UK - Bird charity protests against wind farms

Gordon Brown's lame duck government continues to plough headlong into economic oblivion by crippling the economy with emissions reduction schemes and believing the fairytale that renewable energy is currently a realistic alternative to coal. And now yet another spanner is thrown in the works, as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) lodges formal protests against a new wind farm:

Europe's largest onshore windfarm project has been thrown in severe doubt after the RSPB and official government agencies lodged formal objections to the 150-turbine plan, it emerged today.

The setback adds to the problems facing the government's ambition to install 10,000 new turbines across the UK by 2020 as part of its plan to cut the carbon emissions causing climate change. [This is the lefty/moonbat Guardian, after all, hence the lack of any qualifying "which may be" in that last statement. Science is settled, you denier you - Ed]

The proposed 550MW windfarm, sprawling across the centre of Shetland's main island, would add almost 20% to existing onshore wind capacity. But the objectors say the plans could seriously damage breeding sites for endangered birds, including a rare wader, the whimbrel, which was unexpectedly discovered by the windfarm developer's own environmental survey teams. [Oops! Classic own goal there! Fire that environmental survey team's butt - Ed] Other species at risk include the red throated diver, golden plover and merlin.

The RSPB heavily criticised the proposal from Viking Energy after initially indicating it could support the scheme.

Read it here. (h/t Daily Bayonet)