It's all very well to explore alternative forms of energy like wind farms, but the huge turbines are putting Scotland's white-tailed eagle numbers under threat, wildlife charity Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Scotland has said. These concerns were aired after four white-tailed eagles were found dead near a wind farm not far from the Norwegian coast.
RSPB fears that the turbines may have been responsible for the death of these eagles. Especially since two of the dead birds were reportedly sliced into half. The dead birds were found between August and December last year on Smøla, a group of six small islands.
The RSPB also said that more than 30 birds have not returned to their nest sparking fears that many more might have died. "The news from Norway is of great concern to us. If white-tailed eagles have died because of wind turbine collisions there are major implications for our own eagle populations here in Scotland," said Stuart Housden, the director of RSPB Scotland.
He was commenting in light of the fact that a 234-turbine wind farm is being planned on north Lewis. "This environmentally sensitive site is protected under European law and a large wind farm there could have catastrophic implications for a wide variety of bird species - including both species of our native eagles - and the fragile peatland environment as a whole," Housden said.
White-tailed eagles are slowly beginning to increase their numbers thanks to a reintroduction project, RSPB Scotland said. Reacting to these reports, a Department of Trade and Industry statement said that while they were aware of the situation in Norway, no such problems had been reported on wind farms in Britain.
Posted
on : Mon, 30 Jan 2006 02:05 GMT | General News
By : Paula Jenkins
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