Myall Coast community seeks answers on pelican roosting Myall Coast Myall Coast - popup ad Myall Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - February 27, 2025 Pieces of the spikes have been found on the bridge roadway and footpath. RECENT pelican roosting upon the lights of the Singing Bridge has prompted pedestrians and cyclists to seek a renewed effort to clear the birds away, along with their droppings. Other locals argue the pelicans are an iconic and charming image of the area. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Pelicans are regularly seen in large numbers sitting atop the lights along the bridge. Past efforts to repel the waterbirds have been unsuccessful in the long-term. Back in 2004, an agreement between the then-Great Lakes Council and electricity provider Essential Energy saw the strapping of plastic-embedded spikes to the arms and tops of the bridge’s lights. In 2015, when the Singing Bridge lights were replaced, Council and Essential Energy reapplied the anti-bird spikes to the new lights. Last year, several pieces of the 10-year-old spikes were found to be dangling from the lights, directly overhead the pedestrian footpath, while some large fragments were found on the roadway itself. Today, some of the spikes have fallen away altogether, while others have slipped upside down or have large gaps between them. At the Monday 17 February meeting of the Hawks Nest Tea Gardens Progress Association (HNTGPA), pelican-safe alternatives were discussed. It was noted that while the spikes were initially successful in their primary purpose, they sent a negative anti-bird message to commuters using the bridge. According to a spokesperson for Essential Energy, “Essential Energy and MidCoast Council are developing options that balance the needs of wildlife with the functionality of our infrastructure. “We appreciate the community’s support and patience as we work towards a solution that ensures the well-being of pelicans landing on streetlights, as bird spikes are not suitable for use with large birds.” The concept of a ‘cantilever’ approach, moved by former HNTGPA President Trevor Jennings back in 2015, was the most popular of those considered. The cantilever would incorporate a second arm on the light for pelicans to sit upon. The location of the arm would also encourage the pelicans to aim their droppings into the river, as opposed to the road, cars and pedestrians below. Spikes dangling from a Singing Bridge light last year. The mess regularly left by the pelicans’ droppings. A common sight: pelicans roost upon most lights along the Singing Bridge. Even where the old spikes remain, pelicans find a place to roost.
