Page 12 - Issue 83 Online

WHOOPER SWANS

IN OUR FENS

WARNING: THE FOLOWING CONTAINS Their CEO (Basic Scarsella) emailed
UPSETTING INFORMATION straight away to assure me that many
more diverters were being erected as
From Manea Matters’ Editor: soon as physically possible.
On Saturday 9th November, when Swans’ eyes, and those of many other
the BBC Newsfeed on my mobile large birds, are on the sides of their
announced the heartbreaking news heads, which is good for spotting
that 18 dead Whooper Swans had predators but not good for forward
been found in a maize field between vision when flying, hence their
Chatteris and Somersham, I contacted propensity to fly into overhead cables.
UKPN straight away to see what action The flashing of the diverters really
was being undertaken on their part. helps them to avoid doing this.
They have been very quick to respond
in the past and, once again, I received The response from Peter Kirk, UK
a response first thing on the Monday Power Network’s Lead Field Engineer
morning (see below). for Cambridge/Bedford Area UK Power
Networks:
Regular readers of Manea Matters
will recall how UKPN installed a “We were made aware over the weekend
further large number of bird diverters of the sad news about swans hitting the
in response to a Change.org petition, overhead lines in the Somersham area. On
which I put together some years ago Monday morning our hot glove team (our
and many of you signed between hot glove team is trained to carry out work
Christmas and New Year at the time. on our 11000 volt network live so that we

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