windfarms.where are the birds?

[rossy]

this has been on my mind for some time. recently i went up to scout moor where 26 turbines have been erected . before these were put up birds used to all around but all i came across was 2 crows . now unless the rest were hiding behind a wall i found it rather odd. is there any near your area ? also do you think they will return in time . seemed quite eirie no birds singing . rossy.

[loripo]

There have been a number of threads on WAB about wind farms, mainly whether they cause obstructions to migrating birds etc. but birds can hear and I wonder if they hear the ultra low sounds of the turbines and that might keep them away?

[ChrisJB]

Scout Moor? More like Scout wasteland now. Scout Moor used to be great for upland birds and prior to the wind-farm a place I oft' walked over since I was a lad. I would set off from Lanehead and go over to Waugh's Well, Whittle Pike and Knowl Hill. In early May, dotterel always stopped off at Top o' Leach, golden plover and dunlin used to breed up there, as did twite on the mooredge. I last visited last year, going up Knowl Hill and I could've wept. Instead of blanket bog, moss and peat groughs, the expanses were criss-crossed with service roads and all seemed to be rubble. A moor had passed away into memory. The only birds I saw were a few crows over and the odd meadow pipit on the periphery.

Regards, Chris

[loripo]

I've just been looking that up. Huge area affected isnt it? I tenbd to forget when I see the images of the turbines that there is a huge infrastructure needed to maintain & sustain them.
Google Image Result for http://www.scoutmoorwindfarm.co.uk/ukmap.gif

This is the site - have a look under ecology - generous of them isnt it

[big bill]

I do not want to detract from your original post but in my view for what they do and they amount of electricity that they produce they are a waste of time and space .The whole country would have to be covered in them and now they are talking about making some sort of machine to emitt gasses into the atmosphere to try and copy what tree`s do or something like it ,what ever next

[loripo]

Yes I saw that - I think my thread is "why not real trees" totally Alice in Wonderland

[The Woodman]

I have found the commissioned ecologists Scoping Study for a wind farm scheme near me. It makes interesting reading as I know the area pretty well.

Here's the link if anybody is interested in a what happens in regard of the environment and it's species whith such a proposal, have a look at this


http://www.striberswindfarm.co.uk/pd...33602-R004.pdf


The bird life was monitored by ecologists who drove up from either Brighton or Bournemouth - I can't remember which.

There will an avaialble EIA /SS for Scout Hill and it would be interesting for those with a knowledge of the area to compare the findings.

It is important to formally record what you have seen on these special places so that they are available to those with an interest, whatever it maybe, for the preservation and conservation of the area concerned.

[rossy]

thanks for that woodman but i think you get the picture from my account of what i saw up there and chris who both know the area well. a pair of crows . i can remember reed buntings nesting skylarks meadow pipits wagtails its strange and ill go back up next april , may to see if anything has returned but i wont be holding my breath. rossy

[The Woodman]

You've raised an interesting point rossy and one I havn't given much thought to before last night.

Whilst a scoping study will determine what is present on a site pre development and the EIA may well contain mitigation for anything detrimental, I cannot recall seeing any post development survey document on bird populations in particular.

I can imagine the bird population of a windfarm would suffer dramatically and will see if I can find out more.

[loripo]

Not sure if this has been posted - a comment by the RSPB last year

The RSPB: Wind farms

They also have a map for Scotland showing sensitive areas for wildlife.
Cant see any followup investigations of operating Windfarms tho - that would be interesting - unless the info is being kept quiet.