The Tilt Renewables Rye Park Windfarm (NSW) has self-reported that their windmills have killed 20 Wedgetail Eagles in 18 months, as they are required to report.

The company “takes seriously” (the hackneyed phrase used by all people and organisations publicly exposed) any impact that their windmills have on the local environment, Tilt says - apart from the appearance-ruining of the environment by their unsightly windmills themselves, apparently.

The mouthpiece for the renewables industry Renew Economy, obstinately says that bird killing is a highly emotive issue “co-opted” by Australian politicians known for their “ideological hatred of renewables”.

They claim that the windmill deaths of Australian wildlife is “taken seriously” by governments, regulators and industry, but only a small number of wind projects have been ruled out by federal or state environment ministers. They can only name one, in Victoria, where a project was approved where ‘construction’ was paused for 5 months a year for the Brolga breeding season. But, what about after the construction is finished? Working windmills do the killing, not construction.

Safety measures have been “opted” (meaning it's a matter of choice) and there are IdentiFlight cameras which, it is claimed, detect birds and shut the windmills down. If these things work, Tilt Renewables didn't have them. And Reform came up with only two windfarms in Tasmania using them. As at 12 months ago, they were still being ‘tested’, to see if “protected birds” could be detected. Not any old birds.

Perhaps these cameras, claimed to be the bees knees in the U.S where they come from, will also be “opted”. Currently, AI names only the two Tasmanian sites as having them.

Suddenly we have a new "environmentalist" in our midst. No one condones the destruction of native wildlife by windmills, or any other human activity. The human death toll cased by pollution from coal fired power generation should also be of great concern.

"Emissions from coal-fired power plants contribute significantly to premature human deaths in Australia, with public health estimates suggesting over 800 premature deaths per year can be attributed directly to the energy sector."

Yes coal is big killer, but doesn't come close to the millions killed by Paul's socialist mates, and the environmental record is horrific as well. The cheap energy from coal also improves living standards and saves lives, which makes it distinct from socialism.

The important thing is that 18 wedgetail eagles were killed, and that is what was reported. What other native animals are being harmed and killed? Is the reporting accurate?

Wedgetail eagles are endangered in Tasmania, so if one wind farm kills eighteen birds in a short period why would you want to cover Tassy in them? To my knowledge, Tasmania's dams represent a much smaller risk to wedgetail eagles.

"Suddenly we have a new "environmentalist" in our midst."

Well, it's always good to see someone caring. Socialists always claim to care for people and the environment, but when they get power the result is always destitution and a toxic wasteland.

Eff the wedgetail eagles! We need clean and green renewables!

Hi Fester,

You disappoint me at times; " to the millions killed by Paul's socialist mates" I don't have any socialist mates that kill millions of people, that I am aware of, if you can tell me their names, or who they are, I'll avoid them in the future.

"The cheap energy from coal also improves living standards and saves lives, which makes it distinct from socialism." Unfortunately there are those who can only see this in political terms, and not in economic and environmental. Okay, I was unaware that coal was something or other, but not socialist, I thought it was just lumps of black stuff. Cheap energy, yes if you took lumps of it and threw it on the fire to burn, you would have cheap energy, but that not the case when it comes to producing electricity from it in Australia, its a bit more complicated. Coal-fired power is no longer cheap in Australia because the power generation plants are ageing and requires extensive and very costly maintenance. Eraring power station in NSW costs up to $250 million every year just in maintenance. Coal is also a very expensive commodity on the world market, its not free, even in Australia. Whilst the costs associated with the old fossil fuel technologies are increasing, the decreasing costs of new renewable technologies are making them far more economical than the likes of coal generation. You can disregard the science, keeping your head in the sand, and kid yourself that fossil fuels are the be all, and end all of the matter.

There is nothing sudden about my concern for bird life; I am a life-long amateur ornithologist and birdwatcher. But, of course, 1405 has to grasp any opportunity to stalk me, no matter what the subject. As a Green, he is no longer interested in the environment: it's all about Marxists politics these days. The founders of the now Communist organisation have disowned it.

If you support windmills, you definitely “condone” the destruction of native wildlife.

1405, tries to blame human deaths on coal powered electricity. The hypocrite and his Greens don't care about people either; everything they say is a lie - that's why they support the Great Liar, Albanese.

He tries the old stunt with quotation marks around a bunch of words, without any accreditation or reference to whoever - if anyone - uttered them.

Changing the subject and talking about coal is no defence of bird and bat killing by windmills, which are undoing all the advantages to the world's people that coal has been providing since the industrial revolution; the 80% poverty level has been reduced to 4% by cheap, reliable coal and other fossil fuels.

Fester rightly points out that, “when (Socialists) they get power the result is always destitution and a toxic wasteland”. And that's why Green Labor needs to be removed.

In response to Fester, 1405 again uses the old inverted commas trick around random words. Perhaps he doesn't know what quotation marks mean. If he is actually quoting someone, he needs to tell us who it is.

He then has the cheek to accuse “those” who can “only see this in political terms”. I won't repeat what I've said about him being an arch ‘projectionist’: it's beyond his understanding.

He even tries to be funny about coal being Socialist. He's no good at humour either: even less funny than the rough sheila on TV who tricked the socially inept Albanese into talking about shagging Kylie Minogue and, insulting the Japanese Prime Minister by talking about her 'melons', and gesticulating towards his chest.

I should say that, in the spirit of free speech and opinion, I have no problem with anyone disagreeing with my opinions on subjects. Rip them to bits, say what you want: that's the purpose of OLO.

But no shooting the messenger please. No personal comments as per those served up by 1405 continually. I've had enough of him. He is the sort of person who I associate with court restraining orders, served by police to people who just can't leave other people alone.

I posted recently about a leading journalist's article on the replacement of substance by ad hominem in online social media. Generally, we are better than that, l think. Except for a couple of people but, particularly, Paul 1405, who simply doesn't know how to behave.

Short of him being kicked off the site, completely ignoring him is the only defence. He has zero self-awareness, and is totally unreachable.