The war against the starlings in Peel St resumed again on Friday and continued nightly at the weekend, as the council battled to force the birds out of the Tamworth CBD and leave it cleaner and safer for humans.
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The rain on Thursday night acted as a heavenly interjection, after the first foray on Wednesday night in the resumption of hostilities against the flying pests.
Tamworth Regional Council brought out the big guns to blast the birds out of the Peel St trees in a renewed offensive brought on by increased starling numbers that have been boosted by Indian mynah birds, too.
The first offensive hadn’t delivered any actual results, but the council says that’s to be expected.
It is hoping it will see results by the middle of this week and that the starlings decide there are drier, warmer winter nests and trees somewhere else.
The latest Starling Wars episode has come in response to increased health and safety concerns, and a build-up in bird numbers that was seeing more starling droppings and more mess on the streets and walkways in the city’s main street.
The council is using captured rainwater from its Lockheed St works depot with high-pressure hoses in the battle of the birds.
Workers are spraying the trees along the blocks between Bourke and White streets from 9pm in a sustained water weapon attack.
TRC director for regional services Peter Resch has previously said the water spraying doesn’t hurt the birds; it simply makes them cold and provides a less-than-desirable nesting place.
It’s the first time in five years the council has used water weaponry on the birds in Peel St, and it also hopes bird scarers installed along White St will add to the campaign to convince the birds to leave the CBD.
“The birds pose a health risk to residents and visitors and, as such, this is a public health issue that we would like to rectify sooner rather than later,” Mr Resch said.
“The birds are beginning to nest and they will lay eggs in August/September, so we need to act immediately and we will continue to spray the trees until the birds move on.”