In recent months the Library has seen an increase in the number of seagulls nesting on its roofs, therefore in an attempt to hopefully deter our feathered friends from making this beautiful building their permanent home the Facilities Section have taken measures by installing an electronic audible bird scaring device.
These seagulls leave an aftermath of problems resulting in blocked roof channels and rain water pipes from the twigs and leaves that they carry to their nests, and in heavy rainfall these materials wash away and get lodged in the mesh and down pipes, which in turn leads to water ingress to the building thus threatening the preservation of the collections and also certain parts of the structure itself. Additionally, if you are one of those unfortunate ones that park your vehicle in line with their landing strip then you will fall victim to their selfish bad habits and will find an unwanted gift splattered all over the vehicle! They seem to do this on departure and arrival, arguably it could be said that they do it deliberately for their own pleasure against the humans below…it seems to be a matter of ….. chucks away … tally-ho …. acquiring target and bombs away!
There are safety issues as well, which stem from the disgusting substances that they regurgitate all around their nesting areas which in turn pose slip hazards to contractors walking on the roofs. In addition to this, during the nesting season they are extremely protective of their young and therefore pose a far more serious risk to contractors by dive bombing anyone working near to their nests.
So with the aim to prevent further nuisance, the Library has invested in an audible bird deterrent which calls out at regular intervals the sound of a distressed bird. This sounds between the hours of 4pm to 10am with the hope that it may lead to them re-housing elsewhere, hopefully the cliffs where they belong.
I hope this explains to those with concerns why this device has been installed within one of the courtyards, but we understand there is now another nuisance element by way of the electronic sounder disturbing the buildings occupants for a few hours of each day.
John Jones
Buildings Facilities Officer
Department of Corporate Services