Great Lakes wind energy, cause concerns about risks to birds

It’s easy to list the benefits of renewable energy, but calculating the costs can be difficult, like the impact on birds.

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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Impacts of Wind on Wildlife

Wind Power and Migrants

As they migrate, birds and bats can be killed by impacts with the spinning turbine blades. Estimates of bird fatalities from impacts with wind turbines range from 140,000 to 573,000 birds annually (Loss et al. 2013, Smallwood 2013). Birds killed range in size from small warblers to large eagles and vultures and include many endangered species. In the Great Lakes, endangered species that may be threatened by wind power include the Kirtland's warbler (Steophaga kirtlandii) and the piping plover (Charadrius melodus) as well as the federally protected bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). Additionally, many bird species are protected by federal law under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (1918). Many bird fatalities occur in large events on single nights due to environmental conditions like rain or fog, often coupled with lighting on the facilities accidentally left on, or other factors.

Great Lakes Avian Radar Technical Report Niagara, Genesee, Wayne and Jefferson Counties, New York.

Link here to read FWS full report.


Link here to read full FWS report Via Scribd format