The country was struggling with power outages

Ireland is experiencing a woodpecker shock. The great spotted woodpecker, which has started to be seen almost everywhere in the country, is relentlessly pecking at utility poles, causing problems in the electricity grid, particularly in the southeastern parts.

Although teams are trying to repair the utility poles damaged by the woodpeckers, the resulting power outages continue to challenge the Irish people. In a statement, authorities confirmed that "performance issues" can occasionally occur in some parts of the grid as a result of the birds damaging the utility poles.

A spokesperson for the electricity distribution company ESB said, "For example, in the Aughrim and Tinahely areas of Wicklow, ESB Networks carried out significant upgrade work on sections of the network earlier this year, and part of this work required the replacement of woodpecker-damaged poles," and continued: "This, combined with planned maintenance outages, has caused obvious inconvenience for customers in the area, and we thank them for their understanding during the recent outages."

The pecking of the woodpeckers creates holes in the poles, which leaves the wood vulnerable to rot. Consequently, the utility poles face the risk of collapse, and teams are forced to replace these poles.

Woodpeckers were first seen in Ireland 20 years ago, when food shortages drove the birds south and west from their traditional homes in Scandinavia. According to the Irish Naturalists' Journal, while it was determined that woodpeckers bred in Co Down in 2007, the bird was also seen in 2008 on Cape Clear, Co Cork, and the Saltee Islands off Co Wexford.

Brian Burke, a scientific officer at Birdwatch Ireland, says there are about 100 nests in the country. Burke notes that while the birds are normally reluctant to cross the Irish Sea, they have started to be seen across the country following a dramatic increase in their numbers in the United Kingdom in recent years: "They have been seen as far as Kerry and Mayo, but they are most densely found in Leinster, and within that, in the counties of Wicklow and Wexford."

Burke added that woodpeckers are legally protected and their nests must not be disturbed.

News Source: 12punto