Are bird kills a problem at wind generation sites?
A. Our experience at our research facility showed that bird kills are unusual. Desert Sky is not located in bird flyways, and its use of tubular steel poles (instead of lattice towers) and underground electric lines on top of the mesa wherever possible (instead of overhead) minimizes the potential for birds coming in contact with the wind turbines. The American Wind Energy Association (see environmental section of Frequently Asked Questions) says, “Birds and bats occasionally collide with wind turbines, as they do with other tall structures such as buildings. Avian deaths have become a concern at Altamont Pass in California, which is an area of extensive wind development and also high year-round raptor use. Detailed studies, and monitoring following construction, at other wind development areas indicate that this is a site-specific issue that will not be a problem at most potential wind sites. Also, wind’s overall impact on birds is low compared with other human-related sources of avia
