What the peck? Woodpeckers spark electricity outages

BIRDS are costing electricity network operators money, thanks to the chipping of electricity poles.

Woodpecker birds, who have only settled in Ireland over the last 20 years, are costing the ESB money as they chip away at electricity poles all over the country.

The damage caused by the small species of bird can be significant, especially in the southeast, as power outages have been caused as a result of the bird.

In a statement, ESB Networks said: “In areas of Wicklow for instance, ESB Networks carried out substantial upgrade work to sections of the network earlier this year, some of which required the replacement of woodpecker-damaged poles.”

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland this Tuesday, Head of Communications at Birdwatch Ireland, Niall Hatch has said metal poles might be needed in the future to combat the issue.

Mr Hatch explained that the great spotted woodpecker is the variant of bird causing the outages. 

“As far as they're [the woodpeckers] concerned, an electricity pole made of wood, to them it's just a dead tree trunk like any other - and they think that it's a good place for them to excavate and to nest in," said Mr Hatch. 

“They're looking for more mixed woodland, a mixture of pine. They like to have soft wood, partially dead or dying trees, and for them, electricity pylons make a good substitute.

“That may be one of the factors why this is a bigger issue in Ireland at the moment than in other parts of Europe."