WUHAN, May 12 (Xinhua) -- An inexpensive yet eco-friendly invention has helped local power maintenance workers at a lake area in central China's Hubei Province to take back occupied utility poles from nesting birds.

The new device, developed by power workers, looks like an anemometer with four small cups which have mirrors built-in. When the wind blows, the device spins causing dazzling reflections to scare the birds away.

Earlier this year, power companies installed over 70 new devices, which they call "wind-powered bird repellents," around the Honghu Lake in Hubei.

The lake has been banned overfishing for many years as part of green development drive. As the environment improves, the number of the birds living in the lake has increased.

However, there were not many trees in the lake area, making the birds often nest on utility poles, one of the main causes of power failures in the area.

Yang Hua, a local power worker, said the nests in poles were a great threat to both birds and power supplies.

"The 10kV line tripped nine times last year due to bird nests, greatly affecting local people's lives," Yang said.

Jiang Yi, director of the local power supply station around the lake, said they had invested a lot and tried many means including drones to drive the birds away, but all their attempts failed.

However, "From January, there has been no power supply failure caused by the birds on the lines installed with the new devices," Jiang said.

At the beginning of the year, the local power supply department also called on people to plant tall trees such as metasequoia on the shore of the lake to provide better nesting sites for the birds.