Could Windfarms And Birds Get Along After All?

going_the_2Rpi_way writes "There's an ongoing argument as to whether wind farms actually are as environmentally friendly as is generally imagined. Opponents argue that the effect these farms have on local wildlife (birds, bats, etc.) may range from disruptive to devastating. Well, it seems they've hit a nerve and ecologists are beginning addressing the issue and have begun to found some encouraging results: Birds not being killed. The debate goes on ..."

Comments

Even if this is false

[Christopheles]

It's not so much they the birds are being killed as that the turbines are freeing up bird prey for all the birds smart enough to not run into stuff. I don't think the turbines are going out of their way to kill birds.

I can see the headlines already:

Pigeons wiped out by wind turbines! Only less-dumb birds survive Avian Apocalypse!

Stunt birds

[Rares Marian]

So the less dumb birds that survive will be tempted to do dumb things like flying around a blade while the blade is moving just to impress some of the females.

The shape of things to come?

[Aropax20]

So... if only dumb birds get taken out by the turbines...

*sounds of brain gears slowly grinding*

Then, we'll eventually be left with a race of super birds? Hitchcock time for us?

"... and I, for one, welcome our new avian overlords..."

Re:Large Windmills

[Alsee]

Also, birds see at a much higher FPS than humans

I had to drop a small fortune on a new high end video card, my parakeet refuses to play Quake 3 at anything less than 160 FPS.

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Re:Whackos

[jim_v2000]

Another farmer who was too far away to hear the turbines but was pissed off that his view will be disturbed Maybe they can paint the base of the turbines like tree trunks, and the blades green like leaves. Then they'd blend in with rest of the trees...you know, the rest of the ones with spinning foliage.