Yes, I've seen some of those statements (I say statements, because none of them seem to come with actual research) about relative bird mortality.

I might point out that in a marine environment, there are no agricultural spraying, buildings, towers or house cats to compare to - for marine birds, objects in their flyways are going to be a real surprise! It will also be difficult to assess, due to the absence of bird corpses on the surface around them (which is how their mortality rates are assessed now). While I share Corbett's disdain for seagulls, I suspect other species will be affected more.

I like the idea of wind power, but I'm afraid I am not enthused about public dollars being spent on it, as in my experience and observation, maintenance tends to be a severe (and debilitating) issue (and I can't see that getting better in a marine environment!). What I have observed at several western "wind fields" (central Texas, Banning, Altemonte and Pacheo passes in CA) is that there are seldom more than about 75% of the machines in service at any given time - even in fairly new fields (2-4 years old). The oldest installations at these locations are usually more like 90% dead. Without heavy subsidy from government, they just don't get built, which tells me they aren't economic to build (yet).

Hartley