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An Ill Wind: Open Season on Bald Eagles; Sacrificing 4,200 of the birds a year for green energy sounds fine to regulators.
Topic Started: May 25 2016, 02:21 AM (2,049 Views)
Brewster
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Another silly article about windmills killing birds with no hard evidence, and no reference to other causes, nor how well the overall bird population is doing...

And as Ima suggested, if there were a proper study done, you'd probably discover most birds do better in non-polluted air.

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Thumper
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Exactly how many eagles have been found tits up under a windmill? Until we know that, we can only assume this concern is driven by big oil and coal.it there is in fact a large gaggle of eagles killed and threatening the survival of the species, I say better them than us.
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Brewster
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Quote:
 
Oil Pollution and Birds

•Oil may escape from ships through accidents or through deliberate dumping.
•Every year, more than 300 000 birds are killed by oil off the south coast of the island of Newfoundland alone.
•Many oiled birds that wash ashore must be humanely killed, because cleaning oiled birds is largely ineffective.

How Oil Harms Birds

Oil and birds don’t mix. The wrecked super-tanker, spewing a black tide of oil, has become a powerful symbol of ocean pollution and of humans’ destruction of the natural environment. So have the dying seabirds that strand on the beach, black with oil.

Oil kills birds in many ways. Its first effect is to break down the birds’ waterproofing. Water runs off a seabird’s back because the bird is protected by a layer of feathers, overlapping like the tiles on a roof (see Figure 1).

Dead bird due to oil The fine structure of the feathers makes them waterproof. The separate strands, or barbs, in each feather are bound together by rows of tiny hooks, or barbules, into a tight weave that water cannot penetrate. Underneath is a layer of insulating downy feathers that allows the bird’s skin to stay warm, and beneath the skin is a layer of body fat that can add some insulation. This waterproof system works like a winter coat whose outer waterproof layer covers a thicker layer of material that traps air, keeping the wearer warm and dry.

The system works well because the bird spends much of its leisure nibbling at its feathers, cleaning off any specks of dirt and rehooking the barbules. This preening keeps the feathers supple and waterproof. But it takes very little to disturb the intricate arrangements that make up a seabird’s feather “coat.” Oil destroys the coat by clogging the barbs and barbules, allowing cold water to soak into the insulating down and reach the skin. Even a small amount of oil—a spot no bigger than a quarter—may be enough to kill a seabird.

A healthy seabird maintains a body temperature of 41°C—about two degrees higher than the body temperature of humans—and has no problem swimming and diving in icy waters. But once the bird is touched by oil, its body heat drains away through the “tear” in its protective plumage. The bird tries to maintain its body temperature by burning its energy reserves stored as body fat, but these are soon exhausted.

Effects of oil on a feather: When fat reserves are used up, a bird will burn up its flight muscles to maintain body heat. It may also try to save itself by spending even more energy in search of food. In this pursuit it is handicapped by its extra burden of soaked feathers and weakness, and the exhausted bird will soon die. In the cold waters around the coasts of Canada, hypothermia is usually the cause of death.

The bird’s other immediate response to oiling is to preen itself to try to restore the feathers’ waterproofing. Inevitably, as it preens, the bird inhales and swallows toxic compounds in the oil that can damage its liver, lungs, kidneys, intestines, and other internal organs. This poisoning can kill a seabird, but it is slower to take effect than is loss of body heat. Oil on the feathers of an incubating seabird may also be carried to its eggs, and if the oil soaks through the shell, it can kill the embryo or cause abnormalities in the developing chick.
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Neutral
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Some need to get informed about "studies" and quit diverting.
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Neutral
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Here is just one study and even the government admits windmills kill birds. What a big duh to even have to post this.
http://savetheeaglesinternational.org/new/us-windfarms-kill-10-20-times-more-than-previously-thought.html
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Stoned
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May 26 2016, 01:07 AM
Here is just one study and even the government admits windmills kill birds. What a big duh to even have to post this.
http://savetheeaglesinternational.org/new/us-windfarms-kill-10-20-times-more-than-previously-thought.html
From yur link. This i s miniscule compared to other factors.


But this is shy of reality by a factor of ten, because 90% of casualties land outside the search perimeter and are not counted. We are thus really talking about an unsustainable death toll of 30 million birds and 50 million bats a year – and more still if we factor in other hide-the-mortality tricks documented by STEI.
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Neutral
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:tongue:
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Stoned
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May 26 2016, 02:17 AM
:tongue:
Keep at it your orange is just a bit much compared to Trump
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Neutral
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You quoted part of the article that says more birds are killed than they counted. DUH Sorry but that is funny.
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Stoned
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May 26 2016, 02:29 AM
You quoted part of the article that says more birds are killed than they counted. DUH Sorry but that is funny.

The number was very small, counted or uncounted, compared to the number of birds killed just by ferrel cats.
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