By FairfaxMedia
Wedge-tailed eagles are falling foul of giant turbine blades at Yaloak South wind farm near Ballan.
Renewable energy company Pacific Hydro confirmed last week that three deaths of Australia’s largest protected bird of prey have been recorded at the wind farm since it began operating in Moorabool Shire last year.
The confirmation bears out claims made by Glenmore-based wildlife campaigner Kevin Ramholdt, who reported the eagle deaths on radio last week.
The wind farm, which consists of 14 turbines, began operations at a site 15 kilometres south of Ballan last June. The Yaloak South site has wind turbines that are 80 metres high and blade tips up to 126.5 metres. The tips of the turbine rotors can reach speeds of up to 250km/h, making them mortally dangerous to passing birdlife and bats.
Pacific Hydro originally proposed a wind farm with 70 turbines, but the state government rejected the plans in 2006 due to concerns about the effect on the local eagle population.
The area around the wind farm is known for excellent viewing of the birds, producing thermals that allow the eagles to soar to heights of up to two kilometres.
Revised plans for a dramatically scaled back operation were approved in 2010 by the then Energy and Resources Minister Peter Batchelor.
Mr Ramholdt, 58, said he feared the number of wedge-tailed eagle deaths could be higher, citing concerns about the accuracy of the bird death count.
“I’ve got no beef against wind farms and renewable energy,” he said. “They just built it exactly where it shouldn’t have been built.
“We’re adjacent to the Brisbane Ranges national park – they’ve got to cross through those turbines, coming from nesting sites to hunting grounds or foraging areas. It’s like they [the eagles] have got to cross a busy road all the time.”
Pacific Hydro spokesman Adam Chandler said the eagle deaths were reported promptly to the relevant authorities when they were discovered in August and September last year. He said that no deaths had been recorded since then.
“The project’s approved management plan specifies a limit of 10 wedge-tailed eagle mortalities within the first year, or an average of seven over two years,” he said
– The Courier
