B.C. by Mastroianni and Hart for December 17, 2022

and yet you cannot invent a shotgun?

Catcher you say ?

Hoo boy … that’s opening a big ol’ can of worms.

The joke was funny, but let’s set a clear picture:.

“Window strikes – estimated to kill 976 million birds/year – Millions of houses and buildings, with their billions of windows, pose a significant threat to birds. Birds see the natural habitat mirrored in the glass and fly directly into the window, causing injury and, in 50% or more of the cases, death.”.

“Domestic and Feral Cats – may kill 500 million birds per year or more.”.

“High tension line collisions – may kill up to 174 million birds per year.”.

“Cars may kill 60 million birds per year.  Of over 8 million lane miles of roads in the US, 6.3 million are in rural areas where most birds are presumably killed.”.

“Wind turbines may kill 33,000 birds per year, and, as in the case of electrocutions, these birds tend to be large and scarce (e.g. raptors). ".

And sport hunting takes 15 million or more birds per year. Windmills don’t bother me.

While we recognize the need to produce more power more cheaply, as with any new environmental modification, there are side effects.

Read somewhere that the easily misjudged blade speeds combined with the sharp taper of the blades cause many bird strikes. Have no clue as to whether that is accurate. Still we hate to see reports of increasing loss of bird life.

From another viewpoint, on our travels through the western states, we came to really regret the natural views that were nearly obliterated by windmill farms. Doubt solar farms are anymore picturesque.

Wind turbines, please. They are not milling any grain.

More birds are killed by domestic cats

putting hunters out of business?

“Windmills kill birds.” This is a regular whine from climate-change-denying conservatives. Perhaps a cartoonist of a comic strip set in prehistoric times naturally prefers to burn the CO2-releasing fossil fuels, oil and coal, created from all the dinosaurs the cartoonist likes to draw.

Two points here: the large windmills used for generating electric power move at a much slower speed due to their wing span; and, secondly, cats kill more birds than windmills. Should we ban cats.

“Birds perceive areas traveled by spinning blades as open space, unaware that blade tips are moving at up to 180 mph.” https://windmillskill.com/blog/windfarms-kill-10-20-times-more-previously-thought

Is this before it was known that wind turbines cause cancer?

Blades of Gory

It seems to work. You going to fry that bird or roast it?

Just read an article (somewhere, sometime, maybe from one of my conservation groups) where some places are training falcons/hawks to “patrol” areas around wind turbines to keep birds from flying to their deaths. Interesting concept. . .

“…wind farms killed approximately seven thousand birds in the United States in 2006 but nuclear plants killed about 327,000 and fossil-fueled power plants 14.5 million…” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421509001074

We used to live in a small town that was on the Mississippi Flyway. Amazing how many species of birds one can see.

2 windmills are standing next to each other and one says, “What kind of music do you like?”

The other says, “Well I’m a big metal fan.”

Those claiming to be pro-environment in their support of windmills never agree to the added cost of placing cages over the blades as they have on fans for humans. Seems the environment is okay as long as it isn’t expensive.

Bird Lives Matter. Knock off this windmill crap that does more more harm than good all in the name of clean energy that a costs more and does less and less efficiently than other ways. The only people who get anything out of the windmill fiasco is the company that makes them (probably Chinese) and the people who put them up. That said, let the Kool Aid drinking deniers begin…

Especially American Eagles — tragic

There’s apparently a very simple and inexpensive solution to the bird problem around windmills… Just paint one blade a different color. It seems black and red are among the most visible to birds, and with it sweeping through the air, they maneuver to avoid it.

Nice on PETA can accept this with no problem. Hypocrites!

Next invention: The windshield. Followed by the large living room window. This is the past of course. In 3025 god allows birds to evolve and ignore their reflections. Alas, by 3026 windmills are still their nemesis.

Wind power will never be enough for all the people – it’s a stupid concept from the beginning.

…..not to mention planes, trains and automobiles….

The windmill designs we see today will evolve into designs without blades, where the columns themselves will vibrate to generate electricity.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/16/good-vibrations-bladeless-turbines-could-bring-wind-power-to-your-home

What our ‘illustrious’ administration won’t tell you regarding how many thousands of migratory birds are killed yearly by these archaic windmills!

“What’s that?” / “My new invention. Climate change.”/ “What’s it do?”/ “Destroys the environment causing millions of deaths, trillions in damage, and even kills more birds than a… uh… windmill.”/ “Oh, bet if you mention that, you’ll be attacked by trolls.”/ “GROOOOOG!!!!”

Catches urban legends too!

Rivets? Well, the whole thing could be bronze, or if an earlier age, then aliens.

What about bird flu? It kills millions of birds yearly, including millions of edible birds being farmed for humans to eat. People who put up bird feeders and other ways to get birds to congregate to entertain their cats also help spread bird fu and kill the birds. One of those birds died on my porch, and I don’t ever feed any wildlife. The flu gives them an eye infection, they go blind, and then they slowly die of starvation and dehydration. I had to clean the bird up – it weighed almost nothing. It really suffered.

Obviously one of the last models made before human civilization ended due to Human Caused Global Warming got too hot for any ice or snow in the world and a green Antartica.The molecular fabricator worked overtime to create the metal parts etc. and stand it up.

Don’t put those things too close to any government building. All that hot air would overload the entire power grid.

Wind turbines are fine. As long as they are not in my backyard.

And in many cases that is their most efficient use.