BIRDS, BRIGHT LIGHTS AND WIND

Research Reveals How Birds And Wind Turbines Can Safely Coexist
Paul Kerlinger, 7 February 2012 (North American Windpower)

"A recent incident in which over 400 birds were killed at AES' Laurel Mountain wind farm in West Virginia cast wind turbines in a negative light, and underscores a growing concern for wind farm owners and operators…But the real culprit for the occurrence was dusk-to-dawn lighting…[T]he incident could have easily been avoided if the project's owners or consultants had taken steps to avoid the effect of non-flashing lights on migrating birds.

"A similar incident occurred in May 2003…[T]he fatality event had been caused by night migrants, which were attracted to the half a dozen sodium vapor lamps that illuminated the substation during dense fog…Those fatalities were not caused by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) L-864 flashing red strobe-like lights that were on the turbines, but by the substation lights…The substation lights were subsequently extinguished, and no large-scale night migrant fatality events were ever found there again."

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"…Large-scale bird-fatality events have only happened at wind plants when non-FAA lights have been left on, and they are not unique to wind power facilities. Each year, millions of birds are killed at communication towers, natural-gas pumping stations, tall buildings, ski lifts and other facilities equipped with lights that do not flash. Even the Washington Monument and the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building in Washington have killed large numbers of birds.

"Night migrants collide with these structures after being attracted to non-flashing lights or the reflective glass windows… [T]owers with guy wires and non-flashing lights killed nearly 20 times more birds than did unguyed towers with red flashing lights…Night migrating birds and non-flashing lights do not mix…Extinguishing lights on substations and other structures is a simple and inexpensive measure that can be taken to minimize bird fatalities at wind energy facilities…"