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Wind Power News: Wildlife
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational mission to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law. The original articles, links to which are provided, may have additional links and photos and other media that were not included here.
RFK Jr. blasts offshore windmill farms for harming marine life as he tries to save whales and ostriches: ‘Make no economic sense’
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to save the whales along with the ostriches. The Secretary of Health & Human Services – who recently went to bat for nearly 400 ostriches threatened by the bird flu in Canada – doubled down Sunday on his contention that offshore windmills need to be banned because they threaten whales and other marine life. The offshore contraptions also are a costly bust as a clean-energy alternative to fossil fuels, Kennedy told WABC 770 AM’s the “Cats Roundtable” . . . Complete story »
Victoria wind farm guidelines for bird and bat protection
Wind energy developers in Victoria will face tougher scrutiny under a new government handbook aimed at minimising risks to threatened birds and bats. The 100-page document, released by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), sets out risk-based protocols and technical requirements that must now inform planning and environmental assessments for onshore wind projects. Effective from 29 May 2025, the Handbook for the development of renewable energy in Victoria mandates the use of a mitigation hierarchy – avoid, . . . Complete story »
A simple way to reduce wind turbine bird deaths? Painting one blade may help in some places, engineers warn of knock-on effects
Wind turbines kill a lot of birds, particularly eagles and other raptors. The exact number is unknown, because many of the world’s wind farms don’t monitor bird deaths. One mitigation idea to reduce these numbers—and assuage a political argument against wind turbines—is gaining traction: Paint one turbine blade black. Ecologist Roel May spoke with IEEE Spectrum about his 11-year study to reduce raptor deaths, and his surprise at the lukewarm reactions from wind-turbine engineers. How bad are wind turbines for . . . Complete story »
Experts oppose plan to build wind farm in bird sanctuary
Wind turbines and birds in Hokkaido are a contentious mix for academic societies raising issue over the impact that Daigas G&P Solution Co.’s proposed structures may have on wildlife. The Ecological Society of Japan and the Ornithological Society of Japan announced at an April 7 news conference that they submitted a petition requesting that the Osaka-based company and related ministries review and modify plans to construct a wind farm. Daigas’ proposed location spans Hokkaido’s coastal areas of Atsuma and Tomakomai. . . . Complete story »
Photos: Lotus Creek Wind Farm site, Connors Ranges, coastal range of Central Queensland
Here are some very recent photos of what is happening at the Lotus Creek Wind Farm site, Connors Ranges, coastal range of Central Queensland. This project has just commenced and will consist of 46 wind towers. The images here show clearing for the first 4 wind towers. The energy provided by this development will generate 0.47% of Queensland electricity requirements … sometimes (based on 30% capacity factor) … and was bought off the plan by state Labor for $1.3 billion . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind sparks debate over whale deaths on the East Coast
As offshore wind turbines rise from the waters off the Northeast coast, so do questions about their impact beneath the surface. In Southern New England, offshore wind turbines first went up in 2016 off Block Island. A year later, the National Marine Fisheries Service declared an Unusual Mortality Event for humpback whales along the Atlantic Coast as whale deaths surged from Maine to Florida. Numbers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, show 28 dead whales washed ashore . . . Complete story »
Plea to block wind farm over thousands of forecast bird deaths
Conservation groups are urging ministers to reject plans for an offshore wind farm which the developer predicts will kill tens of thousands of seabirds. Five charities, led by RSPB Scotland, have written to the first minister to argue that approving Berwick Bank in the Firth of Forth would undermine efforts to protect nature. SSE says it has already amended its designs to minimise any potential risks to Scottish seabirds. The Scottish government, which is considering whether to approve the project, . . . Complete story »
The Feds are hiding their eagle death data
Imagine there is an industry product that is killing thousands a year and the number is growing. The government is tracking it closely, while keeping the data secret in order to protect the product. Outrageous, right? But that is exactly the case with wind power killing eagles. Every wind-killed eagle found at an industrial wind site is quickly reported to the federal Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Every year each site also submits an annual kill report to FWS. None . . . Complete story »
French energy giant ordered to switch off wind turbines that kill endangered birds and bats
EDF wind turbines on a farm in southern France have been ordered to shut down after a court ruled they were to blame for killing scores of protected birds and bats. In what bird lovers are calling a landmark ruling, the Montpellier court held EDF Renouvelables and nine of its subsidiaries responsible for the deaths of 160 bats and birds, especially lesser kestrels, which regularly collide with the blades despite deterrents put in place by operators. Their numbers have seen . . . Complete story »
Researchers warn of the overlap between offshore wind farms and areas of high biodiversity
A predictive model suggests that seabirds and marine mammals forage in the same areas where wind potential is most significant and that their populations may be at risk if wind farms are built there. This is one of the key findings of a study published in the Journal of Environmental Management, the result of a collaboration among researchers from the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), the University of Murcia, the Complutense University of Madrid, and the University of Alicante. . . . Complete story »
