total number of bird deaths caused by man-made objects or activities (eg building structures, transmission lines, and keeping domestic cats)." According to the CSE, for every bird killed by a turbine, 5,820, on average, are killed striking buildings, typically glass windows." https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/feb/27/wind-energy-myths-turbines-bats https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/feb/27/wind-ene...
  - kaybe 7y ago
    How big is that farm to cover the territories of that many eagles? On first glance that looks like an amazing claim.
    - masonic 7y ago
      Almost 5,000 turbines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Pass_wind_farm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Pass_wind_farm
marcusverus 7y ago
From a bird's perspective, windmills move in novel and unpredictable ways. Birds have not evolved to be concerned with gigantic, sword like objects swinging perpendicular to the plane if flight. Drones move like birds.

When the windmills are stationary (the blades that is), birds very rarely collide with them. When the blades do move, they are often a lot faster than these drones (120-180mph is not uncommon).

masonic 7y ago
"Dr. Shawn Smallwood’s 2004 study, spanning four years, estimated that California’s Altamont Pass wind “farm” killed an average of 116 Golden Eagles annually... Smallwood also estimated that Altamont killed an average of 300 red-tailed hawks, 333 American kestrels and 380 burrowing owls annually – plus even more non-raptors, including 2,526 rock doves and 2,557 western meadowlarks" http://savetheeaglesinternational.org/new/us-windfarms-kill-10-20-times-more-than-previously-thought.html http://savetheeaglesinternational.org/new/us-windfarms-kill-...
- saberience 7y ago
  "With regard to bird fatalities, it says: "Wind turbines represent an insignificant fraction of the total number of bird deaths caused by man-made objects or activities (eg building structures, transmission lines, and keeping domestic cats)." According to the CSE, for every bird killed by a turbine, 5,820, on average, are killed striking buildings, typically glass windows." https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/feb/27/wind-energy-myths-turbines-bats https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/feb/27/wind-ene...
- kaybe 7y ago
  How big is that farm to cover the territories of that many eagles? On first glance that looks like an amazing claim.
  - masonic 7y ago
    Almost 5,000 turbines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Pass_wind_farm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Pass_wind_farm

marcusverus 7y ago

From a bird's perspective, windmills move in novel and unpredictable ways. Birds have not evolved to be concerned with gigantic, sword like objects swinging perpendicular to the plane if flight. Drones move like birds.