[TowerTalk] Birds

[Ed - K0iL]

On Tuesday, 11 July, 2000 7:08 AM, Jim Idelson [SMTP:k1ir@designet.com] 
wrote:
> The Boston Globe had front page story on the bird/tower study. The 
article made
> it clear that the problem is associated only with LIGHTED towers. 
Apparently,
> these bird disasters occur at night, only near lighted towers. The 
article goes
> on to explain that the birds' navigation systems attract them to lights 
when
> flying at night. The study seems to indicate that towers lighted with
> continuously glowing red lights are particularly attractive to the birds. 
The
> Globe suggested that a solution might be to use more white strobe lights
> instead of the red incandescent lights, since it appears that the strobes 
are
> less attractive to the birds.

I beleive strobes are only allowed during the day for most towers since 
nearby residents would be upset with that bright flashing all night long. 
 The strobes are a lot brighter than the red blinkers.

> Please be careful in your responses to these kinds of studies. We need to 
> listen carefully to research that is well-designed - even if it works 
against
> our objectives in some ways.

I'd agree if it we're indeed a "well designed" study, but I really don't 
think that's the case here.  Like the one fella said, kitty cats kill far 
more birds than towers probably because theirs more of them.  I'll bet 
cities and human civilization in general cause a great deal of death to the 
animal kingdom so should we dismantle our civilization for their benefit? 
 I think not!  Let's be sensible, not rediculous.

73,
de ed -K0iL
Read Science Under Siege
 to really understand environ-mentalists.


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