Broken blade
By Capt Slog, Section Diaries Posted on Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 01:59:02 PM MST
Due to a bird-strike

Yesterday afternoon my wind turbine was hit by a bird breaking the end few inches off one of the blades.  I shorted it out as soon as I got home and took it down yesterday evening.

Broken blade | 19 comments (19 topical)

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#1) by Capt Slog on Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 08:02:37 AM MST

(Blast!  hit the wrong button and posted before I meant to!) I didn't mind too much, I've been meaning to change the blades now for some time and this will force my hand.  The pigeon however, minded a good deal more and he now resides in our bin ready for interment in the local landfill . "Slowly changing the world, one watt at a time!"

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#2) by zap on Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 08:59:04 AM MST

hmmmm... break away blades for bird friendly turbines.  Or maybe flexible foam blades... wait... naaa, probably not a good idea. I believe this the first bird strike I've heard about where a blade was broken. zap [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#3) by gotwind2 on Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 01:07:49 PM MST

Agreed, First time I have 'got wind' of such an event. Only a pigeon however, not protected in any way here (U.K) often referred to as 'Rats with wings'. Probably not that wise to publicise the event though in my opinion - their are enough people against small scale wind power generation without fueling the argument. Ben. www.gotwind.org [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#9) by Capt Slog on Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 02:29:57 AM MST

That will be why my post about this on Gotwind has been removed then? . "Slowly changing the world, one watt at a time!" [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#4) by Airstream on Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 01:13:43 PM MST

I've read where rock doves (pigeons) mate for life and will intentionally seek out quick and painless ways to die when they've lost their life-mate after they've bonded through several clutches of eggs, blah blah. You've just as likely to have done the Avian World a service that is now written in their oral legends (proved seeing pigeons circling where a silo or old girder bridge used to be ten or more years ago) than to have murdered the next Johnathan Livingston Pigeon... Thanks for posting, and I would be real tempted to glue and clamp that clean looking break back together.. [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#7) by wpowokal on Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 05:26:36 PM MST

"Slowly changing the world one pigeon at a time" allan down under "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." James Dean [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#5) by ghurd on Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 01:30:23 PM MST

Always sorry to see a broken blade. No harm done, as long as you eat it. The bird, not the blade. hehe. G- Ghurd.info

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#6) by TheCasualTraveler on Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 04:54:31 PM MST

In light of the current Green movement I think we need legislation protecting wind turbines from aggressive birds.   Andy

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#8) by Tritium on Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 06:58:57 PM MST

Isn't pigeon called squab when its eaten? :) Thurmond

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#10) by CG on Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 03:13:40 AM MST

On this subject of birds and turbines I have noticed something quite strange. I live in rural England, and in my front garden, which overlooks farmland, I have a rotor(no alternator attached), and it's been up for about four years. It's about eight foot high, and I use it to test my gutter blades and furl and yaw ideas. The point I want to bring up is that I have never seen a bird perch on any part of the rotor, even when there is no wind and nothing is moving. It doesn't scare the birds away, I have even had blue tits nesting in a box attached to my garage only fifteen feet away. But never have I had a bird settle on the rotor, which has a tubular furling tail arm that would make a very nice perch in still air. I am at home and in the garden most of the day, and it is full of birds that take no notice of me, so I am not scaring them away from the rotor. I find it strange that what is sometimes a perfect perch for birds is ignored by them. The largest blades I have had on the rotor are only half a metre long, so it's not too intimidating, and at the moment the blades are only half that size. Have any members experienced the same thing with their turbines?

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#11) by Capt Slog on Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 03:59:29 AM MST

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen any on mine either.  I suppose my 'resident' birds know that it's a thing that moves and it scares them, there's not often that it's completely still. I have heard on here though of a turbine that was sitting on a very low wind that wasn't enough to get the blades turning, and a bird perching on one of the blades set it into motion! . "Slowly changing the world, one watt at a time!" [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#12) by mbeland on Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 06:53:54 AM MST

Is it possible that magnetism could repulse then from perching on the rotors? Martin Eau, soleil, le vent [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#13) by GeeMac on Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 08:09:35 AM MST

Yes, it is well known in scientific circles that birds, especially pigeons, use magnetism to navigate using a bit of loadstone that is lodged in their brains. Therefore, it stands to reason that the birds are irreversably attracted to an elevated rotating magnet as they flew by the windmill. It is not the windmill's fault. It is simply Darwins evolution theory in action. Eventually, the surviving birds will not go near windmills as the tendancy will have been bred out of them. Jesus is coming. Try to look busy. GeeMac [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#14) by luv2weld on Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 08:16:16 AM MST

I don't think the magnetism has any effect. Bluebirds have no problem sitting on the blades of a 10 footer. Ralph "The best way to kill time is to work it to death!!" [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#15) by wpowokal on Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 09:49:59 AM MST

Are they the star attraction? "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." James Dean [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#17) by CG on Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 02:52:33 AM MST

I'm glad I got some feedback from my post, the absence of birds perching on my rotor was something I have been meaning to bring up for ages. We can rule out magnetism because, as I put in my post, I don't have an alternator on my rotors. I am now begining to wonder if the height and size of my turbine has anything to do with birds keeping off it. Perhaps its just that UK birds are a bit more chicken(sorry about the pun) than US birds. [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#18) by Madscientist267 on Fri Jul 03, 2009 at 01:40:38 PM MST

Somehow I think this kills the theory about it moving being a factor in scaring them away too... LOL [ Parent ]

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#16) by phil b on Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 11:33:44 AM MST

This is the first time I have seen a bird killed by a small wind turbine. Birds routinely sit everywhere on my turbines when they aren't spinning. Some hawks sit on them even when they are spinning! They are stubburn! I would like to copy this design. Maybe I can make it specific enough to attract the crows that eat my pecans and peaches! :)

Re: Broken blade (3.00 / 0) (#19) by Fused on Mon Jul 06, 2009 at 04:59:34 AM MST

Looks like he wanted a perch.

Login

Make a new account Username: Password:

Total Views

126 Scoop users have viewed this posting.

Related Links

· Capt Slog's Diary