May 19, 2018, 6:48 am
Wildlife experts have reminded
people to check their vehicles for birds after a man from Brae had a lucky
escape when a nest under his car bonnet went on fire.
RSPB Shetland manager Helen
Moncrieff said a variety of methods can be used to discourage birds from
nesting in their vehicle, such as using netting or keeping cars in garages.
Sean Fillingham said he noticed a
burning smell when driving his Audi Quattro on Tuesday night, but he didn’t
think it was coming from his car.
Only minutes after arriving back
home he found black smoke and flames under the bonnet.
He grabbed a nearby hose to cool
things down, but some damage was caused to parts of the car.
“I smelled burning wood a few
times [when I was driving] and thought it was just someone burning stuff,”
Fillingham said.
“I stopped at my house and went
in. I was in for a few minutes and the cat wanted out. That’s when I noticed
the black smoke from under the bonnet.
“I rushed out and popped the
catch. I thought it might be dangerous but I lifted the bonnet. The car was on
fire but luckily a hose was right there so I managed to get it out.
“There was wiring and plastic
damage but also fuel hoses, so I was very lucky. It’s a 1985 Audi Quattro coupe
– my classic car and irreplaceable. It was parked near another car and a wood
garage, so very lucky.”
His escapade with the burning
bonnet incidentally came just days after he found a starling nest with eggs in
his workmate’s van.
Fillingham added that he was
unsure if there had been any eggs or birds in the nest which had caught fire.
Moncrieff said birds can also
choose to nest in wheel arches as well as engines at this time of the year.
“The best thing to do is try to
discourage birds from nesting in your vehicle,” she said.
“I’ve heard of people moving
their car around regularly or keeping it in a garage, using netting and also
filling in spaces in the engine with tin cans when stationary.
“If a bird does nest in your
vehicle, Scottish Natural Heritage can issue a licence to remove the nest for
health and safety reasons.”
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