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Birds killed at West Virginia wind farm
What caused hundreds of Blackpoll Warblers, Connecticut Warblers, and other birds to be killed at a wind farm in West Virginia during their fall migration.
Published: December 22, 2011  Blackpoll Warbler
The birds were flying south on a foggy night when they were apparently attracted to lights left on at a substation at the wind facility. The birds reportedly did not strike turbines but died due to “a combination of collisions with the substation and apparent exhaustion as birds caught in the light’s glare circled in mass confusion,” according to the American Bird Conservancy.
One week earlier, at least 59 migrating birds and two bats were killed at another West Virginia wind farm on a foggy night when internal lights in a single turbine were said to have been left on overnight. And in May 2003, at least 33 birds were killed after colliding with turbines and a substation at another facility.
The wind-power industry currently operates under voluntary rules regarding lighting, says Kelly Fuller, wind campaign coordinator for the ABC. “Light leaking from buildings is such a well-known problem, but this shows that we need mandatory rules about turning lights off,” she says. “The voluntary rules clearly are not working.”
An article in this issue describes how researchers are studying the migratory habits of another eastern migrant, the Golden Eagle, in hopes of preventing similar tragedies at wind turbines. (See “Precious Gold.”)
“This incident shows both the importance of careful management at wind-energy facilities and how placing structures in wild areas can have unintended consequences for wildlife,” says eagle researcher Todd Katzner of West Virginia University.
“Siting of wind-energy facilities needs to be done with the best available knowledge to minimize risk to eagles and birds of all types, and things like tower lighting need to be carefully controlled by site operators. This incident highlights how lighting, whether at wind plants or in cities, can have negative and unintended consequences for flying wildlife.”
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