Hacker News Reader

Comment by dreamcompiler | Hacker News Reader

I'm all for reducing avian fatalities from wind turbines. But it's also important to understand that this is not going to make a significant dent in how many birds are killed by human causes. Glass buildings kill 2500 times as many birds as wind turbines. House cats kill 10,000 times as many.

https://www.statista.com/chart/amp/15195/wind-turbines-are-n...

View on HN

It will make a significant difference for specific species of birds, such as assorted eagles and other raptors, that generally live away from cities with their tall glass buildings, and that would quickly kill any house cat foolish enough to try to take them.

Wind turbines tend to be built in the same kind of places those birds hunt.

True. Residents of Juneau know not to let cats and small dogs play outside because eagles will take them.

So yeah, I'm all for this technology but it bugs me that we hear so many people who are obviously trying to defend fossil fuels and denigrate renewables couch their rhetoric in terms of "the poor birds!" Yet we never hear them advocate bird-saving technology for tall buildings (which does exist) or keeping house cats indoors.

Yeah, I saw a pro-logging meme that said sarcastically "Save a tree, wipe your &$$ with an owl." (context: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/owl-ruling-halts-l...)

You know it's disingenuous.

As do those who have coyote populations. I wonder if the bird life has been studied, where cats are less likely to be allowed outside.

Famous writer Jonathan Franzen has become very involved with birds, and wrote about cats being really bad for birds and therefore the environment [0].

[0]: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-war-on-cats-jonathan-franz...

Pretty much this. If you have a cat, keep it indoors! A bell on the collar isn't enough.

Yup, cats will learn very quickly how to move while keeping the bell quiet

The type of solar plant that uses mirrors to reflect sunlight to a focal point also vaporizes some # of birds per year, likely negligible though compared to the causes you listed.

Source? That sounds awesome. I mean, terrible. >_>

https://www.sciencealert.com/this-solar-plant-accidentally-i...

There's another big one in southern Spain which I saw from the air on a flight a while ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS10_solar_power_plant

Here's the famous SoCal one which is impressive to drive by: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanpah_Solar_Power_Facility

Instead of using photovoltaic panels (PV), they're called CSP - concentrating solar power. Basically concentrate a bunch of heat on a tower and drive a steam turbine to generate power.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentrated_solar_power

WSJ reporting on some controversy in the past: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ivanpah-solar-plant-may-be-forc...

A training room in Texas would routinely be interrupted by a loud bang against the window.

Without missing a beat the instructor would calm the students by explaining that it was just the local eagle.

It was a daily occurrence by the same eagle.

His nest was visible outside the window.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com