Safer swans now grace Uxbridge pond

Recently installed bird diverters mean to keep Uxbridge’s beloved birds from flying into dangerous wires around Elgin Pond.

James Bullied and Isaiah Ryzebol, both of Meek Electric, recently volunteered their time and expertise to help install several bird diverters along Elgin Pond. The diverters will hopefully be visible to airborne waterfowl in the area, and prevent the birds from flying into the wires, which can fatally harm the birds. Other wires that line the bridge over Elgin Pond are also being considered for bird diverter installation. Below left: a close-up of the installed diverters. Photos by Nancy Melcher

Nancy Melcher

At least three dozen bird diverters were recently installed on the above-ground wires running alongside Elgin Pond, and will hopefully act as a visual deterrent to the local swans and other waterfowl.

According to Courtney Clarke, director of Public Works, the bright yellow, curly “pig-tail” structures cover approximately 400 ft., starting at the south-end hydro pole, going alongside the pond and heading north. The diverters are designed to make the thin wire more visible to any birds flying nearby.

The wire that features the bird diverters is owned by the township. It provides electricity to the streetlights, and is the line with which a cygnet collided last fall, causing her catastrophic injuries which were ultimately fatal.

The thick black wire on the other side of Main St. S. is owned by Bell. Several phone conversations to their environmental team have not yet brought them around to agreeing to make their line more visible.

Hydro One owns the third set of lines running across the far southeast section of the pond, and it has promised to install diverters. Those were the lines that the swan “NutMeg” flew into, causing her death.

Meek Electric donated its time and equipment to install the diverters. Department of Public Works director Courtney Clark was also involved in getting the diverters installed, as was councillor Zed Pickering. Concerned community members Bob Kirvan, David Moseley, and Helen Johnson also advocated for “gentle help” for the injured birds.

The swans appear to be Uxbridge’s newest ambassadors, appearing on the new “EXPLORE” banners, on the township website and on BIA posters. They were also chosen by the public to be featured in a new sculpture that will be installed at the township offices.