birding-aus

mortality at wind farms

To: "birding-aus" <>
Subject: mortality at wind farms
From: "Terry Bishop" <>
Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:27:03 +1100
The trouble is, there is not enough wind farms around for widespread education.
The birds seem to be very slow to learn about windows.

Terry B

-----Original Message-----
From: 
 On Behalf Of John Leonard
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 9:21 PM
To: Birding-aus
Subject: mortality at wind farms

There has been some discussion of bird and bat mortality at wind-farms on
Birding-aus.

I was reading Darwin's *The Descent of Man* Chap 3 'Comparison of the Mental
Powers of Man and Lower Animals' in which Darwin argues that there is no
absolute difference between the mental powers of humans and animals, and
that animals can, for example, learn from experience.
In this context he notes: 'I have received several accounts that when
telegraphs are first set up in any district, many birds kill themselves by
flying against the wires, but that in the course of a very few years they
learn to avoid this danger, by seeing, as it would appear, their comrades
killed.'

I wonder if any studies have shown a declining mortality (without a
declining population) at wind farms over time as a result of
birds learning by experience. I suppose the problem is that whereas
telegraph wires are all the same, wind turbines differ in their designs,
heights, rate of rotation &c.

-- 
John Leonard
Canberra
Australia
www.jleonard.net
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