Wind turbines murder the Bird of the Century
WOW! Looks at that bird in the Outer Hebrides. It’s that a White-throated Needletail? It’s only ever been spotted in the UK 8 times.
The White-throated Needletail isn’t seen very often in the UK. In fact, the bird, which is the world’s fastest flying bird, hasn’t been spotted in Britain since 1991. That’s why it was such a treat for birdwatchers when the rare bird showed up today in Northumberland.
The Mirror reports:
James Hanlon and three pals drove 17 hours through the night to see the black and white swift on the Isle of Harris, one of Scotland’s Western Isles.
He said: “I was watching it through my binoculars from about 200 metres away.
“One minute it was flying in spectacular fashion. I followed it and then watched as it flew into one of the blades of the wind turbine and vanished. My heart jumped into my mouth. We dashed over to see if it had been killed and sadly found its body on the ground. It was heartbreaking …”
Website Rarebirdalert.co.uk recorded the death today and said it was “widely dubbed the bird of the century”.
Clive Hambler wrote in the Spectator that “renewables pose a far greater threat to wildlife than climate change”.
Harry Huyton, the RSPB’s head of climate change policy and campaigns, writes in the Guardian:
…if you’re mourning for the needletail that died this week, don’t blindly lash out at windpower. Do something about it. Insulate your home, install some solar panels, drive less, buy wildlife-friendly food…
And avoid windmills…
Posted: 1st, July 2013 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
