Birds on a Wire

Without wires stringing them together, the newly erected power poles along Cow Bay Road are a grim sight.  They remind me of the crucifixes Romans put up outside towns in ancient times.  In these modern times, you’d think Nova Scotia Power would have the sense to bury their cable.  No.  Instead, we have more skyscapes like this to to look forward to…

Even the fog can’t soften up their hard lines.  The only locals who aren’t complaining are the birds.

Birds sitting on power lines are a common sight, especially in areas where trees are few and far between.  These roosts give birds an opportunity to rest high above the ground out of harm’s way.  I’ve even seen a ring-necked pheasant balance himself on a wire, though large birds have to be careful to not touch more than one wire with their wings and tails.

As long as birds cling to a wire with both feet, they can do so safely without risk of electrocution.   Some, like the two mourning doves, shown above, can even use the wires for napping purposes.  These doves frequently make their mournful cooing calls from the wires.  Their calls travel throughout the neighborhood and sound especially haunting in the fog. 

Most mornings, I see a kingfisher resting on the wires near the bridge behind Rainbow Haven park.  Its silhouette is usually blurred by the fog.  It scans the water below for fish and flies in a circle between frequent rests on the same wire.  The spot must be an ideal vantage point for fishing purposes.

Over the years I’ve seen owls and other birds of prey taking inventory of the area below while sitting on wires.  How nice for them.  Considering our power rates are supposed to be going up (again) soon due to upgrades, and we’ll likely suffer outages in the near future due to high winds during hurricane season, these new poles and wires are definitely for the birds.