Bird droppings cause a stink

Not the best place to nest while the birds are overhead - one of the soiled bench seats outside the Napier Public Library.

With the large number of famous authors on show, there is always a fair amount of name-dropping going on inside the Napier Public Library.

But there is an even greater amount of dropping going on outside.

And it arguably leaves a greater mark than anything verbally "deposited" inside.

The library bird life indeed rules the roost when it comes to making a mark.
Two of three smart steel and timber bench seats were smothered in bird droppings.

The garden area under the main tree was also more white than soil colour and a large part of one wall of the library was dotted with do-dos.

The landscape of bird droppings across the terrain near the library's main entrance has led to several comments on Facebook and in messages to the Hawke's Bay Today website.

One reads: "I wish the regional council would do something about the smell from all the pigeon poo outside the Napier Library.

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council is supposed to be in charge of animal pests - the whole area outside the library is disgusting".

During a visit to the area on Friday, one person spoken to said she was not too worried as there were other places to sit and have lunch.

Another woman said the trees which house the hundreds of birds that "drop in" should be taken down as "it's a mess".

However, Napier City Council parks and reserves manager Tony Billing points out it is only a temporary mess and is not down to pigeons.

It is a winter thing, with the sparrows and starlings responsible taking up evening residence there for only about 3-4 months of the year.

It is a form of migration as, during the cold months, they target the warmer lower lands to call home. In spring they will move on again, to build their nests.

Mr Billing said that was why falcons were often spotted in the Botanical Gardens and other urban areas.

"They prey on these birds, so when they move down here so do the falcons.

"It's their food."

The council had sought to move the flocks on in the past.

A high-frequency ultrasonic bird scarer had been used but the birds got used to it.

The council also looked at a water sprinkler system and a bird scarer like those used in vineyards, but neither was deemed feasible.

Planning manager Richard Munneke said staff were looking into what could be done but recommended people simply avoid sitting in the area during the winter or parking their cars under the trees from 4pm, which was the time the great flocks arrived for the night.

There was no plan to remove the 60-70 year old London plane tree that housed the birds for winter, Mr Billing said.

"In summer, people love those trees because they shade the area beautifully."

Council staff would be water-blasting the area several times a week.