Starlings: Did light pollution ruin Belfast murmuration?

Thousands of starlings supra the Albert Bridge successful Belfast whitethorn person been displaced owed to airy pollution, a conservationist has said.

Large crowds often gathered to ticker and photograph the aerial display, known arsenic a murmuration.

But the attraction has each but disappeared, and it is claimed lights connected the span whitethorn person played a role.

A Stormont section said the lighting met the required British and EU information and biology standards.

A murmuration is the sanction fixed to thousands of birds each swooping and diving successful unison.

According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) determination are a fig of reasons wherefore starlings bash this, including grouping unneurotic for vigor and safety.

The murmuration successful eastbound Belfast had go an attraction for birdwatchers and the show was truthful spectacular that the starlings adjacent appeared connected the BBC's Countryfile and The One Show.

The RSPB antecedently warned that murmurations successful Northern Ireland were astatine hazard owed to a declining wildlife ecosystem.

Conservationist Conor McKinney told Good Morning Ulster that Belfast was erstwhile 1 of the champion places successful Ireland to ticker a starling murmuration.

Mr McKinney said a fig of factors mightiness origin displacement, including clime change.

"Murmurations are thing starlings bash successful truly acold upwind to effort and enactment warm. If you person milder, much temperate winters, you suffer the murmurations," helium said.

"We tin regularisation this retired arsenic the basal cause, however, since determination are inactive murmurations passim the land of Ireland and Great Britain."

The Department for Infrastructure (DFI) upgraded the lighting connected the Albert Bridge to brighter LED lanterns astir 2 years ago.

Mr McKinney said studies had shown that starlings would debar areas with tons of airy for roosting.

"Light contamination has a nonstop physiological interaction connected the birds. It causes other stress, vulnerability and prevents them from sleeping," helium said.

He said the nonaccomplishment of the birds had "made the metropolis a poorer spot to be, it has degraded the earthy heritage".

He said lessons needed to beryllium learned astir airy contamination to guarantee wildlife sites were appropriately identified and protected and appropriately managed.

Anne-Marie McDevitt from RSPB NI said starlings were a red-listed species, meaning they are of precocious conservation interest having declined by two-thirds crossed the UK since the mid 1970s.

She said the murmuration had been a quality spectacle successful the bosom of the city.

"Also, roosting unneurotic successful ample numbers is truly important for starlings - successful these ample flocks determination is information successful numbers from aerial attacks from birds of prey, and it's thought that erstwhile starlings stitchery they besides speech accusation astir captious nutrient sources," she said.

She said each authorities departments had a statutory work to further biodiversity.

"That and the information the starling is connected the government's ain precedence taxon database means that the needs of starlings should person been taken into relationship erstwhile carrying retired immoderate works connected oregon adjacent to the bridge," she said.

"The starlings tin inactive travel back, we'd similar to cognize what is going to beryllium done to marque this happen".

A spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure said: "The thoroughfare lighting connected the roadworthy and footways supra the span were converted to LED successful December 2019.

"This lighting was designed successful accordance with the existent British Standard, BS 5489-1:2020 Design of Road Lighting and meets each of the required British and EU information and biology standards."