Animals / 50 million birds die every year in the US from collisions with antenna masts
Paul Brown Guardian
https://www.hayadan.org.il/deingbirds.html
In the USA, a federal investigation has been opened regarding the fate of up to 50 million migratory birds, which are killed every year across the country from collisions with antenna masts used for the transmission and transmission of mobile phone systems. The Federal Communications Commission is legally bound to reduce the environmental impact of the hundreds of thousands of masts. It was reported that thousands of birds were killed in several masts located on the migration routes in one night.
The committee, which is also responsible for providing the best means of communication to citizens, wants to manage the placement of the masts in a way that "preserves as much as possible the natural resources of the country". The commission will work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to find out why the migrating birds encounter the antenna masts. There are 836 migratory bird species in the US; Of these, 350 species are defined as exposed to the risk of death as a result of encountering the masts.
According to the committee, certain factors - such as the height of the mast, lighting systems, the type of support structure of the antenna, and location - may affect the degree of danger posed to migrating birds. It seems that there is no systematic research or adequate standards that allow to determine exactly how and to what extent, if at all, these factors contribute to the danger.
The scientific team is particularly concerned about the question of whether lighting of different types and colors might attract the birds, especially at night, in fog or in difficult weather conditions. The team also wants to find out if any measures to address the problem have been tried successfully.
The issue of the survival of migratory bird species evokes an old folk memory in the USA, about the fate of the migratory pigeon. This bird became famous in the 19th century due to the huge amount of migratory pigeons that flew at low altitude, north in spring and south in autumn. The number of birds was so great that the migrating flocks, it is said, would hide the sun.
Every year, nets were raised to catch a huge number of birds, on the occasion of a festive feast held twice a year, and hundreds of thousands more were shot. It seemed that the harvest was endless. However, by the beginning of the 20th century, the homing pigeon was extinct, partly because of the frequent slaughter. The loss of the forests in which it nested is considered another factor that led to the extinction of the pigeon.
The new investigation is included in the Environmental and Historic Preservation Action Plan formulated by the federal commission, which aims to prevent the mast problem from affecting the environment, historic sites and Native American lands.
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