A simple lick of black paint to a wind turbines blades could reduce associated bird deaths by 72%, according to scientists in Norway. With wildlife protection still holding back the development of hundreds of wind turbines, this will become a no brainer addition to the planning process, especially in offshore wind. This process of “contrast painting” was studied by researchers at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research at Statkraft’s 152.4 MW Smola wind farm, with findings published in a paper entitled Paint it black: Efficacy of increased wind turbine rotor blade visibility to reduce avian fatalities. Four turbines at the project had a single blade painted, for comparison with four neighboring control turbines. All turbines were monitored for bird fatalities…