For several days, a significant colony of nearly 80,000 common starlings has taken up residence in the heart of Vichy, causing considerable noise and odor nuisances, and posing health risks to residents and visitors. To preserve public space hygiene and encourage these birds to move to natural roosts in the periphery, the City of Vichy and the specialized company Fauconnerie Team have launched an ecological deterrence campaign.
This operation, taking place from Monday, September 28 to Friday, October 2, 2026, aims to break the starlings' habits and drive them away from the city center towards the left bank and wooded areas, without any capture or destruction. Several complementary techniques are being deployed on the ground by authorized professionals: flyovers by trained birds of prey (falcons and buzzards) under the permanent control of their falconer, the use of drones and lasers for aerial and luminous deterrence, and the use of pyrotechnic shots and deterrent clappers.
Interventions are primarily focused in the Parc des Sources area, adjacent streets, and surrounding neighborhoods, depending on the movement of the bird roost. Specific schedules are in place: from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the Parc des Sources for public presentations of birds of prey and methods by falconers, from 6:00 PM to midnight for pyrotechnic shots (concentrated on the first evenings) and drone flyovers, from 6:00 PM to 5:00 AM for deterrence by drones, lasers, and clappers, and from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM for night flights by birds of prey. Public lighting may be temporarily switched off in treated areas to optimize the effectiveness of luminous deterrence.
The City of Vichy invites residents to follow several guidelines to ensure the smooth running of operations and everyone's safety. It is recommended to keep pets indoors in the evening and to keep dogs on a leash near the intervention teams. Windows and shutters should be closed in the evening to protect against noise and light beams. It is also advised not to approach the birds of prey, falconers, or drones, and not to touch any pyrotechnic residue.
