THE sudden deaths of at least nine black swans in the past three weeks have turned a Coodanup verge into a graveyard and prompted Western Power to take preventative measures.
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Electrocuted after hitting power lines on Wanjeep Drive, the stricken birds have been landing in backyards or on the road side, with residents or Western Power contractors forced to bury them.
“This has never happened before,” Brian Pallier said. “It started about three weeks ago.
Mr Pallier, along with his neighbour, Sheryl Sheridan, raised the alarm after a particularly deadly Easter long weekend resulted in the deaths of five swans.
“We never know when it’s going to happen,” Ms Sheridan said.
“You’d be shocked as to how many there have been. Take a walk between Birchley and Beacham and smell for yourself.”
Of concern to the Coodanup residents is the swans’ welfare, with the iconic birds protected under the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Acts 1979.
“This all started when developers cleared the trees,” Mr Pallier said.
“The swans used to be able to clear the power lines. Now they can’t see them.”
Mr Pallier said a swan hitting the lines caused an “almighty bang”, and didn’t necessarily result in a quick death. “Most of them die straight away,” he said. “But I’ve seen them stunned and in agony. It’s horrific.”
But it’s not just the safety of the swans that is causing concern in Coodanup, according to residents.
Each time one hits the lines, power can be blacked out to up to 3000 local consumers.
With restoration taking up to three hours, according to Mr Pallier, this is creating health risks for those who rely on electricity for equipment such as nebulisers.
It’s an issue Western Power has been made aware of in recent days.
Pole and tower performance manager Raphael Ozsvath thanked the community for reporting “several unfortunate incidents of birds flying into powerlines”. Mr Ozsvath acknowledged there had been power interruptions.
“We are now aware that there has recently been development near the lake,” he said.
“This work has reduced the number of trees that would normally help to prevent birds flying into nearby powerlines.”
Mr Ozsvath said Western Power inspectors had visited the site adjacent to the development to identify which powerlines were affected.
“Western Power will install bird flight diverters on the powerlines that will make them more visible and help prevent further occurrences,” he said. “Crews will safely install the devices this week.”
What this means for locals is hopefully a decent night’s sleep, with both Mr Pallier and Ms Sheridan saying they hadn’t slept well “in weeks”.
For the swans, the hope is that the diverters will deter birds from hitting the lines.
Western Power encourages people to call their 24/7 emergency line on 13 13 51 if they see a fallen powerline or a potential network hazard.
