Gamekeepers’ call to monitor impact of windfarms on scottish wildlife

Group says effect may have been massively under-reported

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) believes the impact of the country’s growing number of windfarms on protected wildlife may have been massively under-reported.

It has called for monitoring around turbine sites to be tightened up to provide more accurate information about the part they play.

The gamekeeping body believes its members have been unfairly blamed for an increase in the disappearance of birds of prey and other protected birds.

Gamekeepers on grouse moors were implicated this year when a report concluded up to 41 out of 131 satellite tagged eagles in Scotland may have disappeared over the past 12 years.

Scottish Natural Heritage reported the majority vanished on land used for shooting and ruled out any connection to wind turbines.

The SGA noted its dissatisfaction with those findings but chose not to speak out, focusing instead on condemning wildlife crime.

Now, with more and more highland windfarms in existence and with many of those overlapping with grouse moors, the body said it is duty bound to intervene in the argument.

Its call comes after a report by a consortium, including universities and conservation groups, showed raptors such as sea eagles and golden eagles to be at the highest risk to turbine mortality of all bird species. The SGA says gamekeepers have witnessed raptor mortality at windfarm sites and have located stricken birds in vegetation near turbines.

Chairman Alex Hogg said the body has no issues with renewables, with many estates now augmenting sport shooting with windfarms or hydro schemes, but said members feel postconstruction monitoring codes must be revisited so causes of bird mortality are clearer.

“A code for ongoing monitoring of windfarms, for wildlife impacts would be helpful,” Mr Hogg said.

“Checks exist but are inconsistent and organised by operators themselves, often using maintenance crew.

“We have, ourselves, expelled six members in five years for wildlife crime convictions. However, we disagreed, and still do, with the report’s assumption there would be little motive for wind companies not to report downed birds.

“Our members have witnessed dead raptors under turbines and up to 200 yards from turbine masts – way beyond the 50m radius operators are recommended to search and report.”

A report has shown that raptors such as the golden eagle are at a high risk from wind turbines.