Fatal Attraction: Birds and Wind Turbines | KQED QUEST

[@jimmydean9006]

inb4 wind company hires someone to pick up dead birds to stop these guys from finding them.

[@annalisa14]

@Charlie Rothwill - you better clarify what that means...

[@BLMCFR]

@@annalisa14 Sure sounds like they would scoop up the birds before anyone knows they birds were killed, to hide the tragedy. Any other industry would be shut down for decades to study how not to kill endangered species, yet wind turbines get a pass.....

[@mioispoggers2395]

That was 6 years ago, how ya doin now? Do u still use this acc? :)

[@RealMudSkipper]

We really need to focus on educating these birds.

[@andrewp1173]

that is so true, lol

[@crusadingdistance3391]

@alex Cooper not at all true that only the rich go to college

[@crusadingdistance3391]

@alex Cooper bruh I have 13 friends from south side Phoenix go to private colleges this year so no it's not the rich it's the ones who know the game

[@crusadingdistance3391]

@alex Cooper lol your funny middle class at best

[@crusadingdistance3391]

@alex Cooper yes definitely upper lower class and lower middle but not rich at all not takings one or 2 outliers into account on average

[@steveh9789]

If you don't have birds, you are going to have worse problems.

[@wxndrr7548]

But 10x more birds die a year just from colliding with windows and buildings??

[@JacobAnawalt]

Fires from spending on green energy instead of upgrading infrastructure, and later a wave of rats and rabbits not eaten by now dead raptors. Maybe fires will be the new raptors.

[@destructionandmore5430]

What about nuclear that kills animals and coal can sometimes and wind turbines are a fraction of what’s killing animals and why do they fly into them

[@doobersmanster]

All we are saying is that if a Raptor is killed then the windmills should have to pay the fines like any other energy industry.

[@MrBeeboh]

+Lyov Nikolayevitch What if a bird kills another bird? (Bird on Bird violence) how can we punish the offending bird? There must be a way. The murder of Starlings and Tweety birds by Right Wing Hawks and Eagles must be stopped! It is up to us to stop it. We need to form a committee, to assemble a panel of experts, to reach out to the government regulatory agencies, to conduct a study to raise awareness on this issue...!

[@doobersmanster]

LOL Just take the pieces of crap down.

[@SeanSappCameraguy]

Only if you stop using the internet and every other electronic appliance in your house first.

[@ryang58]

" The City of Toronto has over 950,000 registered buildings that could potentially kill over 9 million birds each year. Across North America, the estimated number of migrating birds killed annually in collisions with buildings ranges from 100 million to 1 billion birds." but nooooo omg not the wind turbines that kill 0.01% of birds, as opposed to buildings at over 50%

[@doobersmanster]

ryang58 You have a good point there.

[@jikkh2x]

So tragic to see such beautiful landscapes desecrated

[@Roverpiggy2435]

The older ones where ugly and loud the newer ones look cooler

[@Finse1605]

The narrator keeps saying turbans. I thought they were turbines.

[@obamascock2169]

Yeah I think the lady is muslim or something amd likes wearing a turban

[@rameshchadrapatel3448]

Should have some kind frequency teaser around wind turbines, which keep bird away from turbines.

[@williamcrandall3090]

I work on wind turbines. I've seen three dead birds in nine years. I see more dead birds on ANY random one mile stretch of highway. I think you should consider outlawing cars (if you are really concerned about birds) before wind turbines, if that is really your TRUE concern.

[@MrMarkRoads]

William Crandall My thoughts also. Looking at what kills birds, house cats and building windows overshadow all others. I've seen 2 dead birds in about 8 years. Most of this is propaganda to keep coal fire and other fossil fuels in business.

[@bdrwar66]

Haha that is so true wind turbines aren't dangerous they help the environment

[@bdrwar66]

And another point wind turbine companies aren't going to take them down just to save birds that's taking down money

[@harishnarain]

What do you know. The orange man was on to something here.

[@barbarossa1234]

Take home message: there is no "perfect" energy source.

[@dagobello]

Solar

[@sabetibrahim860]

@@dagobello nope

[@dagobello]

@@sabetibrahim860 why not?

[@stevennguyen5771]

Danny B and it also fry birds.

[@dagobello]

@@stevennguyen5771 how? Light is not being magnified. I don't mean solar mirror towers but simply solar panels.

[@nicoacuorg]

It depends on the disc diameter. At about 25 RPM with a 200 foot blade, the tip-speed of each blade is over 570 km/h or 350 mph. It would cut anything like a hot knife through butter.

[@nicoacuorg]

Windpower costs 10X that of coal fired power. Maintaining and keeping those turbines operating efficiently is horrendously expensive. Factor in to the "free" price the cost to produce energy from coal while the turbines are down, wind not blowing and more than 50% of the turbines shut down due to environmentally destructive impacts. Coal power costs the consumer about $0.35 per KW/hr. Wind energy is over $3.00 per KW/hr and unable to provide a sustained power supply. Just so you know.

[@C_R_O_M________]

Nico van Niekerk it’s more than that! Their lifetime emissions are enormous. Add, production, installation, transportation, maintenance to the mix and try to create a balance sheet on how much emissions “you save” by implementing wind turbines. Hint: not at all! Moreover, since they are totally unreliable in producing energy you need to always have a reliable source to back them up. Second hint: these back up power sources don’t like cycles (on and off) and their efficiency drops dramatically.

[@backoffjoe8347]

Give them reparations and educate them California.

[@piehamcake1]

i love how when i drive through there, theres always those few turbines that are like nope i'm not spining today assholes

[@zapfanzapfan]

Tiny, tiny turbines, they can't be economical. But this was 12 years ago, things have happened since then.

[@wiiTneSs]

I'm glad they are working to minimize the death of birds. A life is a life. This will push to further improve the efficacy of wind turbines with nature in consideration and make an affordable and healthier environment for everyone.

[@beretta13king]

build protective cages around the fan blades like a house fan

[@OKFrax-ys2op]

The house cat is by far the Biggest killer of our feathery friends.

[@larkwick]

Think wind farms in migratory bird routes - wind most prevalent at times of year that birds migrate -

[@JBC814]

Actually, the whole idea of using wind power has been proven useless decades ago when Belgium and Holland invested millions in their use, only to find that they are high maintenance and low yield. Belgium ended up with the highest utility rates of any country. The amount of power produced by the wind is a drop in the bucket anyway, regardless of what new technology has to offer.

[@chanman201]

Who's here after Trump's bird graveyard comment?

[@turtley8883]

Me

[@Liberalcali]

Me

[@user-lx6bl2wd8g]

Me

[@raaspider]

@@user-lx6bl2wd8g me and seems he wasn't lying about it

[@BEACH.LUVER101]

Yep I came to see, and once again he’s spot on and the media makes him sound worse than he is, so what he doesn’t speak like a lying politician.

[@4aSteadyStateEconomy]

The convenient rationalization that "other stuff kills more birds" ignores that: A) more wind turbines keep getting built, with potentially millions of the damned things down the road, B) something touted as "green" should be especially benign, not just another man-made killer, and C) the effect on bats' lungs is unique to wind turbines. It's hard to be Green and pro wind turbines without a lot of moral contortions. Their effect on the landscape alone is enough reason to call them anti-environmental. I was glad to read that the UK's new conservative MPs may block wind turbine subsidies next year. That's one of the few things I respect about conservative politicians, who are usually bent on destroying nature, at least in America. Even if they dislike wind turbines for certain climate denial reasons, someone needs to stop these things.

[@chairde]

Well there is a learning curve and this is a good thing. Once these things are figured out then you can have critter friendly wind mills.

[@CremeBruleeAndFlan]

The meassures are not enough because it takes too long for some species to recover.

[@Polypropellor]

Aw, screw the damn birds...We need the cash from selling wind. Make money! Birds don't make money!

[@Forevertrue]

+Polypropellor The liberal way.

[@dmbadcat]

Tie the birds to the tips of the wind turbines, make the birds work for the money

[@Swagaito_Gai]

Hey, if the liberal way is doing something about the Earth turning into an oven because of uncontrolled emissions, i.e. the conservative way, then I guess I'm a liberal

[@C_R_O_M________]

Swagaito Gai no, you are just an ignorant fool that hasn’t researched squat! Wind turbines are not emission-free! (and co2 is not a pollutant nor is a danger to earths climate - not at 0.04% levels that it currently is).

[@johnairlines8]

Nuclear power - Get rid of it Coal Power - That needs to go Gas Power - Don't we need that for cars? Wind power - We need it Hydro - We need it Solar Power - That too

[@Roverpiggy2435]

nuclear is needed but we need more ways to take care of the fuel

[@TheMischief9]

Well , the birds need to fly around the windmills , don't they ?

[@mbarnardc1]

Good quote at 4:25 by wildlife expert that sued the county for greater bird preservation. "It's been falsely set up as birds or wind turbines. We believe we can have both."

[@cag66]

That is a huge oversight. I am a big fan of wind power but we need to be clever about where we put them. The wind farm owners should pay to help preserve these species.

[@EerieBetrayal]

basically no matter wtf you do in this life, some one or some thing is gonna step up and tell you that you can't do it because some one or some thing can't live with it lol

[@KingDeramo]

let's tear down all those nasty wind turbines and put up a bunch of coal fired electric power plants in their place. some people will never be satisfied no matter what you do. it's like my dad used to say some people wouldn't be happy even if you hung them with a new rope!

[@biker932012]

+Muy Gonzo the most honest thing Ive read on youtube ever

[@renadog1]

But humans monopolize, and steal everything. As any plague does. The rape and pillage of Mother Nature is now more akin to necrophilia. The planet isnt getting any bigger, however the population has exploded over the last 150 years. From 2 to 7 billion and its not slowing down! S.Hawking gave humanity 100 years before we go the same way as the Dodo bird. (by humans!)

[@C_R_O_M________]

Muy Gonzo unlike renewables coal plants are reliable sources of energy and with advanced filtration, what exactly is the problem?

[@applestrudel2491]

That’s true, but that still doesn’t justify any action or decision. Saying that there is better alternatives shouldn’t be an issue.

[@Boulderpits]

Can't win without losing.....something or someone will always kick you in the nuts.

[@MrMarkRoads]

Boulderpits wear a cup...

[@525Lines]

This was brought up on the news again and it seems like subterfuge. How many birds are killed by pollution? Besides, wind turbines could develop means to minimize this, like making a noise to drive away birds, sensors that slow or stop the blades when birds come near. How about a means of deflecting impact to minimize injury? America was all set to put up more wind turbines but it stopped a few years ago. Gas prices are cheaper was the only explanation.

[@NoEcologyNoEconomy]

Bird (and bat) deaths aside, does the shrinking natural landscape have no value to you? Wind turbines stick out far more than other man-made structures and may end up tainting more landscapes than coal and oil extraction, unless you drink enough to convince yourself they're "beautiful." That's a hangover I don't want to have.

[@525Lines]

NoEcologyNoEconomy Pollution has ruined more natural beauty than any wind turbines ever will. Bat deaths? Who's paying you to post this stuff?

[@DC.]

I love wind turbines but i dont think they should put them there!

[@nicoacuorg]

It's not that. At about 25 RPM with a 200 foot blade, the tip-speed of each blade is over 570 km/h or 350 mph. It would cut anything like a hot knife through butter.

[@element89]

in our village there are a lot of windmills, but I have never seen a dead bird there and every week I come to a wind plant(farmer). I think a cat catches more birds than a windmill!

[@C_R_O_M________]

element89 you think! Moreover I don’t know where you live but there might be a chance that birds of prey and bats aren’t too many in your area. Maybe the wind turbines are to blame for that too. Who knows?

[@aliayyldz4527]

Our cat ate our birds, which one is guilty?

[@C_R_O_M________]

ali ayyıldız do you realize that your analogy is false?

[@valiapavlou]

You. You're guilty for letting them interact

[@NorthernWes]

Turbines don't kill the kinds of birds that cats kill. In fact, some of the species that are impacted by the presence of turbines in their habitat are quite capable of hunting cats. It is true that pollution kills birds but most ecologists will tell you that the number 1 hazard to avian species (actually all species) is habitat degradation or destruction. Large-scale turbine plants are just another hazard affecting bird habitat. P.S. Energy is NEVER free. Wind production decreases as IWTs age.

[@Tysto]

Nothing about wind power from more than 10 years ago is relevant today. We don’t put turbines in bird migration paths now, and they’re bigger and slower and safer. This video is about ONE wind farm in the wrong location.

[@Wavemaster1653]

Let's see here. Enviros are cool with bird killing in the name of wind energy because it's a "sustainable" energy source. OK, I understand that. But cutting trees down is bad because it merely destroys nesting areas, yet wood is a "sustainable" product. Trees grow back.

[@curlywolfone]

Bet those Nuclear Plants are starting to look real good now.

[@JBC814]

@PleasureTV : You're absolutely correct. Vertical-axis turbines won't kill birds, and there is much less danger of damage in high winds because the heavy generators are on the ground, and not at the top of a giant pole. All that weight at the top makes them vulnerable to high winds. Hopefully, you don't live near one. The only question that remains is: why did they use prop windmills in the first place, and why won't they change to vertical-axis windmills now?

[@joemc111]

Ok here is an idea that I think might help. Maybe you could paint large eyes on the blades. I think the birds would see the eyes and fly the other way. I have used this idea in my car for 40 years. I always have my lights on when driving, I think it helps the deer,dogs, ect keep out of my way. I have only hit one deer in my life.

[@rickwilliams4301]

If I got one of those caps with a propeller on it should I call it a turbine or a turban?

[@leerud]

Pisses me off the way they say turbines. And it's been proven that birds avoid flying into wind turbines. Plus it's a fact more birds die when coming into contact with power lines.

[@LizzyxDarcy]

They are lying. There are thousands of birds dying a year from this monsters.

[@Crossss8]

In Soviet Russia, bird powers turbine!

[@hookalakah]

Let PETA and the environmentalists fight it out in a no-time-limit, no-holds-barred cage match.

[@Redgascan]

I don't believe these birds can't avoid these new wind turbines. The ones near my home in Texas are not turning this fast. The blades are three times larger.

[@meadowsirl]

i fail to see the parallel. a bird getting killed by a turbine is a bit different than destroying part of a country.

[@kaspernielsen9149]

Place them out in the water like in Denmark, they bird still have their preying areas.

[@MrMarkRoads]

Kasper Nielsen What about the seagulls! Have you no heart!!!

[@C_R_O_M________]

Kasper Nielsen sure! let’s increase maintenance and installation costs x100 see where it gets us!

[@Feelin2nice]

Turbines do kill birds. Pollution kills birds. Cats kill birds. Cars kill birds. Buildings kill birds. Nothing in life is "free". I wish there was a way to build a wind turbine and guarantee no birds are killed. But I also realize the benefit from wind turbines. Less pollution, lower prices (cause unlike fossil fuel plants the energy is free once the turbines are up) and overall benefits to the rural areas hosting them. All in all they are positive.

[@jasbcor]

Considering there are better ways to produce energy and not kill birds, I think someone ought to speak for the birds.

[@nunyabidnis5407]

Seems like a lot of them stopped spinning as a protest.

[@lakeratatouille]

Here's the big hypocritical thing about this. I pick up a feather from a bird of prey , I could possibly have to pay hundreds in fines and possibly jail time yet these machines kill at random.

[@Maeroa145]

Birds don’t need our stupidity, just shut whole thing down simple as that

[@dmbadcat]

This is like complaining about Di-Hydrogen Monoxide emissions from powerplants. Fucking fuck.

[@jamesedmond3351]

Put deer whistles on the tips of the blades.

[@teddybruscie]

+James Edmond Wouldn't that create a noise complaint issue or something?

[@nikolatasevski8015]

Geliefde Liefde natural selection will kick in dont worry

[@crusadingdistance3391]

@@nikolatasevski8015 kinda can't where their isn't many

[@Feelin2nice]

One more thing: the older turbines (like those found in the Altamont Pass) are slaughter matchines. The newer turbines are much less destructive to eagles and other raptors. Plus siting standards have become much stricter.

[@cathytai]

It's not the environmentalists putting these things up - it is the very same utility companies doing the drilling and tar sands disaster -

[@John-zt3lv]

It wouldn't take that much to lure them away from the turbines, or even net the turbines.

[@PsychoticWolfie]

When the shit hits the fan, the bird does to...

[@my1987toyota]

it just goes to show you cant satisfy all the people all the time.

[@mbarnardc1]

This video is six years old. Many of the wind turbines shown no longer exist, having been replaced with much larger wind turbines with smooth masts. This is important because eagles used to roost on the lattice work, putting them close to the blades. Eliminating the lattice reduced mortality. Similarly, larger, more visible blades have reduced raptor kill as well. It was a stupid place to put the worst technology. It's getting a lot better.

[@barbibird101664]

It's the cumulative impacts that worry me. Wind farms are just adding one more impact, we aren't giving anything else up. I am in favor of solar, for now, but will there be any unintended consequences of that too?

[@JBC814]

@darrylmueller : The real problem is that they won't use the vertical-axis wind turbines, instead of the bird-killing prop turbines. Propeller turbines are dangerous to live near and they self-destruct in stormy weather from high winds. Since they only make less than 2% of the power needed, there is no justification to suffer with their bird-killing ugliness. Solar panels produce much more power, present no hazards, and are hardly noticeable on the roofs of homes. Vote NO to wind farms!

[@HomeWindTurbines]

Friends and subscribers welcome. My home wind turbines just won a Green Design Contest. Look at the videos, neighborhood friendly windpower.

[@NorthernWes]

? Vesta,Iberola, Gamesa, GE supply the same turbines to the US as they do in Europe. Most are 2.5MW towers as you've described. The blade speeds of bigger turbines are higher - nearly 200mph at the tip. The turbine siting density in US/Canada seems to be higher and we are building some projects right in the middle of migratory flyways, beside bird sanctuaries, sometimes within or even in a few KMs of important bird areas. Siting rules in Ontario are far less restrictive than Europe's.

[@Mujexxx]

omg even the wind energy is not green :))) the birds or the power ?

[@killerandom2]

There will always be a negative side affect when it comes to energy. Whether we like it or not.

[@bluepantherofdeath]

the way i see it tho they need to work on making the smaller wind turbines a lot more accessible... maybe even do things like what some cell phone companies are doing and have a company rent your land to place a few small to medium sized wind turbines on your property.... idk could be handled a lot better than it has been. but it is always nice getting a check from the electric company each month tho.

[@NorthernWes]

So far, data - economic, production, and maintenance does not support your beliefs - at least in North-eastern North America. The performance and impacts of major wind turbine projects are specific to their locations. If you put 1000 turbines in the middle of a primary migratory flyway, you're going to have a lot of aviation fatalities or a major disruption of migration. In Ontario (85% emission free power generation w/o wind) there is no reduction in fossil fuel generation.

[@charleslane2735]

Lets sue the people who sued them

[@MrIncorr3ct]

THIS VIDEO IS TOTALLY WRONG! Modern wind farms are much larger, move much much slower and are much more widely spaced. As a result they are of very little threat to any raptor (or any other birds) that might be flying by. Added to that (at least in the UK) all sites are survey extensively prior to building to get a good idea of the bird life in the area, and continue to be surveyed while the site in running. If there are too many Schedule 1 birds (endangered) the wind farm will not be built.

[@icecoldusa]

I have a idea, get all the birds and put them in your house.

[@HeyU308]

Given enough time big raptors will be extinct. Green Energy “Nothing to see here.”

[@eb1247]

So what progress have we seen in 13 years since this video was released 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@Yamni-713]

we got among us ❤

[@TankzUploadz]

many of the old models got taken down.

[@chairde]

No sir, it solar to electricity. No need for hydrogen because hydrogen only creates electricity.

[@HChartierKJV]

Because Birds are more important than Humans right?

[@johnairlines8]

How is it causing health problems?? You must have heard that from the Fukushima incident...

[@rayjohnson4395]

put grill over blades like what's on fans

[@rtpricetag3536]

For those suggesting nuclear power is cheap, this would be (only) after put into operation, ignoring the limited supply of uranium, jumping drastically in price as result, ignoring that they still have not found adequate and safe storage of the spent fuel, other than Depleted Uranium making our War Economy a booming business.

[@wildlifeecology]

Its all in the turbine design, there are plenty of new designs.

[@hawkermustang]

Looks like there are problems with all forms of energy, But if I was a Fox I would be happy, :) I would sleep beneath the wind turbines all day then wake up and eat. lol

[@phillipzx3d]

Three to four times as many birds are killed from flying into buildings. We must remove all buildings!

[@madhtrr]

Is building a cages around the turbines an option?

[@pilot3016]

No. A mesh is not a option. As a pilot, there are many factors. A few are.. "Loss of efficiency due to reduced flow and wind eddies. Additional weight is also a issue as these things are not small".

[@NorthernWes]

@cathytai Actually, global birth rates are declining drastically. I just read a study that said that "peak population" will occur between 2040-2050. Doesn't look like we're breeding like rats anymore. As the big countries (China, India) increase their wealth, the birth rates are dropping.

[@rtpricetag3536]

Glenn Hough... After the third bird flying into your home window, and injuring or killing itself, I'm going to have the Coil/Oil Industry get Congress to have your windows removed... and possibly with a hefty fine.

[@TheQuickyouknow]

Can't they build some strong mesh screens around the turbines that doesn't allow the birds near them? Also what about ultra sonic technology, are there sound frequencies that can repel them? I can't believe people run into a small problem and just give up and turn off the wind turbines.

[@armbender777]

I think the Obama should give 1 $ billion to do a study on this topic..

[@qwaszx12316]

put a mesh gauze[dog mesh] around the bloody things the get a good knock but most would still live

[@killerandom2]

then you get no electricity...

[@olanordmann5997]

The birds will eventually learn, but they are slow at that

[@Tonatiub]

raptorial birds are not very smart sadly, its unlikely they will adapt in time

[@smilsmff]

DO TELL why do birds not slam into trees? and when you Move a bird can see you

[@ZE308AC]

Those things look ugly on the beautiful hills

[@flame623]

Solution: birds fly over them or dont fly into them

[@C_R_O_M________]

flame623 yes! Now arrange an update of the software that runs their brains! pfff!

[@squibblejack]

If it were my country i would implement just implement Nuclear power, problem solved.

[@MrMarkRoads]

Pick any wind turbine anywhere in the US. Go stand under it until it kills a bird. You might want to pack a lunch, at the the very least...

[@bdrwar66]

That is very true very rarely do wind turbines kill birds

[@therealestmc85]

180 dead eagles is a problem?

[@dmbadcat]

Are fucking wind turbines becoming illegal now? What The Fuck over.

[@Antithropocentric]

@stealthbeast, it's easy to make canned comments about environmentalists, but the real issue is Man living outside the Earth's carrying capacity and wrecking the landscape in the process. The economy couldn't exist without "the environment," and those who try to protect it are not the enemy, even if they show some hypocrisy. Why not take offense at the insane ethic of perpetual economic growth in a finite world? The financial debt situation is just mirroring Man's physical gluttony.

[@davidasplet6552]

It's a problem all over the world please humans get together to try and solve it