St John's Point: Dazzled birds die in lighthouse incident

St John's Point lighthouse is on the County Down coast, near the village of Killough

Warning: This article contains an image that some readers may find upsetting

Hundreds of migrating birds are believed to have died after becoming disorientated in fog over the Irish Sea.

It is believed the flocks were attracted by the beams from St John's Point lighthouse in County Down.

However, as first reported by the Irish News, the bright lights dazzled the birds, causing them to fly in circles until they became exhausted.

Chris Murphy, an ornithologist who lives near the lighthouse, described the incident as tragic.

During foggy conditions on Saturday and Sunday night, some of the birds flew into the building or the railings around it.

Mr Murphy said although that would not have killed all of the birds, those plunging to the ground injured then fell prey to predators like foxes and stray cats.

"In the fields there were piles of orange feathers, white feathers, black feathers, different types of birds everywhere," the former assistant regional officer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) told BBC News NI.

"If these birds had been able to land in bushes and trees they would have been safe from cats and foxes."

Chris Murphy says the birds that had died were "beautiful"

The fieldfare, redwing, blackbird and song thrush birds were migrating from Scandinavian countries to spend the winter in the British Isles, he said.

"Behind every pile of blackbird's feathers there's a bird that's been traumatised," said Mr Murphy, an environmental campaigner.

"These are the most beautiful birds - people write poems about these birds.

"I'm a bit emotional because I am a bird lover but I think anybody would be moved by these birds.

"If ever someone brings you a bird, whatever it is, you'll realise how vulnerable it is and its life depends on how you care for it - every life matters."

Mr Murphy said there was a similar occurrence at the lighthouse in Killough, County Down, in April 2014 during the spring migration when the birds were returning to Scandinavia.

He said he and his son found more than 100 dead thrushes at the time.

The birds found dead at the weekend were migrating from Scandinavian countries to spend the winter in the British Isles

The ornithologist said the loss of the birds came at a time when their numbers were already under pressure.

"We are in a state of ecological crisis, we're losing biodiversity hand over fist," he said.

"It's estimated in Europe in the last 40 years we've lost 600 million birds from our breeding population - that is one in six birds in 40 years gone.

"What we are doing to our wetlands, woodlands, lakes and rivers, we are causing these birds to have nowhere to live."

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Mr Murphy said he would be contacting people in England who have more experience of similar occurrences to ask what measures can be put in place to prevent it happening again.

"It is a phenomenon that is well known at lighthouses around the world," he said.

"I do believe at some they have planted trees and cover for these birds to find protection when they get a chance to land - they can be at least off the ground and safe from cats," he said.