1. Wind Farms and Red Kites

2. THIS ALLOWED THE LPO TO LEND ITS FULL MORAL SUPPORT TO THE WIND INDUSTRY

3. The red kite is under threat in a number of European countries
The read kite is under threat in a number of European countries. The causes include poisoning, electrocution, closures of garbage dumps, shortages of live prey, shooting, predation (racoons), etc.
The causes include poisoning, closures of garbage dumps and feeding stations, shortages of live prey, electrocution, shooting, predation of the broods (e.g. by introduced species like racoons), etc.

4. And here is a new one www.assignmentpoint.com
Now we have an additional threat
And here is a new one

6. N O T A F R I D
NOT AFRAID

7. BLADES CAN TRAVEL AT 300 KMH AT THE TIP www.assignmentpoint.com
ROTORS APPEAR TO TURN SLOWLY
BUT BLADES CAN TRAVEL AT 300 KMH AT THE TIP
BLADES CAN TRAVEL AT
300 KMH AT THE TIP

8. HALF A WING CHOPPED… www.assignmentpoint.com
THIS RED KITE HAD ITS WING SEVERED
BY A WIND TURBINE BLADE IN WALES
HALF A WING CHOPPED…

9. SLICED DOWN THE MIDDLE…
THIS RED KITE WAS CUT THROUGH THE MIDDLE
BY A WIND TURBINE IN GERMANY
SLICED DOWN THE MIDDLE…

10. Griffon Vulture : SMASHED www.assignmentpoint.com Griffon vulture
Tarifa, Spain

12. VULTURE MORTALITY IN SPAIN :
- Lekuona report, turbines  409 griffon vultures
- North of Soria : 200 griffon vult.
North of Castellón : 273 wind turbines  177 griffon vultures
one windfarm in Western Navarre  over 100 griffon vultures
Tarifa  dozens of griffon vultures (and 6 egyptian vultures)
No cumulative study…
1,000-2,000 griffon vultures a year
VULTURE MORTALITY IN SPAIN :
Lekuona report, turbines  409 griffon vultures
North of Soria : 200 griffon vultures
North of Castellón : 273 wind turbines  177 griffon vultures

13. Courtesy of biologist Joris Everaert, Belgium
Courtesy of Joris Everaert
Courtesy of biologist Joris Everaert, Belgium

14. BIRD MORTALITY STATISTICS AT WINDFARMS IN GERMANY
116 Red kites Black kites Buzzards Kestrels 40 WT sea eagles
Red kites Black kites
122 Buzzards Kestrels 40 White-tailed eagles

15. IT IS THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG www.assignmentpoint.com TIP OF THE

16. ARE KILLED BY WIND TURBINES IN GERMANY
ANNUALLY,
RED KITES
ARE KILLED BY WIND TURBINES IN GERMANY
( as estimated by Ubbo Mammen, speaker at the Symposium )
ANNUALLY, RED KITES ARE KILLED BY WIND TURBINES IN GERMANY
( estimate by Ubbo Mammen, speaker at the Symposium )

17. SPAIN : SOME RED KITES REPORTED KILLED SHODDY MONITORING
REMOVAL OF CARCASSES
OPACITY
TAMPERING WITH DATA
SPAIN : RED KITES REPORTED KILLED IN A NUMBER OF PROVINCES, BUT

18. UK : TWO RED KITES KILLED IN WALES, ONE IN SCOTLAND
VERY LITTLE MONITORING
BIASED STUDIES
COVERING UP MORTALITY

19. LITTLE MONITORING IF ANY
FRANCE : TWO RED KITES
CARCASSES FOUND
LITTLE MONITORING IF ANY
FRANCE : THREE RED KITES CARCASSES FOUND

20. ITALY Stefano Allavena, president of ALTURA
Association for the Protection of Birds of Prey and of their Habitats, Rome
Stefano Allavena is an ornithologist, and is president of the ”Associazione per la Tutela degli Uccelli Rapaci e dei loro Ambienti” (ALTURA)
(Association for Protection of Birds of Prey and of their Habitats).

21. Read emails from Mr Allavena : URL in next frame 
READ S ATTACHED
Read s from Mr Allavena : URL in next frame 

22. LINK TO THE 3 EMAILS FROM MR ALLAVENA :

23. In all likelihood, their disappearance is due to death by collision, for there is no evidence that red kites are afraid of windfarms. Besides, open-space raptors are often seen flying close to wind turbines (Dr Lekuona 2001, Dr. Smallwood 2004)
As there is no evidence that red kites, or any raptor for that matter, is afraid of wind turbines, but there is plenty of evidence that they fly close to them, their disappearance is due in all likelyhood to death by collision.

24. There are only 310-400 breeding pairs of Red Kites in Italy.
ALTURA warn that 15,000 wind turbines in their country would be a major factor in the extirpation of the Red Kite, the Egyptian Vulture, and the Bonelli’s Eagle.
There are only breeding pairs of Red Kites in Italy. ALTURA, the Association for the Protection of Birds of Prey and of their Habitats, is concerned that 15,000 wind turbines to be built will precipitate the extirpation of the Red Kite, the Egyptiam Vulture, and the Bonelli’s Eagle from Italy.

25. 3,750,000 WIND TURBINES WORLDWIDE
THE WIND INDUSTRY PLANS TO ERECT
3 MILLION WINDFARMS IN THE WORLD
THE WIND INDUSTRY PLANS TO ERECT
3,750,000 WIND TURBINES WORLDWIDE

26. + 200 birds/km/new High Tension lines = 250 million birds/year
25 birds/turbine/year
+ 200 birds/km/new High Tension lines
= 250 million
birds/year
At 25 birds/turbine/year, and 200 birds/km /Htline = 250 million birds a year.

28. Courtesy of biologist Joris Everaert, Belgium
Courtesy of Joris Everaert
Courtesy of biologist Joris Everaert, Belgium

29. Courtesy of biologist Joris Everaert, Belgium

31. Mostly unsuccessful WILL MITIGATION HELP? THE ALTAMONT EXPERIENCE
- Moving the turbines
Repowering
Land management
Stopping the turbines part time
Mostly unsuccessful
WILL MITIGATION HELP?

32. THE TASMANIAN MITIGATION (WOOLNORTH windfarm) unsuccessful RADARS impractical THE SMOLA-TYPE MITIGATION (the omerta) will cause many more deaths

33. IT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED THAT RAPTORS FLY CLOSER TO WIND TURBINES
IT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED THAT RAPTORS FLY CLOSER TO WIND TURBINES THAN WOULD BE EXPECTED BY CHANCE
IT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED THAT RAPTORS FLY CLOSER TO WIND TURBINES
THAN WOULD BE EXPECTED BY CHANCE ( Thelander et al )

34. The recently-moved topsoil around wind turbines attracts burrow-dwelling rodents that attract raptors.
The latest report from California is the best that was ever written on the subject of windfarms and raptors. It explains

36. The latest report from California found another important reason :
DECLIVITY WINDS

37. Raptors and windfarms use slopes and ridges exposed to the prevailing winds
So basically, raptors and windfarms use the same spots for the same reasons : the wind.
They are therefore on a collisionmcourse, and this

38. Raptors and windfarms are therefore…. on a collision course

39. And the raptors are losing www.assignmentpoint.com

40. White-tailed eagle Norway www.assignmentpoint.com White-tailed eagle

41. Decline of the rare Egyptian vulture: new study, Estación Biológica de Doñana: biggest drop in nest sites where windfarms have been built
Egyptian vulture study by Estación Biológica de Doñana :

42. The new census of the Egyptian vulture population is what led to this finding. Martina Carrete believes that similar conclusions may be drawn about other raptor species when their populations are next censed.
… and Martina Carrete thinks that the conclusions of his study may be applicable to other raptor species, although much information is missing

43. Let’s hope other bird societies will respond before it is too late.
For 6 years, I have myself been trying to warn bird societies that this was bound to occur. Earlier this year, Spanish Birdlife (SEO) responded by an apparent change in policy.
Let’s hope other bird societies will respond before it is too late.
I AM CONCERNED THAT THE SAME WILL HAPPEN ALL OVER EUROPE, INCLUDING THE GOLDEN EAGLES, THE WHITE TAILED EAGLES, THE IMPERIAL EAGLES, THE SHORT-TOED EAGLES, ETC.

44. LATEST REPORT FROM ALTAMONT PASS WINDFARM, CALIFORNIA
(Dr Smallwood et al. 2009)
reveals that mortality at windfarms has been underestimated.

45. 62 tubular-tower wind turbines totalling 22 MW killed by collision 115 raptors per annum - highest raptor/turbine mortality in the world.
Dr Smallwood et al. 2009
62 tubular-tower wind turbines totalling 22 MW are responsible for the death by collision of 50, or 115 raptors per annum, any of these numbers represents the highest raptor/windfarm mortality in the world.

47. - The search frequency bias The crippling bias (previous picture)
UNDERESTIMATION, WHY ?
- The swamping bias
- The no-find bias
- The search frequency bias
The crippling bias (previous picture)
- The radius bias
The outsider bias
(Dr Smallwood et al. 2009)
The swamping bias
The radius bias
The no-find bias
The search frequency bias
The removal by humans bias

48. CONCLUSION :
Unless a minimum setback of 3 km is respected between wind turbines and red kites’ nests and roosting places, the red kite could be headed for extinction.
CONCLUSION
Unless the European Commission decides to enforce its Birds and Habitats Directives, and national governments take the protection of wildlife seriously, the red kite species is headed for extinction.