Birds get in flap over wing mirrors
A grey wagtail thinks he is the fairest of them all.
Unfortunately so do all his friends – and they are wreaking havoc with car wing mirrors in a village.
The birds, which are fiercely territorial at this time of year as they look for a mate, believe their image is a love rival. They peck at the reflection and, as often as not, soil the mirrors.
Villagers are now fighting back by making mittens to cover up their mirrors.
Marion Badcock, who lives in Withycombe, Somerset, said: “If there’s two they don’t seem to bother but the single birds go mad pecking. They’ll look at themselves in your wing mirror, then do their business all over it.
“Many of us just got fed up with cleaning them, so we made covers.”
RSPB spokesman Peter Exle said: “Birds in general do this at this time of year. It’s all down to hormones. They get very territorial.”
