Birds and Bats

On December 31, 2004, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued a response to the Avian Risk Assessment put forward by Chautauqua Windpower LLC and their consultants. (More Information)

Birds

There are two issues to consider with respect to birds in the area - (1) migratory birds and (2) the resident bird population. The Ripley Hawk Watch is an organization that tracks the migration of raptors through the area. Some of the species that they have documented in the area which are endangered species include Golden Eagles and Peregrine Falcons. Threatened species include Bald Eagles and Northern Harriers and species of special concern include Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Coopers Hawk. A large variety of other migratory species also use this area as their flyway. The resident bird population includes a variety of hawks and two nests of bald eagles. These eagles hunt in the creeks and ponds in the area, as well as Lake Erie, and have been seen flying along the line where the wind turbines would be placed. Part of their territorial behavior involves "patrolling" the area of their nests. The updrafts along the ridge make the ridge an excellent path for this activity. At a meeting on June 15, 2004, representatives of the company said that the eagles fly to Lake Erie to hunt and rarely if ever fly along the ridge line. This is interesting since there have been sightings of these birds hunting the streams and ponds at the top of the ridge and have been seen flying in the exact area where Chautauqua Wind Power wants to place some of their turbines.

In the presentation of the Avian Risk Study on June 15, 2004 at Eason Hall in Westfield, representatives of Chautauqua Wind Power LLC and Ecology & Environment Inc. told the citizens that there was a very low risk to birds, both migrating and resident. There are some causes for concern in the way that they came to their findings. In the case of migratory species, their study data encompassed one year. At the information meeting, they kept using the word typically as though it meant something but they failed to consider whether or not the migration that year was typical - only a multi year study could confirm this. They also showed no data to suggest that the site they had selected for this Industrial Wind Power Project was in any way typical. The second question raised is that of the resident bird population. According to their representatives, they extrapolated the migratory data to extend to one year. Differences in bahaviour between migrating and resident species were not considered - there is a big difference between a bird flying past and one that is here for a while. An analogy would be someone driving past Westfield on the interstate rather than through our town streets to go shopping. Another claim that the representatives of Chautauqua Wind Power LLC made in their Avian Risk Assessment is that bird kill would be "biologically insignificant." If one of the resident bald eagles were to be killed by these turbines, that would represent 50% of the breeding pairs in this area. I would hardly call that insignificant.

The following quote is from Chautauqua Wind Power LLC's summary of the Avian Risk Assessment: "Based on existing data sources reporting the percent mortality experienced for each avian group in the migration versus non migration seasons, the seasonal mortalities are then adjusted proportionally to yield an estimate of the total annual mortality for each avian group (i.e., raptors and landbirds)." This statement clearly shows that only numbers and not behavioural differences between migrating and resident birds was considered. Also in this report, they claim that the resident Bald Eagles are not at risk because their flight paths for foraging are not near the proposed sites of the wind turbines. The simple truth of the matter is that the Bald Eagles forage the ponds and streams in the area, as well as Lake Erie. There have been sightings of these majestic birds in the immediate area where Chautauqua Wind Power LLC wants to place turbines.

In his article entitled Critical review of Chautauqua Windpower, LLC Avian Risk Assessment, William R. Evans responds to the Avian Risk Assessment (20MB pdf) that was put forth by Chautauqua Windpower LLC and Ecology & Environment Inc. Mr Evans' is an expert in nocturnal bird migration and has experience in the field of avian impacts at wind power sites. You can also read the Executive Summary of the Avian Risk Assessment if about 350 pages is too much for one session.

Bill Evans, whose areas of expertise and experience include nocturnal nocturnal bird migration and avian mortality issues at wind turbine sites responds to the Avian Risk Assessment that Chautauqua Windpower LLC and Ecology and Environment Inc have published.

Chautauqua Wind Power LLC claims that the birds will avoid the turbines and stay out of the area. Assuming for a moment that this is true, isn't that a significant loss to the area? Birds eat insects so the insect population might increase with a loss of birds in the area. These insects include mosquitoes which are vectors of diseases like West Nile and the emerging Rift Valley Fever. Birds also eat carrion - with fewer birds, there could be an accumulation of animal carcasses in the area.

Turkey Vultures looking for something to eat. This photo was taken about 600 feet from a proposed turbine site. (Click on this image for a larger version and more information)

The Turkey Vultures are not the only resident birds that soar in the area where the turbines would be located at the height of the blade sweep. This area is home to a variety of birds of prey, including a population of Red Tailed Hawks. These birds of prey control the rodent population

Conny Swacha's letter to the editor addresses this issue beautifully as she recounts the return of the Pheobes to her home.

Who is going to tell the birds not to fly here?

Bats

Bats are another important part of the environment in the area on the ridge in Westfield and Ripley. This area has a mix of forest, fields and wetlands - prime mosquito breeding grounds - and the bats in the area are the primary control for these and other night flying insects. Remember, these mosquitoes are the same ones that our authorities are telling us carry West Nile Virus and the emerging Rift Valley Fever. Large wind turbines are a know source of bat kill. In the summer of 2003 at the 44 turbine Mountaineer Project in West Virginia, weekly surveys showed that an estimated 2092 bats of seven species were killed. These surveys were conducted for only half of the season and don't take into account the numbers that were removed by scavengers. The actual number for the entire season could easily have been 4000 bats killed. That amounts to 2,400,000 mosquitoes and other insects per hour that aren't being eaten.