The disappearance of the famous starling murmuration that once saw thousands of birds swoop on a Belfast bridge could be linked to nearby renovations.
Conservationists fear new LED lighting as well as rising leisure activity at Albert Bridge drove the endangered creatures away.
But we can reveal officials didn’t spare them a thought as they OKed developments in the area that ramped up light pollution.
The irony of starling designs on new lampposts at £210,000 Ravenhill Rest Gardens that may have helped drive them from their home wasn’t lost on Belfast ecologist Conor McKinney.
He told Belfast Live: “It’s like a memorial - it’s tragic. To be honest I would rather have the real thing.
“When the planning application happened the developers were very much aware there were starlings roosting in the bridge behind us. This is something that is symbolic to Belfast.
“I have seen a lot of people who maybe don’t have conservation of wildlife as their primary interest but certainly took time to sit and watch the starlings around them.
“This public realm is obviously very close to where the starlings were roosting but isn’t it a tragedy the birds the pillars are actually symbolising are no longer here.
“Anecdotally we heard accounts last year that the murmuration was beginning to collapse. Whenever I came up I’d seen that there was a substantial decline in numbers. My concerns and anxieties have been compounded by coming this year.
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Video: Harry Bateman
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