Yesterday morning, driving along the main road back to Tarbert in the Outer Hebrides, we came across a large group of people parked up by the roadside, accompanied by their cameras and waterproofs. Perhaps they’ve spotted the Sea Eagle, we thought, and went to find out. But no, it was the White-throated Needletail. This bird, which winters in Australia and had only been spotted in the UK eight times before, is a type of Swift and the world’s fastest-flying bird. We stayed for a while to catch a glimpse, with many others pitching up too. It was quite a scene.
This afternoon, however, news has reached the mainland that this very same White-throated Needletail is no more, having flown straight into one of the island’s wind turbines where it ‘was killed instantly’.
This small tragedy raises the issue of just how much damage wind turbines might cause to wildlife – and particularly birds and bats. As Clive Hambler wrote in the Spectator in January, ‘renewables pose a far greater threat to wildlife than climate change’. Plans are in place to build a 36-turbine windfarm on the northern part of the island in Lewis. The initial application – to build 42 turbines – was then adjusted to 36 turbines, with the RSPB and Scottish National Heritage both withdrawing their objections after the 6 ‘most hazardous turbines’ were removed from the application. Locals hope that the community-owned windfarm will bring substantial profits to the island and help regenerate the area. But bird-watchers, on the other hand, might not be quite so keen on the plans.
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