As is the case with statistics and studies, according to popular belief, only those who falsified them themselves believe in the results. There doesn’t have to be any malicious intent behind it, it also happens again and again that various factors that play an important role are simply ignored in investigations. The reason for this may be selective perception, from which even researchers are not immune. You know that: Pregnant women suddenly see pregnant women everywhere, haters of masks see naked faces on public transport and rose lovers discover every blossom in someone else’s flower trough.
Mechanisms of this kind could also play a role for the six biologists who have been conducting an analysis of the function of large birds in Forstenrieder Park since February. In the run-up to the planning of six wind turbines, each of them will sit on a lifting platform a total of 25 times for six hours until November, which a crane will lift above the treetops of the forest in Forstenrieder Park. From there, according to the task, they should analyze the “flight movements of bird species at risk of collision”. Larger birds of prey, for example, can be injured by wind turbine rotors.
Holding out at these observation posts is not that easy, said the head of the leading architects’ office, Dietmar Narr, to the audience at the first citizens’ forum on the planned wind farm. “You can’t even get a quick snack,” he said, describing only one dilemma of the situation high above the trees. One even gave up due to dizziness, but the observations of the flight movements are now nearing completion.
So the biologists sit up there and count every bird of prey that flies by. Narr already indicated that you have to be extremely careful that not everyone counts the same number over and over again on the outward and return flight. Anyone who is allowed to draw a line on a piece of paper for every passer-by sees more than someone who is not interested. “They know who flies in and who flies out,” says Narr about his employees.
However, the researchers completely overlooked another source of error: In view of the strange birds that persevere for months on the lifting platform in Forstenrieder Park, the animals naturally fly back and forth much more often. The honey buzzard tells the gray heron, who absolutely has to tell the red kite. Every day one is then sent out to see if the strange creatures are still there. This increases the usual flight movements guaranteed by at least 50 percent. Either way, the whole thing is a questionable undertaking, as Narr himself admits. “Actually, the knowledge gained is small,” he revealed to the audience, “but we’ve already done it.”