Late afternoon in Caen. The brightness of the sky falls, the freshness falls on the surrounding countryside. Time for an aerial ballet feared by Frédéric, manager of Brasserie Caennaise, in the city center: “Starlings arrive by the thousands around 6pm. I quickly tidy up my terrace otherwise they’ll rot. The ritual, regulated like a clock, is repeated every day. Flocks of birds come to seek the warmth of the city and sleep in the trees. An annual phenomenon, except “this year is huge. I’ve never seen it. There are thousands and thousands. Something sick, “he describes the head of the brewery, his eyes fixed on the end of the pavement too often covered with excrement.
According to the estimates of the municipal services, around the city there would be between 50,000 and 100,000 starlings, a more important number than usual. What exacerbates the annoyances that result from it. Marie and Christophe experience this bitterly with their hotel in Le Havre, set under real dorm trees. “A few days ago, I had to wash a customer’s car that was covered in excrement,” says the manager. We try to tell people not to park there but sometimes, of course, we forget about it. In one night it’s all dirty ”. Unscrupulous customers have gone so far as to leave negative comments on the booking platforms, photos of their vehicle being targeted by birds.
However, the hoteliers themselves are suffering from the situation. “We can’t open the windows to ventilate because there is a bad smell. We walk in excrement, she slips. And we are lucky to have good insulation because they make a lot of noise. Customers compare with the film Birds d’Hitchcock “.
Pruning of trees in question
Fortunately, the starlings aren’t attacking passersby. But make them be careful. Going under the most populated branches at the wrong times can be synonymous with an unpleasant surprise. This is evidenced by the condition of the bicycles of a specialist shop. “We exhibit models on the sidewalk. While we let people try them, we clean them regularly. It was a good month. And when we arrive in the morning, the smell is awesome, “grimaces Ludovic, an employee of the shop.
Avenue du 6-Juin, rue du Havre or Cours de Gaulle, the place of choice for starlings, sometimes you have to contain some gagging. “It stinks”, exclaims Frédéric, from Brasserie Caennaise. I closed the long weekend of All Saints. Coming back, it was so dirty! The discussion is briefly interrupted by attempts by neighbors on the upper floors of the building to scare the birds by hitting the street lamps. In vain. Especially on the rue du Havre. “The agents of the city have pruned the trees in the adjacent streets but not in ours”, indicate Marie and Christophe, the managers of the Hôtel du Havre. So the birds of these streets come to us ”.
Several residents blame the lack of pruning to alleviate the problem. “We must pay attention to the health of the tree”, blurs Gérard Hurelle, deputy mayor for health and hygiene. If the maintenance of green spaces is not his responsibility, the problem of starlings is. “We have chosen the places where the frightening campaign will begin on November 7th and for fifteen days”. The technique is well established: transmitting the cry of the jay, its predator. “The first evening we will wake the starlings with the cry of the jay. So, the next morning, we will wake them up prematurely in the same way “, explains the chosen one. And so on for three days, to” encourage them to go and nest elsewhere, in places further away from their homes. “
The campaign will last a little longer this year given the number of beaks to be nailed. Usually, the operation is quite effective. Vigilance will still be required under the trees. Especially since “the excrements are not washed well, not even with the roller”, testifies a person who knows the place. Insiders will be careful not to park their car in certain parking lots.
