NEW WIND TURBINE VICTIMS IN DOBRUDZHA
15.01.2013

The end of the first week of January 2013 in Dobrudzha witnessed a real winter blizzard, with a strong northwestern wind, bearing drifts of fine dry snow. The gray skies and freezing temperatures added even harsher touch to the landscape, probably rejoicing the hearts of those who love winter. For the BSPB conservation team, however, this brought a feeling of apprehension - too bad visibility, gusty winds forcing the birds to fly low and too many wind turbines, blocking the leaden sky. Our concerns were mainly for the globally threatened Red-breasted Goose, which we had watched for hours flying with difficulty, carried by the wind at only a few dozens of meters above the ground, as well as for the White-tailed Eagles frequenting the area. Within the LIFE + project of the European Union - "Safe ground for Redbreasts" BSPB and WWT experts examine the impact of wind farms on wintering geese in Coastal Dobrudzha, which is the key importance to them.

  Around the ”forest” of wind  turbines to the north of Kavarna we did not see geese flying, but unfortunately we registered another victim of their blades. At 51 meters from the pile of turbine V9116 of wind farm VTC, on the side of rotation of the rotor, there was a frozen corpse of a common buzzard in a painful position. The bird had its left wing cut and was half hidden by the drifting snow. After careful inspection we found the wing at 7.5 m from the pile and six meters further - another wing of a buzzard. Apparently in a few hours (otherwise predators would have claimed this precious bite) this turbine had killed not one, but two common buzzards!

  An officer of RIEW – Varna arrived at the site and drafted a protocol of the case. Since these turbines had already killed a White Pelican, an Eagle Owl and a Griffon Vulture, the two Common Buzzards were the latest evidence that these facilities built in inappropriate places are definitely not "green" and wear the color of blood. It should be noted that this case of two birds of a protected species killed by only one of the blades, of which there are hundreds in the area, would also remain hidden had not BSPB experts reported it. The question arises how are the already built facilities monitored and how do the experts hired by the investors establish “lack of impact and cumulative effect "? We hope that the authorized by the Constitution and the law state institutions meant to ensure the  conservation of Bulgaria’s nature – the Ministry of Environment and Waters and its regional structures - will look much more seriously and carefully at the matter of "impartial" experts employed by investors, who by signing the contract with the developer have stopped to be independent.