More dead birds have been found at a pair of Suncor tailings ponds near Fort McMurray..According to the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), on May 13, Suncor reported through EDGE — the Alberta government’s Environmental and Dangerous Goods Emergencies reporting system — a total of 27 dead waterfowl including seven Grebe, a sensitive bird species.. Mildred LakeMildred Lake is one of the world’s largest manmade water bodies. .The carcasses were found at the Syncrude Mildred Lake Settling Basin, a tailings pond located on the north side of the Mildred Lake oil sands site. Syncrude is operated by Suncor..An additional five Grebe were found at the Millennium Mine site tailings pond at Suncor’s base plant closer to town. All the birds were found between May 8-13, AER said in a statement on its website..An AER inspector subsequently visited the Mildred Lake site to gather and review information and assess the existing bird deterrent systems. The AER said it “is ensuring that all safety and environmental requirements are met during the response to the incident.”.Suncor and the AER are notifying regional stakeholders in the area. Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, and Environment Canada and Climate Change have been notified through Alberta EDGE, it added..The AER said it would continue to assess the situation and provide further updates as required. Suncor offered no further comment..It’s the second time in less than a month Suncor — the largest oil sands producer in the world — reported avian deaths at its oil sands operations. In late April it reported 43 dead birds, two muskrats, a bat and a vole at its base mine tailings lake.. Grebes on a pondHorned grebes are related to the flamingo and while not endangered are considered ‘vulnerable’ in Alberta. .That incident sparked an AER investigation and came as the regulator was grilled in front of the House of Commons environment committee over leaks at Imperial Oil’s Kearl mine tailings pond. That incident is also the subject of a separate AER investigation..It’s the latest in a long string of incidents that have stained the reputation of the company. In 2010 it was fined $3 million — one of the largest in Alberta history — after 1,600 ducks and geese died at a Suncor tailings pond in 2008. In 2015 Syncrude was charged over the deaths of 31 blue herons and in 2019 paid a $2.7 million fine..In 2022 Suncor restarted a falconry program aimed at scaring away ravens and other birds from the mine site. Operators also use other measures including propane guns and scarecrows made of hard hats and Safeway equipment dubbed ‘bitu-men’..But those numbers are still relatively small as far as bird deaths go. A landmark study by Environment Canada in 2013 determined that nearly 270 million birds are killed across the country each year by human-related activities..Domestic and feral cats accounted for 200 million while collisions with power lines, houses and buildings added another 50 million. Vehicle collisions came third at 14 million while agricultural pesticides amounted to 2.7 million..But which kills more, oil sands or windmills?. Summerview Wind Farm Pincher CreekSummerview Wind Farm, Pincher Creek, Alberta. .According to the Winnipeg-based Frontier Centre for Public Policy, windmills kill about 8.2 birds per year based on a formula developed in Monte Carlo for gambling. In 2020 there were about 7,000 installed wind turbines in Canada, according to StatsCan, translating into roughly 60,000 bird deaths a year. Nature Canada expects the wind industry to increase 10-fold within the next decade..“Based on these estimates, therefore, we could see approximately half a million birds killed per year,” it said.
