Sign In or Create an Account.

By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy

Sparks

A British Man Is Living Out the Plot of ‘The Birds’

“I was simply not prepared for the serious impact that these creatures have upon me.”

A seagull attack.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

The human fear of birds is a primal one, as Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman, Olivia Rodrigo, and now, a long-suffering resident of the British town of Bath, know all too well. The man, identified only as Gavin in a BBC article about the issue, has lodged a formal complaint against the seagulls plaguing his housing development, claiming the birds have made it “impossible to escape sleep deprivation.”

"I was simply not prepared for the serious impact that these creatures have upon me,” the embattled resident revealed last week in a statement to the Bath & North East Somerset Council. Gavin went on to explain that there are “often 10 or 12 adult gulls” on the roof of the building adjacent to his apartment. He added that his “health and wellbeing have suffered from lack of sleep, anxiety, and being unable to concentrate with windows open, even in the stifling heat of summer.”

The gulls have also been exhibiting increasingly aggressive behavior, Gavin claims. "I had a sandwich snatched from my hand, drawing blood; I have been hit on the head by a gull while walking; and I have witnessed a gull take ducklings from the canal."


This is only the latest battle in the ongoing war between the human and avian residents of Bath. Per an ITV report last year, there are nearly a thousand breeding pairs of gulls in the historic city, whose elaborate Georgian architecture provides the perfect perch for the birds to nest. “We’ve created big beaches in the skies for them,” Tony Whitehead, a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds explained to SomersetLive. “They are attracted to urban areas because of really safe nesting places.”

Despite noise complaints and even attacks on humans, it remains difficult to legally kill the birds or destroy their nests, as all species of gull are protected under Britain’s Wildlife and Countryside Act. The city of Bath, however, has obtained special permissions to remove nests and eggs if they could show “that nonlethal methods had failed and that it was necessary for public protection.” Godspeed to Gavin, and prayers for a swift and nonviolent resolution.

Blue

You’re out of free articles.

Subscribe today to experience Heatmap’s expert analysis 
of climate change, clean energy, and sustainability.
To continue reading
Create a free account or sign in to unlock more free articles.
or
Please enter an email address
By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy
Sparks

Rewiring America Slashes Staff Due to Trump Funding Freeze

The nonprofit laid off 36 employees, or 28% of its headcount.

Surprised outlets.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

The Trump administration’s funding freeze has hit the leading electrification nonprofit Rewiring America, which announced Thursday that it will be cutting its workforce by 28%, or 36 employees. In a letter to the team, the organization’s cofounder and CEO Ari Matusiak placed the blame squarely on the Trump administration’s attempts to claw back billions in funding allocated through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

“The volatility we face is not something we created: it is being directed at us,” Matusiak wrote in his public letter to employees. Along with a group of four other housing, climate, and community organizations, collectively known as Power Forward Communities, Rewiring America was the recipient of a $2 billion GGRF grant last April to help decarbonize American homes.

Keep reading...Show less
Yellow
Sparks

Sunrun Tells Investors That a Recession Could Be Just Fine, Actually

The company managed to put a positive spin on tariffs.

A house with solar panels.
Heatmap Illustration/Sunrun, Getty Images

The residential solar company Sunrun is, like much of the rest of the clean energy business, getting hit by tariffs. The company told investors in its first quarter earnings report Tuesday that about half its supply of solar modules comes from overseas, and thus is subject to import taxes. It’s trying to secure more modules domestically “as availability increases,” Sunrun said, but “costs are higher and availability limited near-term.”

“We do not directly import any solar equipment from China, although producers in China are important for various upstream components used by our suppliers,” Sunrun chief executive Mary Powell said on the call, indicating that having an entirely-China-free supply chain is likely impossible in the renewable energy industry.

Hardware makes up about a third of the company’s costs, according to Powell. “This cost will increase from tariffs,” she said, although some advance purchasing done before the end of last year will help mitigate that. All told, tariffs could lower the company’s cash generation by $100 million to $200 million, chief financial officer Danny Abajian said.

Keep reading...Show less
Green
Sparks

The Power Sector Loves Big Tech’s Billion-Dollar Data Center Plans

Meta and Microsoft both confirmed plans to invest heavily in AI infrastructure.

Meta headquarters.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Big Tech said this week that it’s going full steam ahead with building out data centers, and the power industry loves it. Since Microsoft and Meta reported their earnings for the beginning of the year on Wednesday, including announcements either reaffirming their guidance on capital expenditures or even increasing it, power sector stocks have jumped.

Shares of Vistra, which has a fleet of power plants including nuclear, natural gas, coal, and renewables, are up almost 7% in early afternoon trading. Constellation, one of the largest nuclear producers in the country, is up 8%. GE Vernova, which makes in-demand gas turbines, is up 4%. Chip designer Nvidia’s shares are up 4%.

Keep reading...Show less
Yellow