A Flocking Problem In Dudley Street?

The Mayor Councillor Phil Bateman said " I have been taking hits on the bird mess that is fouling the city's prime shopping street. I am told that bird droppings are causing much concern, not only because of the sheer number of direct hits on the seats put out for people, but because it is so close to the fast food takeaways."

He added "Now I am a bird watcher and a member of the RSPB, so I am more than sympathetic to the needs of our birds. But this is a collision of the requirement of bird, against a healthy living and working environment for man!

The offending birds are I believe the flock of Pied Wagtails that fly into take advantage of the 'warmer streets' in the City Centre, during the winter months,and the protection well used thoroughfares gives to them from other predators like the local sparrow hawks, that hunt them when they flock.

But I think the time is right for the City to do something to discourage them roosting in the trees in Dudley Street.

I hope that City officials with help from say the RSPB can come to some arrangement. There is a big problem here that needs addressing....though it will be difficult as the birds I believe are a protected species. Maybe a falconer with a hawk on their arm is the answer just as the birds are ready to roost? It would be like saying move on this is no longer a hawk free zone!

What is certain is that the street needs a thorough clean, and I shall be asking the City Centre Manager to have a look at this flocking problem!"

It is reported that Pied wagtails have an amazing ability to find the warmest roosting sites possible. These often involve man-made sites. The communal roosts in winter often include hundreds of wagtails at a single site. Their gathering behaviour at dusk is very conspicuous, presumably this helps newcomers to find the communal site. Hospitals are popular,having lots of enclosed courtyards with nice shrubs planted inthem. These are sheltered and safe and make ideal roost sites.Others include the cooling towers of power stations, machineryin sewage treatment plants, factory roofs, heated glasshouses,trees along major roads in towns and cities