Bird death numbers don’t add up

Re: “Bird, bat death issue deserves more balance,” Oct. 21.

The provincial government says each wind turbine will kill up to three birds and seven bats annually. It says the total wind turbine bird and bat deaths per year will be under 9,000 and that 95 per cent of bird kills are caused by windows, cats, vehicles and power lines.

If one searches “Spanish wind turbine bird kills,” there is an article by the Spanish Society of Ornithology stating that Spain’s 18,000 wind turbines kill between six million and 18 million birds and bats a year, and that each turbine is responsible for between 333 and 1,000 deaths per year. The article goes on to state that in 1993, birds kills alone (no bats) in Germany was 309 birds per turbine, and in Sweden, 895 bird kills per turbine.

With number differentials like these, one can only conclude that Alberta birds are smarter than Spanish, German and Swedish birds, there are way more birds in Europe than in Alberta, or somebody or some department is cooking numbers to further their political agenda.

The editorial mentioned that the owner of the tailing pond in 2008 that killed 1,600 ducks received a $3-million fine. Wow, comparing 1,600 bird deaths seems like we are beating a dead cat when 18 million bird and bat deaths are predicted in a county similar in size to Alberta. Bill Simpson, Calgary