Shocking footage filmed at one of Australia’s busiest shopping strips shows the moment dozens of birds plummeted into the Apple store’s giant front windows. Rescuers estimate 50 native tree martins crashed into the Adelaide shop’s window on Wednesday, resulting in deaths and injuries.
The company has tried to stop the birds hitting its windows before, but following last night’s incident, it told Yahoo News it has a new plan.
In the short video, shoppers can be heard marvelling at the giant flock of birds flying out of a tree opposite the store as they’re spooked by what’s believed to be a falcon. But the mood quickly turns to horror, and a rescuer can be heard yelling “Oh s**t, oh f**king hell” as the birds hit the window. A second woman calls the situation a “nightmare”.
The problem has been ongoing for at least two weeks, with Rundle Mall’s Optus store also becoming a hotspot for the birds. Hundreds of tree martins are estimated to have died, and after Yahoo News reported on the problem, Apple agreed to dim its store lights to try and reduce collisions. Sadly, experts say the move has not been successful.
“Last night was absolutely horrendous. It was the worst rescue I’ve been to,” rescuer Rachel Anderson said on Thursday.
How Apple plans to stop the bird carnage in front of its store
Now Apple plans to install a film on the exterior of the glass to provide an additional deterrent to the birds, although it was unable to tell Yahoo exactly when this will occur. Birds often don’t realise the glass exists because it’s clear, but a film with a UV coating helps them register its existence.
The problem was sparked by the City of Adelaide’s decision to net trees that large flocks of tree martins had been roosting in.
For over a decade, around 10,000 migratory tree martins have flocked to Leigh Street, one of Adelaide’s most popular cafe strips. While their presence has delighted bird lovers, the city council has been less than impressed, claiming droppings from the “problem” birds are a “serious risk to public hygiene”, and so it netted their trees to drive them away.
But the decision created an entirely new “problem” for the birds after they arrived from the tropical north this season. Unable to roost in their preferred habitat, they’ve been forced to an even busier location, Rundle Mall. The birds spend their days high in the sky, catching insects, then fly down to roost in large groups as fast as they can to avoid predators like peregrine falcons.
Rescuer’s simple solution to tree martin carnage
The birds are expected to leave the city early next month, but in the meantime large numbers remain displaced. Rescuer Rachel Anderson thinks the solution is simple.
“Council needs to take the nets down,” she said.
In a statement, the City of Adelaide told Yahoo it’s working to prevent the problem from continuing to occur. It believes changes it has made to lighting across the shopping strip have helped reduce window strikes.
“Council has brought together a team of experts to assist in determining the best course of action we can take to further protect the birds during this migration season and into the future,” it said.
“The welfare and safety of the tree martins remains our highest priority and we again thank those wildlife rescue volunteers who are helping us deal with this complex and challenging situation”.
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