Golden Eagles under threat from Windfarm Proposal: last chance to protest

[deborah4]

UPDATE received today re: the Allt Dearg Windfarm Application, Argyll

Allt Dearg Wind Farm: a Landscape, Visual & Wildlife Disaster
Above Loch's Fyne & Coalisport Argyll; under 5km from the nearest Golden Eagle nest and within an important dispersion area for immature Golden Eagles

Despite very serious objections from Scottish Natural Heritage concerning the proposals huge landscape, visual and wildlife impact, npower renewables are still pursuing their planning application for Allt Dear wind farm above The Knapdale National Scenic Area. AWF understand the application will be decided upon over the summer and this is our last chance to raise the level of objections which already exceed 1100. If you have not done so, we ask you to consider objecting and /or to encourage others to object to this truly appalling wind farm application.

For full information and to object in under one minute using our simplified online form.

Please visit:
www.stopalltdearg.com

(QUOTE)Alan Stobie
On behalf of AWF

[Ben Nevis]

:hi: Please,please sign the petition ? It shall only take 2 minutes of your time.

[Barred Wobbler]

Signed.

[Perry Grin]

Done. Had some problems loading the site so be patient and try refresh!

[Dean Powell]

I've signed and made my views known.

Dean

Cheadle Birder

[Grousemore]

Signed, largely on instinct.

[alexf]

Signed...Do the people who decide where to put these never go out with their eyes open?

[Ben Nevis]

Thanks to all who have signed.If you have not done so yet,please do ?

[Sandra (Taylor)]

Five more signatures

Sandra

[shoshone]

Five more signatures

Sandra

One more here
Jamie

[deborah4]

Thanks for your signatures

Not only GE's at risk but also ospreys, hen harriers and black and red-throated divers.

[Henry B]

Bump.....>>>>><<<<<

[Tyke]

Signed, largely on instinct.

I was sent this email today Grousemore:-

"Allt Dearg windfarm project, Argyll



Npowers map, attached, shows their proposed wind farm to be slap in the middle
of one of Argylls biggest dispersion areas for young golden eagles (yellow area in map eagles2).
Adult eagles also use the area : see map eagles1.

And here is the letter from an ornithologist.


"Sirs,

I undertook the first wind farm surveys here (east of Meal Mhor-Stob Odhar) on behalf of npowergen for Natural Research Ltd. in 2002.
I saw five different Golden Eagles in one hour on the edge of this site. Also breeding Black Grouse (female with chicks) and Golden Plover, near daily Red-throated Diver movement at turbine rotor height across site to Loch Fyne.
Faithfully,
James Wolstencroft
PO Box 8258 (formerly of Tarbert Loch Fyne)
ARUSHA
Tanzania "

I hope it convinces you that your instinct is spot on.

Regards

Colin

[deborah4]

I was sent this email today Grousemore:-



Yes, all this is on the link that came with the email, so click on link in first post if anyone wants any more info.

[Grousemore]

I was sent this email today Grousemore:-

"Allt Dearg windfarm project, Argyll

I hope it convinces you that your instinct is spot on.

Regards

Colin

Certainly does, Colin,( now having had time to consider the issue properly),
thanks for taking the trouble.

[saluki]

Certainly does, Colin,( now having had time to consider the issue properly),
thanks for taking the trouble.

My uncle was in the area last week doing a hill top survey (for SNH I think). He found curlew and red grouse nests (somewhat rare on the west coast) and a male hen harrier mobbing an aldult golden eagle.

He also expressed his concern re. red-throated divers. Apparently npowergen have employed someone to site diver rafts, pressumably so that the r. throats are kept away from the turbines when travelling to and from L. Fyne. My uncle's been putting out rafts for over twenty years, they don't always use the lochans you want them to use! He's had rt divers nesting on the shore, despite there being a much safer artificial raft available on the same lochan. It might be very difficult to pursuade birds to vacate certain traditional nesting lochans just by siting a raft on what, to us, looks like ideal rt habitat.

I've signed - though I don't know how effective such petitions are.

Jonathan

[deborah4]

Some more background to the Application, for those interested .... please consider signing petition/encourage others to, if you haven't already.


According to AWF, the ES was ''fundamentally flawed'' and downplayed the impact on important ornithological and blanket bog (peat) sites in the area. No survey was done on the depth of the bog and erosion/failure of the bog as a result of development is a high risk.

The ES states 18 different species of birds were seen flying within100 m of at least one proposed turbine site, including several of high conservation concern. Golden Eagle, Hen Harrier, RT Diver, SEO, Snow Bunting, Snipe, Greylag, Golden Plover and Whoopers would all be at risk of collision.

A single observer was used for the ES survey, so results can not be confirmed and it provides only a snapshot of just 4.6% of the annual bird activity during good weather. This is compared to the radar Raptor studies at Largie, which showed more flight lines than those observed by single vantage points or walk over surveys. The Allt Dearg site straddles one of the single largest patches of immature eagle habitat in mainland Argyll, representing 10% of the total available habitat. It is recognised as a major eagle dispersal area.

The proposed wind farm would result in a loss of 780ha/12.5% of the patch, leaving a barrier between two remaining fragments which may increase collision risk and reduce usage of remaining fragments. As a result, its possible overall reduction would be greater than 12.5% of the usable habitat in Argyll.

The ES states GE's are expected to experience reduction in breeding success and will be displaced. However, no data has been provided for accumulative eagle habitat loss in the ES, but it must be doubtful that mitigation could offset such a significant loss of habitat for visiting and local eagle populations. With at least 7 dispersal areas in Argyll constrained by wind farms, AWF believes serious consideration needs to be given as to whether development at Argyll would tip cummulative eagle habitat loss into significance for long term population counts.

As far as other species, apart from effort to ''minimise disturbance'' during construction, no mitigation measures have been detailed for nesting Divers at the Knapdale Lochs which are SSSI sites and some of the construction activity will take place very near to these important nesting areas.