Scores of native birds have been left dead or injured after smashing into the brightly-lit storefront of an Apple store near Adelaide‘s Rundle Mall.
Wildlife carer Rachael Anderson, 34, has spent two evenings this week at the shopping precinct picking up injured or dead tree martins.
‘It’s horrible, it’s an unprecedented thing that we are dealing with,’ she told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.
‘It is a lot of birds all at once for us carers.’
A video on social media page Wild Animals Australia showed Ms Anderson, her partner Sam and a friend tending to injured birds that had struck the storefront.
Ms Anderson said they had picked up 43 birds on Wednesday and Thursday, 21 of which have died or been euthanised.
The Facebook page has accused the Apple Store of failing to dim its lights at night to stop birds from striking the storefront.
By lowering the light in buildings at night, it reduces the reflection of the sky in the window and lowers the likelihood of birds flying into the glass.
Wildlife carer Rachael Anderson (right) and her partner Sam (left) were part of a group in Adelaide’s city centre trying to rescue small tree martins which had smashed into a window
Daily Mail Australia has spoken to the store, which has already made adjustments to lower its lighting and will continue to partner closely with the city council.
The activist group took aim at the City of Adelaide council for reportedly netting nearby trees which ‘displaced’ the flock of birds from their roosting spots.
A spokesperson for the local authority said the welfare of the small tree martins is of the highest priority.
‘The City of Adelaide became aware of increasing bird strikes against windows within Rundle Mall in the past week,’ they said.
‘We have been discussing mitigation measures with retailers, including trialing new lighting. The situation is being closely monitored by City of Adelaide staff and government environmental agencies.’
Ms Anderson said the rescue of the birds has been a ‘logistical nightmare’ as the group look after the animals while also requesting changes from the council.
‘I want Adelaide city council to remove all netting from all trees and find an ethical solution so these birds can rest at night,’ she said.
Aussies shared their horror at the number of birds dying.
Ms Anderson said the group had picked up 43 birds over the two evenings, 21 of which have died or been put to sleep (the injured birds are pictured)
Apple’s store at Rundle Mall in Adelaide (pictured) is believed to have already made adjustments to lower its lighting following reports of dozens of dead birds
‘Omg, horrible they need to do something,’ a user said.
A commenter said: ‘Why the f*** did the council net off the trees for in the first place?!’
Another said they had phoned Apple to explain the issue: ‘I’ve highlighted for such a minimal cost to fix the problem versus the bad publicity it’s really a no brainer’.
Green Adelaide, an urban landscape specialist for the state government, has also been notified about the incidents.
‘We are aware of the recent challenges faced by tree martins at their new roosting site in Rundle Mall, due to reflections in business windows,’ a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said Green Adelaide is ‘deeply saddened by the resulting injuries and fatalities for the species’.
‘We understand that the City of Adelaide is currently in talks with local business owners to understand what initiatives could be implemented to resolve current challenges for the tree martins,’ they said.
Green Adelaide said in February 2024 that tree martins had flocked to bustling Leigh Street in the city, only an eight minute walk from Rundle Mall’s Apple store.
The popular cafes and bars have attracted as many as 10,000 of the native birds.
It is believed the birds like the city streets because they might be ‘safe havens’ with noise, light and people potentially helping to deter predators like birds of prey.
