• White-tailed  Sea Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla: 10 % of the UK population
• Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos : 2.5 % of the UK population  
• Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica
• Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata
• Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus
• Merlin Falco columbarius
• Greenshank Tringa nebularia
• Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria (also of conservation concern)
• Dunlin Calidris alpina (also of conservation concern)

3 transient Annex I bird species:

• Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus
• White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
• Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis  

IBA 224 is of paramount importance for the recuperation of the white-tailed sea eagle in the UK. Yet, their lives will be put in peril by the 399 giant blades of the turbines, which revolve at up to 300 kph at the tip (350 kph for the 3 MW class ¹ ).

In Germany Tobias Dürr, ornithologist at the Brandenburg State Bird Conservation Centre, has kept a record ² of the windfarm victims that were casually reported to him. They include 14 white-tailed sea eagles.

In Japan, two white-tailed sea eagles were recently killed by turbine blades ³. Many more are expected to die as a windfarm is to be placed on their migration route.

More windfarms are planned in other habitats of this endangered eagle.  These include North Lewis, Isle of Skye, and other locations in Western Scotland, as well as in Norway,  Sweden, Finland, Germany, Japan, and one day possibly the western shores of Siberia. The cumulative effect on the survival of this magnificent species will be catastrophic.

The effect will be felt in the UK much sooner, which has only 30 pairs.

Similar considerations apply to the golden eagle, which has 11 breeding pairs on IBA 224. One thousand golden eagles have already died from being hit by turbine blades ⁴. The infamous example of Altamont Pass, in California, regularly makes the headlines. Less well known are the golden eagles that were killed by wind turbines in Navarra, Spain ⁴.

Eagles of all species are prone to fly into wind turbines: wedge-tailed eagles in Australia ⁵, and short-toed eagles in Spain ⁴ have so died that way. And contrary to what windfarm promoters forecast, casualties begin very early after the start of operations. For example:

At Starfish Hill, South Australia, an eagle was killed one week before the inauguration of the windfarm and another two weeks later. Other eagle-kills in Germany, Japan, Spain and California also tend to prove that the "avoidance factors" applied by hired consultants are grossly exaggerated. And the SNH collision model used in this case has been proven fatally flawed ⁶.

WATER QUALITY 

(also part of our quality of life).

Of interest are 3 words in table 12.6 of the MWP Environmental Statement (The "ES") on page 8, section 12 (transport) (left column, 4th box): "Normal and Extended Servicing (includes oil changes)"

You can't help dripping some oil on the ground when you change 400 litres of oil, even if you are super-efficient and careful - then you have the sloppy kind, and the criminal one, who thinks nothing of pouring the old oil into the ground in order to save a trip to the oil disposal facility. More than one ship#S captain have been caught emptying their reservoirs into the sea.

There will be 133 oil changes, involving about 400 litres each. Add to this oil dripping from the arms of the turbines or along the tower (see picture here:  http://www.iberica2000.org/Es/Articulo.asp?Id=1457 ) plus the transformers' cooling oil (in electrical sub-stations); plus oil-cooled cables wherever high tension cables are laid underground.

Last, but not least, cleaning liquids are used to clean the blades from the thousands of dead midges and other insects that affect the performance of rotors. 

There is no doubt that the people of Eishken will feel the effects of that contamination of their water supply. So will the otters, and so will the fish.

The promoter's hired ecologist recognizes the risk:

"7.57. A pollution incident during construction could have an impact of major magnitude on the water quality of the surface and groundwaters of the area, potentially irrevocably damaging the ecology."

The same holds true during the operation of the windfarm, however, and this increases the risk by a time factor:

"7.123. The majority of potential pollutants i.e. fuel, oil, chemicals and cement will be removed from site on completion of the construction phase. Remaining potential pollutants will include lubricants for turbine gearboxes, transformers oils, and fuel leaks from maintenance vehicles."

ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES

Even if the figures quoted by the promoter are to be believed, a handful of jobs filled mainly by outsiders will hardly compensate the wasting of a National Scenic Area, the killing of the eagles (in spite of the ecologist's assurances that 16 eagles'  deaths is the worse-case scenario), the contamination of pristine waters, and a long list of negative economic impacts - the main one being a negative effect on tourism.

Visitors to the islands are "landscape tourists", in search of beauty, wildlife and authenticity. This is clear. And affirmations that wind turbines do not deter tourists, voiced by windfarm promoters, are based on manipulated polls ⁽⁷⁾.

A local survey, which was completed by 276 visitors to tourist attractions in north-west Lewis in July and August 2004, found that an ‘overwhelmingmajority’ of visitors to the area (90 per cent) are not in favour of the current windfarm development proposed by AMEC — and that 54 per cent feel that ‘any windfarm in this area will discourage tourists from visitingLewis’.

According to CNES Landscape Assessment Policy:

"Studies undertaken by Tourism Management Services as a basis for its Tourism Management Plan showed the landscape qualities of the Western Isles to be a key reason for attracting visitors."

And a comment by the Scottish Wildlife Trust (table 16.1 of the ES):

"The tourist industry is crucial to the economy of both Lewis and Harris. The proposed development will be visible from the A859, the only road link between Tarbert, the entry port to Harris, and Stornoway, the entry port to Lewis."

And the Western Isles Fisheries Trust: "The main reason why people visit the fisheries of the Western Isles is the wild and unspoilt environment."

The consultant himself could not convince himself there would be a negligible impact:

16.49. "...there is limited scope for the mitigation of the visual impacts of the turbines, therefore visual impacts on recreational users are considered to vary from negligible to major."