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Fair Isle Bird Obs Plans (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter RecoveringScot
- Start date
Farnboro John
Well-known member
My two penn'orth: don't put cladding on it.....
John
John
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
:t::t::t:
Build it from local stone, to match the rest of the buildings on the island, would be my suggestion.
Probably prohibitively expensive though . . .
SimonLS
Well-known member
A chance for some great PR for the insurance company. If only its chairman were a birder ...
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
Presumably an additional attraction to migrants / vagrants?
PYRTLE
Old Berkshire Boy
Surely would be frowned upon Andy, by both the planners and the network of bird observatories - not really cricket is it.
KenM
Well-known member
Surely the obs is a commercial enterprise? LED (much reduced carbon footprint) white lights would attract more migrants...thus more bang for your buck?
Having monitored Canary Wharf for 5 years + I can speak with a modicum of experience.
Cheers
PYRTLE
Old Berkshire Boy
Maybe I 've gotten the gist of bird observatories totally wrong. I thought they were scientific bases with charity status, principally for the study of migration of birds, with the early description of " not being for profit educational learning" as an early mission statement.
Canary Wharf was constructed purely as a commercial enterprise - the attraction of birds to the lighting was purely an incidental occurence ( by product ), not at all why the structure was built. Very very different purpose.
I appreciate many " charitable" organizations are run on a business model to provide surplus funds but am aware of problems ( eg Spurn ) where lighting systems were / are deemed wholly unsuitable and inappropriate and against the planning conditions granted.
No unneccessary lights is an even better example of carbon footprint reduction. We'll agree to disagree on that issue Ken.
P
PS What field of experience does your 5 years at Canary Wharf give you? Yes, perhaps a report on birds found attracted to or dead by collision into the building, I dont know.
I dislike the phrase, " More bang for your buck." Its vulgar and another example of Americanism creeping into the English language. There, I feel much better. Night, night ( if the light pollution let's you sleep).
Canary Wharf was constructed purely as a commercial enterprise - the attraction of birds to the lighting was purely an incidental occurence ( by product ), not at all why the structure was built. Very very different purpose.
I appreciate many " charitable" organizations are run on a business model to provide surplus funds but am aware of problems ( eg Spurn ) where lighting systems were / are deemed wholly unsuitable and inappropriate and against the planning conditions granted.
No unneccessary lights is an even better example of carbon footprint reduction. We'll agree to disagree on that issue Ken.
P
PS What field of experience does your 5 years at Canary Wharf give you? Yes, perhaps a report on birds found attracted to or dead by collision into the building, I dont know.
I dislike the phrase, " More bang for your buck." Its vulgar and another example of Americanism creeping into the English language. There, I feel much better. Night, night ( if the light pollution let's you sleep).
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rollingthunder
Well-known member
What purpose would lighting serve? It would be a distraction to birds who are using their built in navigational aids - what an inappropriate suggestion imho.
The island already has a light emitting aid - it’s called a lighthouse:eek!:
Cladding wasn’t needed in the recent fire as the Obs was made of wood. Having only been built in 2010 at a cost of £4M.
Having never visited, despite a girlfriend having been an assistant cook in the early 80’s, i have no idea what material has been used for the island buildings. The only reference i can find to quarrying was the mining of 15 tons of material in 1912 that had Copper as the main constituent with other minerals in situ. Presumably ore found cheaper elsewhere in the World made that commercially unviable. There will undoubtably be surface stone that has been used here and there either for building features or more generally for drystone walls or dykes:t:
Laurie -
The island already has a light emitting aid - it’s called a lighthouse:eek!:
Cladding wasn’t needed in the recent fire as the Obs was made of wood. Having only been built in 2010 at a cost of £4M.
Having never visited, despite a girlfriend having been an assistant cook in the early 80’s, i have no idea what material has been used for the island buildings. The only reference i can find to quarrying was the mining of 15 tons of material in 1912 that had Copper as the main constituent with other minerals in situ. Presumably ore found cheaper elsewhere in the World made that commercially unviable. There will undoubtably be surface stone that has been used here and there either for building features or more generally for drystone walls or dykes:t:
Laurie -
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
Agree Pat, I was only guessing at why he suggested it.
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
It's proven that lighting affects the number of birds caught as at Fagburry Cliff where, when the lighting type was changed at the nearby port, it virtually finished the place off as a ringing station AFAIR.
As for affecting migrants ability to migrate, visible lighting could be a beacon that makes a rarity land on the islands instead of drowning?
I agree though, it would be a blight and very unlikely to be approved.
KenM
Well-known member
I’ve never been to Fair Isle, thus I’m “in the dark” regarding the general layout of the observatory relative to the position of the lighthouse? I’m aware of the effect of white light on invertebrates, fish and birds...there is ample evidence of “light attraction” to these organisms. My question was simply...would there be any provision/consideration for additional supplementary LED lighting for the reasons given in my previous post.
During my monitoring period at Canary Wharf “the falls” could be on occasion quite spectacular, unfortunately the “lights” used at the time were not LED, thus leaving a bigger “footprint”. With the advent of LEDS being almost 90% clean, there may be occasions when if “used” during optimum conditions they might prove to be more advantageous in attracting more migrants for the ringers, possibly increasing the yield and the forthcoming data from the sampling?
Thankfully Pat, not being a quintessential Englishman, I don’t suffer the indignities of US slang and the usage of....indeed I find “coming to the point” preferable to “beating round the bush” so to speak OK?
During my monitoring period at Canary Wharf “the falls” could be on occasion quite spectacular, unfortunately the “lights” used at the time were not LED, thus leaving a bigger “footprint”. With the advent of LEDS being almost 90% clean, there may be occasions when if “used” during optimum conditions they might prove to be more advantageous in attracting more migrants for the ringers, possibly increasing the yield and the forthcoming data from the sampling?
Thankfully Pat, not being a quintessential Englishman, I don’t suffer the indignities of US slang and the usage of....indeed I find “coming to the point” preferable to “beating round the bush” so to speak OK?
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Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
Who is Roy?
KenM
Well-known member
Pyrtle I believe?
Pyrtle is Pat methinks?
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
Nope.
KenM
Well-known member
PYRTLE
Old Berkshire Boy
Many thanks for your reply Ken. Monitoring and recording I've done too but qualified and an expert, I'm definitely not.
Did you ascertain why the spectacular falls occurred and can you safely determine the cause was attributed to the lights of Canary Tower? I've experienced amazing falls in North Norfolk, ( Holkham / Wells Wood / Salthouse etc) purely down to weather conditions, not a beacon in sight.
Just for you, " Have a nice day bud."
Pat
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