Recently my region in Germany had great success in bringing back the red kite bird. Unfortunately a few decided to stay near newly built wind turbines. Thus the turbines are turned off from time to time to protect the seldom animal. This made me wonder which circumstances disturb the red kite and lead to a shutdown of the wind turbines?
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3You mean other than a blade whipping around at 10s of km per second slicing the bird in half?– Olin LathropCommented Dec 25, 2016 at 15:23
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2@OlinLathrop Yes, and I even don't think that this is a reason since the turbines get shutdown from time to time only. If the red kite would be in danger to get cut it would be demolished completely.– OddDeerCommented Dec 25, 2016 at 16:04
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Maybe it's the change in airflow caused by the turbines? Just a random thought.– AravonaCommented Dec 25, 2016 at 19:35
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1 Answer
There are a few aspects:
- Collision: some birds are better than others at avoiding wind farms, but this is a risk.
- Noise: the noise from the turbine and blades unsettles and upsets animals and birds
- Movement: birds of prey are very sensitive to movement, and the unnatural and fast blade movement upsets their normal behaviour
This can lead to them failing to hunt correctly, problems in rearing young, and even problems in courtship. Read this article and others on the rspb website.
answered Dec 26, 2016 at 11:43
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1Years back studies with the big test turbines in Orkney didn't seem to show any negative effects, but the RSPB and others have steadily gained more information on this, which is why location choice now considers not just the wind generation aspects but also the local bird life.– Rory Alsop ♦Commented Dec 29, 2016 at 11:29