Shock deterrent success
ANTI-BIRD SYSTEM IS PROTECTING CITY’S OLD BUILDINGS
MORE electric deterrents could be installed to keep rare birds away from buildings on the Quayside in Newcastle, after controversy over them becoming trapped in dangerous netting.
The owners of the Exchange Buildings, which house the Premier Inn and the Slug and Lettuce, have lodged plans to install extra electronic tracks to stop birds perching and nesting on ledges.
The Quayside is home to the furthest inland colony of kittiwakes in the world and there was an outcry in 2018 after a spate of incidents in which some had to be rescued from anti-bird netting or had died from exhaustion and starvation after getting trapped.
More than 100,000 people signed an online petition calling for the bird netting to be removed.
In response, Newcastle City Council pledged to remove nets on all of its Quayside property and installed electrical systems in their place, which give the kittiwakes a small shock if they land on them.
The Exchange Buildings’ owners, Union Retail Properties Ltd, did the same – but now say that the changes have simply led the birds to migrate to higher sections of the historic site.
In a planning application lodged with the council, agents Lambert Smith Hampton say that the additional tracks “will improve the aesthetics of the property by reducing guano and also reduce the risk of water ingress and associated defects by alleviating the nests and debris caused by the birds”.
The council says that its ‘Avishock’ systems, the same one proposed for the Exchange Buildings, have been successful in protecting the Quayside’s historic buildings without harming the birds.
A spokesperson: “This colony of rare kittiwakes on the Quayside is incredibly special given the threat to the species globally and we have to take good care of these birds.
“Prior to the most recent nesting
OLD COMRADES
season we regularly met with building owners, businesses, partners and animal welfare charities to agree what we were going to do to protect the kittiwakes.
“One solution was to replace outdated and damaged deterrents with new methods of keeping the birds from areas around listed buildings of historical importance or where they could cause a nuisance to members of the public.
“We installed the Avishock system on parts of the Guildhall and it has had the desired effect.
“After a period of monitoring, it was clear the kittiwakes were not resting on the new deterrent, while there were also no ill effects witnessed.
“The 2019 breeding season of the Tyne kittiwake colony proved largely successful, with the 1,353 nests spotted the highest on record.”