Date published: 2007/07/03
The BBC says:
Golden eagles are gravely threatened by a £200m wind farm scheme proposed for the Hebridean island of Lewis, campaigners have warned.
Three of the predatory birds a year could be killed in collisions with turbine blades - the highest mortality from any wind power project in the UK.
The figures come from the developer's own environmental statement.
The planned 205 megawatt (mW) Pairc wind farm in south-eastern Lewis would comprise 57 turbines.
Campaigners are also alarmed at the possibility of peat slides in some areas where the 145 metre (475ft) structures are to stand.
Developer Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) found 10 infrastructure sites on the Pairc peninsula were at a high risk of peat slides, a further 16 were considered to be at moderate risk.
"The eagle kill is pretty horrific, as is the threat of peat slide," said Catriona Campbell, of anti-wind farm group Moorland Without Turbines (MWT).
Golden eagles are on the Amber list of birds of conservation concern and are afforded the highest level of protection under UK law. There are about 60 pairs in total on Lewis.
"[Pairc] is a significant site, not only for golden eagles but also for sea eagles," said Martin Scott, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Western Isles conservation officer.
The site has a high density of eagles in a relatively small area. There are three to four golden eagle pairs in the vicinity of the wind farm, with one pair nesting at the heart of the site.
Extrapolating the figure of three deaths per year over the project's 25-year lifetime arrives at a figure of 76 golden eagles killed in collisions over the course of the scheme.
Proponents of the wind farm say the actual figure would be much lower. They argue that once the pair whose territory is centred on the new farm is lost, a void will exist, causing the eagle mortality to drop off after the first few years.
Every source of energy has downsides, and bird death is one of the downsides of wind power. On the other hand, the way the "campaigners" are treating the situation is just political opportunism. Hopefully the Scottish executive will be able to make a sensible decision on the application considering all the factors.
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