GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - In a first for the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT*), overhead warning lights (Owl) devices have been placed on a municipal power line running alongside the N2 bridge across the Swartvlei lagoon to protect flamingos.

These Owl devices are a type of bird flight diverter designed to make power lines far more visible to birds in flight, especially in low light or poor weather conditions.

Installed at regular intervals along overhead power lines, the devices reflect light and create visual movement, helping birds recognise the presence of the line in time to avoid it. This is particularly important for large, heavy birds such as flamingos, which have limited manoeuvrability and are highly vulnerable to collisions.

The installation of these devices is the realisation of a 15-year dream by BirdLife SA’s Lakes Bird Club’s members in the Garden Route to make power lines safe for flamingos in the wetland system.

The Swartvlei lagoon is not only a Ramsar site, but also part of the Garden Route Biosphere. Among the threatened species living here are the African grass owl and the greater and lesser flamingo.

The club had initially approached the EWT for assistance with mitigation measures after learning of the conservation body’s success in marking Eskom power lines across the country to prevent collisions by various bird species, including vultures and eagles.

Tim Carr, a local bird guide and member of the Lakes Bird Club, says once they discovered that permission from the Knysna Local Municipality was required to install any mitigating measures, the club approached the EWT, which assisted with the costing of the diverters. Alongside Birdlife Plettenberg Bay, the club’s members collected the more than R100 000 required for the installation. “This is a phenomenal collaborative conservation success that we are privileged to have been part of. A massive thank you to all parties involved,” says Carr.

Using a drone, the EWT Wildlife and Infrastructure team installed Owl devices on the portion of the power line crossing the lagoon last week. The installation was completed on a live line with no interruption to the local communities’ electricity supply.

According to Lourens Leeuwner, the EWT’s head of operations, if it weren’t for the Knysna Local Municipality agreeing to this installation, it would not have been possible and they would not have been able to play such a key role in ensuring that flamingos no longer fly into the power lines.

“Key to this operation was collaboration. The Knysna Municipality, Sedgefield Fire Brigade and Western Cape Traffic Control Officials were all on hand to ensure our teams working beside the N2 were safe. The Garden Route National Park granted our team permission to fly our drone over the area, and SANParks staff were also on site,” says Leeuwner. “These bird flight diverters will also prevent other waterbirds and raptors in the area from colliding with the power lines.”

*The EWT is a South African non-governmental conservation organisation that focuses on the protection of threatened species and ecosystems.

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