Limerick mayor calls for removal of bird deterrents from city streets

Mayor John Moran says he wants a better understanding of the impact of reflectors trialled to deter starlings from trees

Limerick’s Bedford Row became an unlikely tourist destination for Blindboy fans after he nicknamed the area the ‘Birdshit District’. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Limerick mayor John Moran has criticised the local council for installing bird deterrents on city streets.

Limerick City and County Council announced that bird reflectors are being trialled in trees on Lower Thomas Street in the city.

According to the council, the reflectors are a “non-lethal visual deterrent” which prevents birds, such as starlings, from gathering in the trees.

In response to a video posted by the council on social media, John Moran said he had asked for the reflectors to be removed.

“I want to announce seeing this message that I have asked for these to be removed until at least I can have a full understanding of the consequences. I had already been arranging to play my part to do a regular clean up so that the starlings stay. Nature is valuable,” Mr Moran said.

‘Birdshit District’ draws visitors 

Last summer, Limerick’s Bedford Row became an unlikely tourist destination for Blindboy fans after he nicknamed the area the ‘Birdshit District’.

He coined the phrase after being fascinated by the huge volume of starlings that fly overhead – despite the “sheer volume of starling shit” they leave behind.

Many fans of Blindboy travelled to Limerick after he mentioned the subject on his podcast. They visited historic sites across the city and shared snaps of the Birdshit District.

At the time, Blindboy told the Irish Examiner the starlings flock together above the Shannon, leading to “one of the most striking natural displays” in the city. He compared it to “a free aerial ballet put on every night”.

Their presence is due to the fact that the area sits on what used to be a riparian forest, a floodplain woodland along the River Shannon.

He even suggested their droppings could be used as a “powerful fertiliser” if they were to be filtered, composted and recycled into city centre planters.

Last August, Limerick City and County Council announced the area would be cleaned five times a week to keep up with the droppings – a move which was welcomed in the city.

At the time, a spokesperson for the council told the Irish Examiner that they had not interfered in any way with the starlings’ roosting.

“Starlings are migratory by nature and there is some evidence that the number of birds roosting in the city centre has been easing slightly,” they said.

Blindboy had suggested the council should capitalise on the interest.

“I’d like for the city to have a seasonal 'Birdshit festival', timed to the late-summer roosting peak of the Bedford Row starlings,” he said.

Limerick City and County Council and the mayor have been contacted for comment.