Brian Parker, of Crossparks, Dartmouth, writes:

I share Clive Fairweather's unease about the environmental consequences of siting large wind turbines near the Harbourne valley, Letters, July 12. 

However, I have to point out that the somewhat Pythonesque demise of the white-throated needletail in the Orkneys is not relevant to this issue. 

The unfortunate bird was reported to have flown into a small fast-spinning turbine on a building. 

Whether large birds are at risk from slowly-rotating large turbines is another matter.