While replacing lamp sockets, road workers found bird nests. They called an ornithologist. To ensure the birds’ safety, they moved the nests to nearby trees and installed nesting boxes on them. In total, they hung 46 houses.
Road workers came across a surprise when they were replacing lighting fixtures with new SAVY ones. At the top of the lighthouse they found bird nests. “ZDM also cares about the safety of flying residents of Warsaw, so we asked an ornithologist for help. We wanted to make sure that no animals would be harmed when installing new lighting, and the process of resettling the birds would be carried out harmoniously with the procedures,” explained the Municipal Roads Authority in a statement. .
In accordance with the permission of the Regional Director for Environmental Protection in Warsaw, the sockets located on old fixtures were removed. “While dismantling them, we made sure that there were no birds or eggs in the nest. To compensate the birds for the nest being in an inappropriate place, we installed wooden nesting boxes nearby,” the road workers informed.
Different boxes for different birds
New birdhouses were built in Bielany (ul. Perzyńskiego, ul. Broniewskiego), Wola (ul. Redutowa, ul. Olbrachta, ul. Płocka) and Śródmieście (ul. Topiel, ul. Solec, ul. Wenedów, ul. Zazdrowiemska) . Nest boxes are a way to provide birds and other species with a place to nest. Birds can nest and incubate their eggs in peace. “We hung 46 of them in total. The type B nest box is usually home to a starling, nuthatch and wryneck. Type P2 boxes can be home to a house sparrow, redstart and mazurek” – explained ZDM.
He added that the boxes were mounted on trees located in the immediate vicinity of the above-mentioned fixtures, so that the birds, after returning from winter migration, would have no problem finding their habitat. “Sometimes those located next to the lighthouses did not meet this requirement, so we looked for appropriate trees as close as possible to the previous refuges. The trees on which the boxes were hung had to be of an appropriate height to warn the birds against possible attacks by predators,” the road engineers emphasized. The boxes should be located in the treetops, so that the eggs laid can be protected from the sun and heat. All of them have been precisely installed to serve the birds for many years. According to the road engineers, they are made of unplaned boards that are not exposed to damage caused by moisture.
“Thanks to the nesting boxes, the birds received a safe place in exchange for the liquidated nest. As a result, they will not return to creating their habitats on the top of the lighthouse, which is especially important in the case of ad hoc repairs to lighting fixtures,” the road workers assured.
The Municipal Roads Authority reminds that removing the nests of protected species on your own is punishable by arrest or fine. Birds may be resettled only with the consent of the Regional Director for Environmental Protection.
“Replacing the fixtures is equivalent to planting as many as 3 million trees”
Road workers continue to replace lighting with ecological and energy-saving SAVA. 40,000 fixtures have already been replaced. “Assuming that one adult tree absorbs about 7 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year, replacing lamps is equivalent to planting as many as 3 million trees. Replacing lamps with energy-saving ones allows you to reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 40,000 tons per year,” they calculated.
Main photo source: ZDM Warszawa