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| Great spotted woodpecker - enjoying life once more in Ireland |
A POPULATION increase of great spotted woodpeckers is proving a headache for Ireland's state-owned electricity operator, ESB.
Holes the birds have drummed into wooden pylons have been affected by rot, leading to power outages during periods when the poles need to be replaced.
The birds went extinct in Ireland the 17th or 18th Century when their favoured woodland habitats were felled to make way for farms.
But since the turn of the century, the species has returned as the result of some birds crossing the sea either from mainland Britain or Scandinavia or both.
Their arrival caused surprise in the ornithological world because, with their weak undulating flight, woodpeckers are notoriously reluctant to cross the sea.
It is thought that there may now be as many as 100 pairs scattered across Ireland.
According to reports in the Irish media, the birds' pole-drumming activities are proving particularly problematical in the counties of Kerry and Mayo and in Leinster.
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