June 8, 2007
U.K.
U.K.
Wind turbines in Barrow’s Tesco car park are being blamed for claiming the lives of seagulls.
Kamikaze birds have been coming off second best when clashing with the giant rotating blades of the eco-friendly turbines.
The Evening Mail’s Cornwallis page recently reported the bodies of three dead gulls were found at the foot of one of the towers two weeks ago.
Now a Walney man, who did not wish to be named, has told of his surprise after a trip to buy lunch left him and his partner spitting feathers.
After stepping out of their car the pair were splattered with freshly killed seagull remains after another hapless bird flew to its death.
The man said: “The wind turbine was nearby and going pretty fast then I heard a loud thud noise. The next thing I know I have dead gull on my face.
“It slid down the side of my face and on to my clothes which were white that day.
“My partner and I were still going to grab lunch but we realised in that moment that we needed to go home for a wash and to change clothes.”
The couple reported the incident, which happened two weeks ago, to Tesco staff who offered to pay for a car valet and any other cleaning costs. They declined.
He added: “It was all a bit grim and on the journey from the shop back to our house I could feel the gull remains drying on my face.
“I have since seen another dead gull at the foot of a turbine.
“I won’t be parking next to the turbines again. Gull does come out in the wash though.”
A Tesco spokesperson said: “The turbines partly power the store and are a part of our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint as a company.
“Birds have been killed by the turbines and it’s something which happens intermittently and we apologise unreservedly to the couple for any distress they suffered.”
7 June 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/06/08/seagulls-beware/