This Hideously Sickening photograph taken at Navarre, Spain, shows birds of prey that have been slaughtered by the spinning blades of wind turbines.   Meanwhile the United Kingdom's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has rejected claims that wind turbines would prove a major hazard to local birds, particularly the rare red kite. On the 11th of February 2004, an RSPB spokesman publicly announced in a U.K. newspaper article (The Gloucester Citizen) in regard to the Mynydd y Gwair proposed wind power station installation,   "We broadly support the development of renewable energy and although we are not afraid of opposing sites if we feel they may cause a significant danger we will not be objecting to this project. All of our research shows there will be no likely impact on the birds in the area."   A statement such as that makes one wonder if the research was carried out from behind a comfortable RSPB office desk rather than on Mynydd y Gwair or on the adjoining Betws Mountain, where there are frequent sightings of red kites on both of the mountains common land. There are also reports of red kites now nesting in this area whereas in the not too distant past members of HM armed forces guarded nests north of this area to ensure that the nests weren't disturbed or robbed. On the RSPB website in the red kite section, it clearly states under Legal Status,   "The red kite is listed on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, which affords special protection at all times. It is an offence to take, injure or kill a red kite or to take, damage or destroy its nest, eggs or young. It is also an offence to intentionally or wrecklessly disturb the birds at or close to their nest during the breeding season. Violation of the law can attract fines up to £5,000 per offence and/or a prison sentence of up to 6 months."

 

Considering the totally differing approach from the RSPB spokesman and the Legal Status guideline on the RSPB website it makes one wonder whether the RSPB could be legally prosecuted for endorsing wind power stations that could break their own Legal Status guidelines. Their differing approaches also makes one wonder whether the PB letters of their initials now stand for Persecution of Birds, rather than the original Protection of Birds It would be an interesting and enlightening excercise to really find out what their 2 million members would think of the RSPB's differing viewpoints. The address of their website where you can contact them and express your feelings is The Royal Society of Protection of Birds

SOCME Appeal | What's it all About? | Impact on Farming | Conservation or Decimation? | What You Can Do! | Cymraeg/Welsh
THE FACTS | Photo Galleries | Protest Convoy | Protest Walk Press Release | Links
  Protest Walk Report