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.
Hello ! I liked to read about your Birds on a Wire.You are right, these power poles can be disturbing in the landscape, especially the metallic ones. Here in our narrow valleys you sometimes see nothing but them… For many years there was a wooden power pole right outside my windows. At the beginning of Fall birds would gather on its wire and plan their future migration. It was a sight I enjoyed every year, the lively chirping of those birds lined up on a wire like in your picture nr 3. The pole is no longer here and I will miss those smart little creatures. Thanks for your interesting post.
Isa, it seems like Nova Scotia isn’t the only place with power lines messing up the view. Those chirping birds outside your window must have been a delight. It’s awesome how nature manages to turn so much that’s negative into a positive.
Get a load of this mess, Amy-Lynn:
http://shotinlight.blogspot.com/2010/07/early-days-of-electricity-linger-on-in.html
I do enjoy the birds, though–mostly swallows these days on our lines. Hope your summer is going well.
Thanks for the link Pamela. The summer weather’s been wonderful here. Much better than last year.
Fog again… love fog. Esp the kingfisher one looks timeless.
Amy you are such a keen observer of nature… i hope you will see the world 🙂
Swaps, it’s when you travel that you realize how wonderful ‘home’ truly is. I travelled a lot when I was young and it was quite an eye-opener… not just of the world, but of home as well.
Love the kingfisher shot.
Worse still is the knowledge that our power comes from coal ! With all the winds and tides in Nova Scotia, you think we’d have developed cleaner electricity.
Sybil (stepping down off soap box)
Sybil, I know. I know. Yes you’d think we would have developed cleaner electricity. Nova Scotia likes to think of itself as being ahead of everyone else in technology and innovation. We are so far behind in some things it isn’t funny.
It does seem that in these times of technology that there should be a better way – if lines are underground other places, seems to me it would work there. And you just stand up tall on that soap box, Sybil! More of us need to climb up there with you!
Cindy, don’t encourage her!! But if you must, you can do it on her blog at
http://crittersnus.blogspot.com/