[ekky]

My parents have removed their membership of the RSPB due to their approval and support of on shore wind farms. Wind Turbines do kill birds and they most definitely kill bats. But it is more lucrative for them to approve wind farms!

[JonF]

On a related note... do I remember correctly that there was a red Kite spotted over the Lenches a while back? There was quite a lot of attention as I recall with bird watches from far and wide arriving binoculars in hand.

[ekky]

JonF, on May 28 2009, 07:28 PM, said:

On a related note... do I remember correctly that there was a red Kite spotted over the Lenches a while back? There was quite a lot of attention as I recall with bird watches from far and wide arriving binoculars in hand.

Yes there has been a red kite around, also the buzzards have over the last few years returned.

[JonF]

Are these species protected?

[madrat]

How many birds are killed by flying into high voltage cables?

Bottom line is we need renewable energy. You will be the first to complain if we have a shortage of power or the bill go up again so stop complaining. I would gladly have a wind farm in my back garden.

[JonF]

Can a bird be killed by flying into a high voltage power cable? I thought that electricity needed a potential difference? You're probably right though, many years since my physics at school.

As for complaining about the bill going up I for one would be quite happy to pay more if it meant avoiding the issues that seem to be associated with turbines in close proximity.

Given that you would be happy to have a turbine in your back garden you should contact Scottish power and make them an offer (providing your neighbours agree of course).

Seriously, thanks for your comments. Good to see the other side of the debate emerging!

Do you have any figures on just how much wind power will be saving electricity consumers?

[Bwy]

JonF, on Jun 6 2009, 05:53 PM, said:

Can a bird be killed by flying into a high voltage power cable? I thought that electricity needed a potential difference? You're probably right though, many years since my physics at school.

As for complaining about the bill going up I for one would be quite happy to pay more if it meant avoiding the issues that seem to be associated with turbines in close proximity.

Given that you would be happy to have a turbine in your back garden you should contact Scottish power and make them an offer (providing your neighbours agree of course).

Seriously, thanks for your comments. Good to see the other side of the debate emerging!

Do you have any figures on just how much wind power will be saving electricity consumers?

Yes birds can be killed by flying into cables but not by electricity just by the force of the strike just as they are killed by flying into glass windows.

If we cover the whole of UK with wind turbines fitting them in on every little bit of space we can, there will come a time when we still do not have enough.

The population is growing so fast that we will need the land for housing.

There will be houses built high in hills or mountains just like in Spain or Portugal but by then all our food will be imported as there will be no agricultural land left.

With this expansion of population come a greater demand for electricity and so it goes on.

We demand comfort in our life we call it essential but with this demand we restrict it to "essential as long as it does not interfere with my life style".

In time there will be no wild life left as we, the human race, will have taken the habitat away for our own use this will change the planet in a terrible way.

Make no mistake, the wind farms are a direct result of our greed and our desire to have electricity.

If you don't like them don't use electricity you cant have it both ways.

[Bwy]

Guest_waggy_*, on Jun 7 2009, 09:13 AM, said:

It appears your argument is based on population growth, rather than wind turbine proliferation?

What's the solution to the former then? Limiting the number of children per couple? Penalising in some way families with more than x children? Mandatory population sterilisation? Do these policies work in other countries?

What does history show us where these methods are in place or have been attempted?

An interesting facet of your expressed view regarding wind turbines, but to paraphrase Lord Nelson "surround me not with men who bring me problems, give me men who bring me solutions".

The connection I make is cause and effect.

Any invention is based on a requirement. There is a need for more energy, as I said, as the population grows so does the need.

There is a need for some way of producing energy but as yet the perfect production method has not been invented.

As far as the other point you raise, yes I think there is a need to limit population growth but how I do not know.

To risk going off topic one way which may have an effect would be perhaps to take away any monitory gain when a family has more than one child even perhaps tax the family who have more than one child as they require more energy.

I know this will be extremely emotive so will not pursue it further.

I am not an inventor or politician I do not set rules or regulations nor do I profess to have the answer to wind farms but I do have an opinion and I am entitled to it.

I believe the over population of the world is our fault and as such we must suffer the consequence and wind farms is one of them.

In closing, I would say that the men bringing solutions may well had died with Lord Nelson.....sorry !!!

[Will]

Guest_henry_*, on 31 May 2009 - 05:03 PM, said:

I have also cancelled my RSPB membership after more than 40 years.

I had an individual letter from the Chief exec. but it did not diffuse my anger. I think they hope to get income from having turbines on their land.

I pointless excecise if bird numbers continue to fall due to "turbine Kill"

The last red kite I saw was at a windfarm in Northamptonshire. It was a local resident, and we watched it flying around the turbines, swooping between the blades (which were turning at full speed) and generally amusing itself. At the time, I was talking to local residents who have seen the kite playing like this on many occasions.

Cancelling membership of RSPB because they have approved windfarms in general is based on a misunderstanding of windfarms fostered, I suspect, by self-interested protest groups. Does anyone REALLY think that RSPB are hoping to make money from windfarms??? No - they've just recognised that windfarms are one of the answers to our growing energy and climate change crisis, and that to keep inventing spurious grounds for opposing them gets us nowhere.

Will

[NLys]

Will, on 11 July 2009 - 05:56 PM, said:

The last red kite I saw was at a windfarm in Northamptonshire. It was a local resident, and we watched it flying around the turbines, swooping between the blades (which were turning at full speed) and generally amusing itself. At the time, I was talking to local residents who have seen the kite playing like this on many occasions.

Cancelling membership of RSPB because they have approved windfarms in general is based on a misunderstanding of windfarms fostered, I suspect, by self-interested protest groups. Does anyone REALLY think that RSPB are hoping to make money from windfarms??? No - they've just recognised that windfarms are one of the answers to our growing energy and climate change crisis, and that to keep inventing spurious grounds for opposing them gets us nowhere.

Will

Will,

You are wrong.

I don't have recent figures, but In 2003-4, the RSPB earned "around £190,000" from its relationship with Scottish and Southern Energy PLC, through ‘RSPB Energy’, a so-called ‘green energy’ scheme. Worth noting that the Advertising Standards Authority found against the RSPB for some of its ‘green energy’ claims in this period.