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When installing photovoltaic systems, it is common to encounter wildlife in the form of birds' nests on rooftops. In many cases, especially in coastal locations, seagulls nest at high altitudes.
Recently, Johan Braunerhielm, project manager at SBP, encountered such a situation at a solar PV installation on a commercial property in the Stockholm area. In that case, it also involved a red-listed herring gull with a chick, creating a situation that required extra caution.
- Breeding birds can become aggressive to protect the nest and their young. This was the case here. For us, the working environment of our installers is as important as protecting the environment in which we operate. You could rather see it as us encroaching on their habitat.
All in all, it is for environmental and natural reasons, as well as the working environment of the project in progress, that measures are required to ensure that neither animals nor humans are harmed. With the client's approval, the Bird Protection Group, a company that does not consider birds to be pests, was called in to relocate the various nesting sites. The herring thrush could be moved by hand carrying the bird visibly so that its parents could watch over the move and ensure that the chick was not harmed.
- In this case, the relocation of the chicks went very smoothly, and we also took the opportunity to remove the nest when the chicks were big enough and no eggs were incubated," says Johan Braunerhielm and continues:
- For us at SBP, our mission for the environment is about so much more than just harnessing the sun's energy. It's about caring, taking the big picture into account, and that includes nature and wildlife. That's why in such situations we like to choose the most gentle solution possible for both the work and the birds.
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