Why aren't cat owners subject to the same laws? Cats are much better at killing birds than windmills.

@Paradigm: Because two can play at that game.

You cropped that picture, there's an enormous turbine the eagle is about to fly into just to the right.

You cropped that picture, there's an enormous turbine the eagle is about to fly into just to the right.

And that, kids, is the circle of life.

And when birds manage to slam into them and fall to their deaths anyway? More birds are killed flying into skyscrapers than wind farms every year from the last I heard from friends who were bio majors.

I second this by just adding that one of the worst bird killers are large glass windows (or scyscrapers out of glass) - these are definitely a problem. Although I'd second that birds don't really hit just brick wall often, but more likely a window - as it reflects sorroundings and the animal thinks it can fly through that way.

The possible solution is using "bird predator imposters" (I'm not sure whether I translated it correctly from my language) - image http://www.harmony-shop.cz/fotky4924/fotos/_vyr_155nalepka-od-krchove-420.jpg - these imposters really work especially for smaller birds and on classical houses decrease the number of birds that hit the windows. Note that on houses, you most likely have small windows and larger bird predators don't even try to fly through them. The problem is with large glass areas.

I'd also second the problem with wind power plant farms and bats (or generally a lot of animals that fly in the night). They use echolocation (bio sonars) which are disturbed by the noise of wind power plants (and it is even worse for farms of wind power plants)... but they are same much disturbed by light caused by city lights (they basically harm the day/night cycle and year cycle for huge amount of insect species, and not just insects).

I don't want to sound like a fully green guy here (I'm definitely not, even though I at least try a bit ... I've even proposed a local law to turn off lights between 12am and 6am, last party declined, I wonder whether I should try again), but as long as money will be more important than anything (and most importantly science and progress), there is no way out of it (and current political scene in whole world just wants to keep status quo (and when some politic says he doesn't, he is lying, nuff said ... got a ton of experience in this area) - which is bad for both, people and environment).

#Servant of the Lord - You don't realize the size of cats and kittens, you mixed images taken from different distance, as this correctly represents how my (and generally all) cat looks in terms of size:

Some are even larger and able to destroy planet whenever they want.

The giant spinning blades are really loud, when I hiked through SoCal on the PCT they were everywhere and sounded like trains. I can only imagine how disruptive to wildlife they must be..

Can't they just, I don't know, put a cage around it?

Can't they just, I don't know, put a cage around it?

I would imagine that if the put a cage around it that was dense enough to keep birds out, it would dramatically reduce the strength of the wind.

I would imagine that if the put a cage around it that was dense enough to keep birds out, it would dramatically reduce the strength of the wind.

It also drastically increases the cost of manufacturing and installing the turbine.

As with solar panels, many turbines only barely break even over their lifetime, so you really can't absorb that extra cost upfront.