Bat fatalities at wind farms prove unpredictable

Date: November 8, 2016

Source: Cell Press

Costly ecological impact assessments (EcIAs) completed prior to the building of wind farms have failed to protect bats from fatal collisions with the spinning blades. Researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on November 7 say that, for reasons that aren't yet entirely clear, that's because surveys of bat activity conducted only before building begins are poor predictors of future bat fatalities.

"The findings highlight the difficulty of establishing with certainty the effect of major developments before they occur," says Fiona Mathews of the University of Exeter, UK. "This is a real problem for the planning system. In most countries, the system of Environmental Impact Assessment is based on the assumption that accurate assessment of risks can be made in advance and so appropriate steps [can be] taken to avoid any adverse effects -- or if the bad effects cannot be mitigated, then the development should not be permitted to go ahead. Our work highlights that this can be difficult to achieve in practice, as animals do not always behave the way we might anticipate."

Mathews and her colleagues surveyed 46 wind farms across the UK for bat fatalities over the course of a month as part of a study to determine the impact of wind turbines on bats. Because it's extremely difficult to find dead bats, her team relied heavily on search dogs to locate casualties, she explains. They also used audio analysis to characterize bat activity.

Read on

Bats take dangerous flight into the wind farm

Date: July 8, 2016

Source: Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB)

Wind turbines attract bats. They seem to appear particularly appealing to female noctule bats in early summer. In a pilot study, researchers of the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin noticed this when they tracked the flight paths of noctule bats, Nyctalus noctula, using the latest GPS tracking devices. The bats managed to take even seasoned experts by surprise.

The motive behind the study is the conflict between the exploitation of wind energy and the conservation of the protected bats. The German so-called 'Energiewende', the full transition from conventional to renewable energy sources, causes a steady increase in the number of wind power facilities (wind farms). This expansion of wind power production throughout Germany is also likely to drastically increase the total number of bat fatalities at wind turbines. There appears to be therefore a conflict between the development of renewable energy sources and the conservation of endangered and legally protected bats; a so-called green-green dilemma. According to expert estimates, about 250,000 of bats sailing through the night sky are currently dying at wind turbines every year as long as turbines are operated without mitigation measures. The cause of bat death is either a direct collision with the rotor blades of turbines or a barotrauma caused by abrupt air pressure changes in the tailwind vortices associated with the moving rotor blades. These abrupt air pressure changes shred the inner organs of bats and kill them instantly. Seventy percent of the bats slain by German wind farms are migrating bat species. Noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) are among these migrating bat species. They are also among the largest bats flying in the night skies of Europe.

Continued ...

Conservation groups seek changes at wind farm

Birds and bat mortality at issue

 A coalition of eight conservation organizations is seeking further limits on the operation of a western Maryland wind farm that it calls the deadliest in the United States.

The 28-turbine Criterion Wind Project, located near Oakland, Md., went into operation in December of 2010 and is owned by Exelon Power, a unit of Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXE).

The challenge is contained in comments filed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is considering the wind farm operator’s request for an incidental take permit for endangered Indiana bats.

During its first full year of operation (2011), Criterion conducted daily monitoring for bat and bird mortality between April 5 and November 15. Although no Indiana bat deaths were confirmed, Criterion estimates that the project killed approximately 1,093 other bats (39 bats per turbine) and 448 birds (16 birds per turbine), the groups say. This is the highest mortality rate per turbine for any wind facility in the U.S.

The Endangered Species Act makes it illegal to “take,” meaning harm or kill, federally threatened or endangered wildlife. Some otherwise legal activities, such as wind turbine operation, have the risk of incidentally taking protected species. These activities can continue, as long as the project owner “undertakes reasonable and practical measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate” deaths of listed species.

Continued:  http://www.renewablesbiz.com/article/12/10/conservation-groups-seek-changes-wind-farm

German wind farms kill 200,000 bats annually, mostly from the Baltic!

Local wind turbines may have large-scale negative effects on distant ecosystems.
July 2012. Results of research by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) demonstrate that bats killed at German wind turbines originate mostly from north-eastern Europe. 

The study investigated the provenance of four bat species which are most frequently killed by German wind turbines. Bats are of particular interest because they have a vital and important service for ecosystems in regulating population densities of pest insects, and because many species migrate during spring and autumn across Europe between their breeding and wintering ranges.

Hydrogen stable isotope
The IZW-researchers analysed the hydrogen stable isotope ratio in the fur keratin of the bats. Hydrogen has two stable isotopes that share similar chemical properties but differ in mass. The distribution of these isotopes varies in a systematic pattern across Europe, with the light isotopes increasing in atmospheric water from south to north. Since bats incorporate the hydrogen stable isotope ratios of their breeding habitat into their fur, they carry an inert isotopic fingerprint on their way to their wintering grounds. Therefore, by determining this isotopic fingerprint, researchers can identify the approximate location where the animals lived during the breeding season for a few months before they died at a wind farm.

Baltic bats
The study demonstrated that Nathusius pipistrelles originated almost exclusively from the Baltic countries, Belarus and Russia. Also, greater noctule bats and Leisler's bats killed by German wind turbines came from north-eastern Europe, probably from Scandinavia, Poland and the Baltic countries. In contrast, common pipistrelles most probably lived in nearby local areas around the wind turbines.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/german-bats.html

Wind farm impacts on rare birds must be minimised

Developers must work to reduce the impact of a wind farm on rare species when it is built on the Hebridean island of Lewis, according to RSPB Scotland.

The conservation charity will withdraw its objection to Lewis Wind Power’s application for a substantial wind farm to the west of Stornoway on the Western Isles.

The wildlife conservation charity acknowledged efforts of the developer to reduce the construction and operational impact on rare species such as golden eagle and red-throated diver by reducing the number of proposed turbines from 42 to 36. 

Stuart Housden, Director of RSPB Scotland said:  “Although we are disappointed that risks to golden eagles and red-throated divers have not been reduced further, when compared with previous proposals for large scale wind power schemes in north Lewis, the Stornoway wind farm as now proposed represents a welcome improvement, and we acknowledge the efforts made by Lewis Wind Power in this regard. 

“The challenge now is to ensure that the construction and operational impacts are minimised, and that the development is thoroughly monitored, so that any eagle displacement or collision is discovered, and urgent remedial action taken. We look forward to working with the developer and our partners in the statutory sector in order to help achieve this.”

How you can help

Help us continue our conservation work

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/317049-wind-farm-impacts-on-rare-birds-must-be-minimised?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=News

Fish Thriving Around Wind Farms

ScienceDaily (Apr. 10, 2012) — The first Danish study into how one of the worlds largest wind farms affects marine life is now completed. It shows that the wind turbines and the fish live quite happily together. Indeed some species of fish have actually increased in number.

As work is just beginning on Denmark's newest and so far largest offshore wind farm off the island of Anholt, comes some hopefully good news for all fish in the area. A new report from the Danish wind-park Horns Rev 1, one of the world's largest offshore wind farms, shows that offshore wind farms and fish can live together in harmony.

The 80 huge turbines at Horns Rev 1 are located just off Denmark's westernmost point and will be celebrating their tenth birthday in just over a year's time. Like other offshore wind farms, it is located in relatively shallow water, no more than 20 meters deep, and thus in an area which is typically teeming with fish.

Even before the park was built, researchers from DTU Aqua, National Institute of Aquatic Resources in Denmark, sailed out to conduct a survey of fish life in the area. Biologists then compared the data gathered at that time with the situation in the area seven years after the wind turbine blades began to turn.

"Our study showed that the turbines have not adversely affected fish life in the area," says biologist Claus Stenberg from DTU Aqua.

Read on:   http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120410093318.htm 

Neolithic horned cairns near Caithness wind farm scanned

A wind farm developer has paid for archaeologists to scan a cluster of seven Neolithic horned cairns near to where 21 turbines will be erected.

The 5,000 year old structures at Hill of Shebster, near Thurso, in Caithness, were used for burials and rituals.

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) equipment was used to map the cairns.

Edinburgh-based AOC Archaeology also recorded 300 new Bronze and Iron Age sites in the £100,000 project funded by Baillie Wind Farm.

The new sites included hut circle settlements.

'Good example'

Archaeologists have produced three-dimensional images of the horned cairns from the scans.

The stone structures are more than 60m (196ft) in length and have two projecting walls at their entrances that create small courtyard areas.

A car park and path are to be built near the cairns to allow the public to visit them.

Consultant Dr Graeme Cavers, of AOC Archaeology, said: "The Shebster area is an unusually good example of a well-preserved cluster of sites.

"They are essentially burial and ritual monuments, much like the chapels and shrines of more recent times, and each of them is likely to have been used exclusively by individual local groups or communities."

He added: "The survey makes an invaluable contribution to the archaeological record of Caithness, and is really the first large-scale survey of its kind undertaken in Scotland."

Caithness is rich in ancient sites.

It has more examples of massive stone wall roundhouses, known as brochs, per square mile than any other part of Scotland, according to Highland Council.

The remains of a broch at Nybster have been dated to 700 to 500 BC, but archaeologists believe the site may have been occupied long before the Iron Age and also for many years after, including up to medieval times.

The Duke of Rothesay toured an archaeological dig at the site in August 2011.

Prince Charles was staying at Castle of Mey, the late Queen Mother's summer residence in Caithness, at the time.

Finds from the more recent past have also been made in Caithness this year.

In February, a man with a metal detector found nine coins believed to date to 1279.

Five silver were hammered Edward I coins and four were engraved with the head of King Alexander III of Scotland.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-17463275?SThisFB 

Wind farm to be built at site of decisive Civil War battle

A wind farm is to be built at the site of one of the most important battles ever fought on English soil, despite officials admitting that the scheme will “harm the setting” of the historic location.

They say that the damage the project will cause is outweighed by the need to meet renewable energy targets, and that despite their adverse impact the turbines can go ahead because they would only last for 25 years.

Proposals for an array of 415ft turbines overlooking the site of the Battle of Naseby, the decisive clash of the English Civil War, have been opposed by heritage groups and nearby residents as well as the area’s MP and the local council, which refused permission for the project.

But German-owned firm E.ON appealed their verdict to a government-appointed planning inspector, who has now overturned it, even though he acknowledged the scheme “would detract from the significance of the battlefield and harm its setting”.

Campaigners have described it as a “disgrace” and are calling on Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, to overrule his inspector.

The 1645 clash saw the parliamentarian New Model Army, under Oliver Cromwell and Sir Thomas Fairfax defeat the royalists, under King Charles I and Prince Rupert.

Although the king was able to flee, his army was crushed and the supremacy of the parliamentarians was assured. The result meant the monarchy did not develop in the same way as absolutist regimes on the Continent and led to the advent of parliamentary democracy.

The site itself is largely undeveloped and is one of the best preserved battlefields in the country. There are viewing platforms, interpretation boards and a five-mile battlefield trail for visitors. There are also two large monuments commemorating the fighting and a scheme to build a major visitor centre is under way.

The wind farm – made up of four 415ft turbines and two at a height of 397ft – will be built in an area where the parliamentarians – or Roundheads – were drawn up into battle formation, and where they were first spotted by the royalists, or cavaliers.

Historians say the spot is crucial to understanding the outcome of the battle, because the landscape still allows visitors to see how Cromwell and Fairfax used the ground – where the turbines are to be built – to conceal their advance and gain a crucial advantage.

It is around a mile from one of the memorials and a viewpoint and just outside the area demarked by English Heritage, as the “registered battlefield area”. However, the government organisation considers it be within the battle’s “setting” area and say the development will harm key views of the battlefield.

Dr Ben Robinson, English Heritage’s inspector of ancient monuments, said: “We consider the wind turbines to be harmful to the battlefield and its setting. They will have a substantially detrimental effect on people’s experience of the battlefield within its landscape setting and we are disappointed by the decision to go ahead with the development.”

He said the battle was arguably the second most important battlefield in England, after Hastings. “Victory at Naseby was the starting point for radical changes to British society, which in turn had a major influence on world history,” he added.

Frank Baldwin, from the Battlefields Trust, which also opposed the plans, added: “The entire site at like an open air museum. It is rural and unspoilt. And this decision is a disgrace.

“There are views like those around St Paul’s Cathedral that are protected from development, quite rightly. But that should apply to historic landscapes like this.

“If you stand where King Charles stood on the day of the battle, you have the same unspoilt view that he did. Now, what you are going to see are great big wind turbines.

“The argument that you can build a wind farm because it is relatively temporary compared with the battlefield is absurd. By the same logic, there is nothing to stop you building an entire array of wind farms around Stonehenge.”

Local residents raised £57,000 to fight the plans. As well as the impact on the battlefield, they are also concerned about the noise and impact on wildlife, and argue that the area usually has low wind speeds, meaning the turbines will not operate efficiently. There are several similar schemes in the area, which is becoming known as “turbine alley”.

Simon Hunt, from Stop Kelmarsh Wind Farm group, said: “A lot of famous battles in our history simply saw a change in king. This one actually transformed the way we were governed.

“The inspector accepted all the heritage arguments but the energy arguments trumped everything, even though they are questionable. This shows that localism does not exist.”

Chris Millar, leader of Daventry district council, which turned down the original application, said the turbines would “disfigure” the battlefield.

“The judgement is an absolute joke. It is nonsense and we want the minister to call this in. What is the point of having local democratic decision making process, if it can be overturned by one man focusing only on the renewable energy targets?”

Along with Chris Heaton-Harris, the Conservative MP for the area, the council is to try to persuade ministers to overturn the decision.

Mr Heaton-Harris added: “You could argue that Naseby is where our parliamentary democracy was born. If this was in France or the USA, there would not be 400ft wind farms looming over it.

“Every level of local political representative is completely opposed to this and yet one man turns up and ignores all of that. It is anti-democratic.”

The planning inspector, Paul Griffiths, accepted that they would have a “distinct visible presence” from several of the viewpoints around the battlefield, including “Rupert’s Viewpoint”, where King Charles and Prince Rupert drew up the royal army on the morning of the battle; King Charles’ Oak, where the monarch is believed to have come under attack; and Sulby Hedges, from where the Roundheads launched a crucial attack.

He said in his report: “The wind turbines proposed would introduce another modern element into views into and across the battlefield … their presence would act as a further distraction that would make interpretation more difficult.”

However, he ruled that the scheme should go ahead because of the greater benefits of meeting renewable energy targets and because the “harmful impact” of the turbines would only last 25 years, after which they would be taken down.

The land on which the turbines are to be built is owned by a trust which runs Kelmarsh Hall, a nearby historic house. The eighteenth century property is itself is a grade I listed building where English Heritage holds an annual “Festival of History” event. The inspector agreed that the scheme would damage views from the property.

However, a spokesman for the trust said income from the turbines would go towards the £1.5 million of repairs needed to preserve the property over the next decade.

He added: “The Trust understands some of the concerns raised by, and the distress caused to, members of the community; however, the Trust is charged with the preservation of the hall and this funding will go towards safeguarding its future for many years to come.”

E. ON said: “We are confident that the site is windy enough for a development of this scale. We firmly believe that our proposal represents the right technology, in the right location to ensure energy security and combat climate change, whilst also fulfilling the local need to conserve Kelmarsh Hall and its park and gardens and we will be working closely with the local community going forward.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/8999705/Wind-farm-to-be-built-at-site-of-decisive-Civil-War-battle.html

Massive bird kill at US wind farm

Wind power CAN be green - but it has to be bird-smart
November 2011: With the deaths of nearly 500 birds at the Laurel Mountain wind facility recently, three of the four wind farms operating in West Virginia have now experienced large bird fatality events, according to American Bird Conservancy (ABC).

Wind energy has the potential to be a green energy source, but the industry still needs to embrace simple, bird-smart principles that would dramatically reduce incidents across the country, such as those that have occurred in West Virginia,' said Kelly Fuller, ABC's wind campaign coordinator.

Lights can leave birds fatally disorientatedThere were three critical circumstances that tragically aligned in each of the three West Virginia events to kill these birds. Each occurred during bird migration season, during low visibility weather conditions, and with the addition of a deadly triggering element - an artificial light source. Steady-burning lights have been shown to attract and disorient birds, particularly night-migrating songbirds that navigate by starlight, and especially during nights where visibility is low such as in fog or inclement weather. Circling birds collide with structures or each other, or drop to the ground from exhaustion.

At the Laurel Mountain facility in the Allegheny Mountains, almost 500 birds were reportedly killed after lights were left on at an electrical substation associated with the wind project. The deaths are said to have occurred not from collisions with the wind turbines themselves, but from a combination of collisions with the substation and apparent exhaustion as birds caught in the light's glare circled in mass confusion.

More than 2,000 golden eagles killedAt the end of September, at the Mount Storm facility in the Allegheny Mountains, 59 birds and two bats were killed in one evening. Thirty of the dead birds were found near a single wind turbine that was reported to have had internal lighting left on overnight. This incident stands in stark contrast to industry assertions that just two birds per year are killed on average by each turbine. Data from Altamont Pass, California wind farms - the most studied in the nation - suggest that more than 2,000 golden eagles alone have been killed there.

'The good news is that it shouldn't be hard to make changes that will keep these sorts of unnecessary deaths from happening again, but it's disturbing that they happened at all. It has long been known that many birds navigate by the stars at night, that they normally fly lower during bad weather conditions, and that artificial light can draw them off course and lead to fatal collision events.

Banning night-time operations seems to workA fourth wind farm in West Virginia, the Beech Ridge Wind Energy Project in Greenbrier County, has not experienced large mortality events, probably because it is banned from operating during nighttime between April 1 and November 15.

‘Some West Virginia conservation groups have suggested that other wind farms in the state should shut down their wind turbines at certain times and seasons to protect birds. Given the recurring bird-kill problems, that idea needs to be seriously considered, at least during migration season on nights where low visibility is predicted. A wind farm in Texas is doing just that, so it is possible,' said Fuller.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wind-farm-birds112011.html

US oil companies prosecuted over 28 bird deaths - 400,000 wind farm deaths ignored

Wind farms kill 400,000 birds - So why no prosecution?
September 2011: Seven oil companies have been charged under America's Migratory Bird Treaty Act, for the killing of 28 migratory birds.

The oil-related bird deaths, which included members of 12 different species, happened in May and June this year. The statutory maximum sentence is six months in federal prison and a $15,000 fine. The case is due to be heard at the end of the month in North Dakota.

Birds died in oil waste pits
The birds died after landing in oil waste pits associated with the companies' oil and gas extraction facilities in North Dakota . The birds land in the pits believing they are ponds and become contaminated with the oil. Birds can become poisoned and drown as a result. Court records show that all seven companies have previously been charged with similar violations.

The birds killed in the oil pits were mostly waterfowl, including mallards, gadwall, northern pintails, a northern shoveler and blue-winged teal.

United States attorney Tim Purdon said: ‘These allegations of violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by companies operating in North Dakota 's oil patch should be troubling to those interested in preserving North Dakota's rich heritage of hunting and fishing and to the many oil companies who work hard to follow the laws protecting our wildlife.

Wind farms kill 400,000 birds a year
‘We are committed to enforcing laws that protect North Dakota's outdoors and to providing companies who follow the law with a level economic playing field.'

While welcoming the prosecutions, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) - the nation's leading bird conservation organisation - reports that the wind industry has yet to face a single charge, despite being responsible for more than 400,000 bird deaths each year.

ABC president George Fenwick said: ‘I commend the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Justice Department for enforcing the law in these cases. Oil pits are a known hazard to birds and the solutions to prevent these bird deaths are straightforward to implement.

'This looks like a double standard'
‘However, it is perplexing that similar prosecutions have yet to be brought against the operators of wind farms. Every year wind turbines kill hundreds of thousands of birds, including eagles, hawks, and songbirds but the operators are being allowed to get away with it. It looks like a double standard.'

The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) estimated in 2009 that about 440,000 birds were being killed by wind turbines. With America's ambitious wind-power project, mortality is expected to dramatically increase in the coming years, unless there are significant changes in the way wind farms are sited and operated.

Based on studies, one wind farm in California is estimated to have killed more than 2,000 eagles, plus thousands of other birds, yet no prosecution has been initiated for violations of federal laws protecting birds. The FWS is presently contemplating enacting voluntary - not mandatory - guidelines for the siting and operation of wind farms.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bird-death-prosecution.html

Tracking Golden Eagles by Satellite; Impact of Large-Scale Wind Farms Studied

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2010) — Large-scale wind farm establishment may have a negative effect on Sweden's golden eagles. In a unique project in northern Sweden, scientists at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) are trapping adult golden eagles and fitting them with satellite transmitters.


The satellite transmitters emit a signal once an hour during the daytime. These signals provide the scientists with a picture of how the birds use the landscape.


"Hopefully we can identify the golden eagles' favourite habitats. When we've done that we can see where wind farms can be established without disturbing the eagles," says project manager Tim Hipkiss at SLU's Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies.

The potential risks with wind farms are that the birds collide with the rotor blades and lose valuable hunting habitat.

Up to now the scientists have fitted transmitters on to six eagles. The goal is twenty adult eagles from ten territories, five where wind farms are planned and five without wind farms (reference areas). The project is estimated to run for long enough for the scientists to monitor the eagles during wind farm establishment. Most of the sites are in Västerbotten county in northern Sweden.

"Trapping adult golden eagles alive has never been done before in Sweden, and probably nowhere else in Europe. This is unique, and most people thought we wouldn't succeed," says Tim Hipkiss.

SLU's scientists have acquired the assistance of some of the world's leading experts in this field, from USA, where it is more common to trap birds of prey as part of conservation projects.

The trapping is carried out by the scientists placing out carrion at feeding sites a few weeks in advance, so that the eagles get used to finding food there. After this the American experts conceal a net trap and erect a hide a small distance from the net.

"Then you just have to wait patiently in the hide. When the eagle lands on the food, the person in the hide releases the net. With the help of an assistant waiting nearby the eagle is then dealt with," says Tim Hipkiss.

Fitting the satellite transmitter takes around half an hour, and it is important those involved know what they are doing. The eagles can weigh up to six kilos and wield dangerous claws. By weighing the bird and measuring its wing-length, you can tell if it is a male or a female (females are larger). The transmitter sits in place like a comfortable backpack.

Tim Hipkiss says that the birds have no problems flying with these transmitters. The adult birds fly several kilometres per day. Last summer, the scientists also fitted five juvenile golden eagles with transmitters, and have since monitored them for several months.

"The juveniles fly as they should, and some have already flown to new hunting grounds tens of kilometres away. Thanks to the transmitters we can find the birds if any of them have any problems, for example have not moved for several days," says Tim Hipkiss.

The satellite transmitters will provide information on how far the eagles fly and how they move about their territories before and after wind farm establishment. The scientists have already observed that the eagles fly further than previously thought.

"It's really great to see that this works. So far the project looks successful," says Tim Hipkiss.

The project "Effects of wind farms on the habitat use and reproductive success of golden eagles" is financed by the Swedish Energy Agency (Vindval programme) and the power companies Vattenfall and Statkraft.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101025101828.htm