Birds Are Vanishing From North America Even More Now
Sweetleaf
Veteran
Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,278
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
I believe it is happening.
I don't believe it will cause a catastrophe, though.
It kind of already is contributing to catastrophes though, arctic ice melting and water rising is no joke.
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Tis the time to melt the Ice.
Strange as it may seem, one of the reasons why there is an uptick in the number of bird deaths is due to the transition to wind farms and solar farms. A recent report out of Great Britain states:
The late Professor David Mackay examined how the UK’s energy system might be decarbonised in the future, publishing his findings in a book entitled Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air. Mackay imagined covering the windiest 10% of the UK with turbines. Mackay’s 61,000 turbines might be expected to cause upwards of 1 million avian fatalities per year and perhaps even several million. Although appalling, it is worth noting that these numbers are small compared to the estimates of the numbers of garden birds taken by domestic cats each year - perhaps as many as 55 million. However, it is worth noting that cats tend to take weak and sickly individuals; wind turbines and electricity cables are not so discriminating. In addition, while cats will take common garden species, windfarms tend to affect:
• species that are rarer or populations that are already under pressure
• species that, because of their foraging habits or sensitivity to disturbance, are likely to be heavily impacted.
One study suggests that the birds most sensitive to windfarms live in precisely those areas
where they willl have to be installed in practice. There will simply be no escape for many of our rarest bird species. The result is likely to be a disaster.
Bats would not escape either. Although bats are not found on the highest mountains, as noted above, these windiest areas are likely to be off limits to windfarms anyway. However, as wind farms are pushed down into less windy areas, they will increasingly come into contact with bats. For example, the distribution of the Pipistrelle bat, one of the UK’s most common species, shows a considerable overlap with areas that are going to have to be used for wind farms. One recent study estimated that the existing wind turbine fleet in the UK might be slaughtering 80,000 bats per year. With Mackay envisaging an increase of nearly an order of magnitude in the number of turbines, it is conceivable that 700,000 bats per year would be killed by the renewables drive, a startling number, when set against a total estimated UK bat population of 2.6 million individuals.
Source: GREEN KILLING MACHINES: The impact of renewable energy on wildlife and nature
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Author of Practical Preparations for a Coronavirus Pandemic.
A very unique plan. As Dr. Paul Thompson wrote, "This is the very best paper on the virus I have ever seen."
The effect can also be seen in Germany
Meanwhile, the federal government plans to double or triple the number of wind tur- bines in Germany. Today there are 28,000 of them, a figure which thus might increase to about 50,000–70,000. In Germany, on average, there is one wind turbine every 2.6 kilometers. And since you cannot build any wind farms in Lake Constance or in cities, the density is even higher in natural environments.
These insects hit wind turbines at 100 metres altitude and their dead bodies cake the turbine blades at certain times of year, causing a significant drop in the energy yield. When I was CEO of REPower, the second largest German wind power manufacturer, we had to develop a new technology to allow us to clean the blades, which required washing at least annually, and sometimes twice each year.
Initial studies estimate that about 1200 billion migratory insects (or 3600 tons) are killed in this way. To give you an idea of the magnitude of this kill rate: it is about 5%. To be clear: 5% of the migrating insects are destroyed in this way. This is an important revelation, which needs to be investigated properly. The German Wildlife Foundation will be researching whether there is a correlation between the rapid expansion of wind turbines and the estimated decrease of flying insects by 75% in the last 20 years.
Source: THE IMPACT OF WIND ENERGY ON WILDLIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
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Author of Practical Preparations for a Coronavirus Pandemic.
A very unique plan. As Dr. Paul Thompson wrote, "This is the very best paper on the virus I have ever seen."
Our rubbish tips are swarming with flocks of gulls picking food refuse.
We don't have rubbish heaps here. The zillions of seagulls here primarily subsist on small fish and other small sea creatures. When I'm at the wharf at night it looks like raindrops are falling on the water. But when I shine my flashlight into the sea water I see it's actually zillions of little fish jumping around. I assume they're going after tiny insects. The same is true of any rivers I'm at at dusk. Fish are jumping all over going after insects. And all the people out fishing are reeling them in.
Why is it that the only thing there is to go by that there is a shortage of any of this stuff are articles on the internet saying so.
The little fish jumping is because they are prey for larger fish and they are avoiding getting eaten. Ocean fish don't eat flying insects.
Our rubbish tips are swarming with flocks of gulls picking food refuse.
We don't have rubbish heaps here. The zillions of seagulls here primarily subsist on small fish and other small sea creatures. When I'm at the wharf at night it looks like raindrops are falling on the water. But when I shine my flashlight into the sea water I see it's actually zillions of little fish jumping around. I assume they're going after tiny insects. The same is true of any rivers I'm at at dusk. Fish are jumping all over going after insects. And all the people out fishing are reeling them in.
Why is it that the only thing there is to go by that there is a shortage of any of this stuff are articles on the internet saying so.
The little fish jumping is because they are prey for larger fish and they are avoiding getting eaten. Ocean fish don't eat flying insects.
I'm not sure what they're doing, but I know there are zillions of them.
I believe it is happening.
I don't believe it will cause a catastrophe, though.
I don't necessarily think it is a conspiracy. I am just saying I don't see any evidence of certain claims being made. Grocery stores are packed to the gills with seafood. Bees are supposed to be going extinct but grocery stores have gallons of honey and also tons of fruit (that starts out as a blossom) and flowers for sale. Not to mention the bazillion wildflowers flowers I see in spring.
If insects are becoming extinct then that should be reflected in the sale of all the things sold to combat insects. Now if I was hearing that people aren't buying bug zappers, bug repellent and bug spray / pesticides because they are not needed any longer, that would concern me. But that is not the case as far as I know.
Spiders that live off insects are just as prolific as ever. There are orb weaver webs everywhere. Anytime I go though any foliage this time of year I'm always having to wipe spider web strands off my face.
However I do think democrats are using the climate change apocalypse scare to persuade people to vote for them.
Our rubbish tips are swarming with flocks of gulls picking food refuse.
We don't have rubbish heaps here. The zillions of seagulls here primarily subsist on small fish and other small sea creatures. When I'm at the wharf at night it looks like raindrops are falling on the water. But when I shine my flashlight into the sea water I see it's actually zillions of little fish jumping around. I assume they're going after tiny insects. The same is true of any rivers I'm at at dusk. Fish are jumping all over going after insects. And all the people out fishing are reeling them in.
Why is it that the only thing there is to go by that there is a shortage of any of this stuff are articles on the internet saying so.
The little fish jumping is because they are prey for larger fish and they are avoiding getting eaten. Ocean fish don't eat flying insects.
I'm not sure what they're doing, but I know there are zillions of them.
There are food chains that sometimes bypass some species (like the ones you are seeing).
BTW there is an effect
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat ... 018540002/
But for some reason the price of fish hasn't dropped? I think the prices are remaining competitive because fishing industry is now controlled by mega-corporations who are still undercutting the smaller fishing vessels. Once the stocks completely dwindle then the bottom will just drop from the fish market.
Our rubbish tips are swarming with flocks of gulls picking food refuse.
We don't have rubbish heaps here. The zillions of seagulls here primarily subsist on small fish and other small sea creatures. When I'm at the wharf at night it looks like raindrops are falling on the water. But when I shine my flashlight into the sea water I see it's actually zillions of little fish jumping around. I assume they're going after tiny insects. The same is true of any rivers I'm at at dusk. Fish are jumping all over going after insects. And all the people out fishing are reeling them in.
Why is it that the only thing there is to go by that there is a shortage of any of this stuff are articles on the internet saying so.
The little fish jumping is because they are prey for larger fish and they are avoiding getting eaten. Ocean fish don't eat flying insects.
I'm not sure what they're doing, but I know there are zillions of them.
There are food chains that sometimes bypass some species (like the ones you are seeing).
BTW there is an effect
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat ... 018540002/
But for some reason the price of fish hasn't dropped? I think the prices are remaining competitive because fishing industry is now controlled by mega-corporations who are still undercutting the smaller fishing vessels. Once the stocks completely dwindle then the bottom will just drop from the fish market.
The price of most everything hasn't dropped. So far there is no indication of a lack of sea-life based on the abundance of seafood available. What you are doing is appealing to prognostication.
Actually I ripped that off a post Darmok made in PPR.
But nonetheless a second ice age coming soon was predicted for a long time.
