A conservationist has claimed that the thousands of starlings residing above Belfast's Albert Bridge may have been driven away by light pollution.
A murmuration is an aerial display that frequently attracted sizable crowds for viewing and photography.
It is claimed that lights on the bridge may have had an impact because the attraction has all but vanished.
According to a department of Stormont, the lighting complied with all necessary British and EU safety and environmental standards.
Thousands of birds all swooping and diving at once are known as a murmuration.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) claims that there are a variety of explanations for why starlings do this, including banding together for warmth and security.
The starling murmuration in east Belfast has drawn in birdwatchers, and the spectacle was so breathtaking that the starlings even made appearances on the BBC's Countryfile and The One Show.
The RSPB previously issued a warning that the deteriorating wildlife ecosystem in Northern Ireland put murmurations at risk.
Conor McKinney, a conservationist, stated on Good Morning Ulster that Belfast used to be one of the top locations in Ireland to view a starling murmuration.
According to Mr. McKinney, a variety of factors, including climate change, may lead to displacement.
In order to stay warm, starlings form murmurations when the temperature is extremely low. "You lose the murmurations if you have milder, more temperate winters," he claimed.
The fact that there are still murmurations throughout the island of Ireland and Great Britain, however, allows us to rule this out as the underlying cause. ".
Around two years ago, the Department for Infrastructure (DFI) upgraded the lighting on the Albert Bridge to brighter LED lanterns.
According to Mr. McKinney, studies have shown that starlings will steer clear of bright areas when roosting.
"Light pollution directly affects the physiological processes of the birds. They experience more stress, exposure, and sleep deprivation as a result," he claimed.
The loss of the birds, according to him, "has degraded the natural heritage and made the city a poorer place to live.".
To ensure that wildlife sites were properly identified, protected, and managed, he claimed that lessons about light pollution needed to be learned.
Starlings are a red-listed species, according to Anne-Marie McDevitt of the RSPB Northern Ireland, which means their decline in the UK since the middle of the 1970s has caused them to be of high conservation concern.
She claimed that the murmuration had been a natural wonder in the middle of the city.
Furthermore, she continued, "roosting together in large flocks is really important for starlings because in these large flocks there is safety in numbers from aerial attacks from birds of prey, and it's thought that when starlings gather they also exchange information about vital food sources.".
According to her, it is a legal requirement for all government agencies to promote biodiversity.
She added that because of this and the fact that the starling is on the government's own list of priority species, starlings' needs should have been considered when carrying out any work on or near the bridge.
"The starlings can still return; we'd like to know what will be done to facilitate this.".
"The street lighting on the road and footways above the bridge were converted to LED in December 2019," a spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure said.
The current British Standard, BS 5489-1:2020 Design of Road Lighting, was used in the design of this lighting, which complies with all necessary British and EU safety and environmental standards.
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