Making electricity poles safer for birds (1 Viewer)

[jurek]

I recently saw a presentation that electrocution on electricity poles is the major reason of deaths of Bald Ibis in Europe. Electrocution kills also White Storks, all birds of prey, owls, and many other bird species. I realized that it is a direct bird protection which has obvious emotional appeal to laypeople, because it helps individual birds, not just species. And it is not an obvious competition to other conservation. But bird protection societies are almost silent about it. So a sort of an empty niche in bird protection.

One danger is short-circuiting of larger birds landing on poles, which kills many large and charismatic species. I saw a film showing a young White-tailed Eagle landing on a pole and immediately dropping dead. This can be prevented by fitting the poles with isolation. Second danger are collisions of flying birds, which are probably more spread across the landscape, but can be prevented locally e.g. by installing visible markings. For large, slower breeding birds, it can be a major mortality factor, and can make the difference between population going extinct or recovering.

It turns, that electricity companies are often sympathetic to insulating electricity poles, because it reduces costly power outages. In Poland, a big success was collaboration between local bird societies and electricity companies, where the company staff moved stork nests to metal supports raised above the electrified wires. I also heard that fitting electricity poles with isolation to make them bird safe is mandatory in Germany but not other countries.

Any thoughts about this?
Any moves from local bird reserves to make electricity poles around the reserves safer for birds?
Any big moves from bird protection societies to start collaboration with electricity companies in their area?
Any even bigger campaigns to make bird-friendly power lines mandatory by law?
Any other campaigns to make electricity poles bird safe e.g. on migration hotspots?

 

[greykangaroo]

It is very difficult to make electricity distribution completely safe for birds. In Australia, methods range from wire spacing, sleeving, and the use of insulated wire.

 

[Maffong]

I believe the problems of electrocution are recognized and being adressed in the entire EU so it's not a huge problem anymore (therefore no priority for environmental agencies). More information can be found here. I have however barely skimmed the document so far.
The bigger threat are collisions with barely visible powerlines. There are easy anti-collision measures, like hanging flags, which I guess are being used in any new construction, so the biggest problem lies with old powerlines.
I know that in northern Africa (Morocco, IIRC) raptors were getting electrocuted in huge numbers until quite recently, but this has also been recognized and adressed in the last few years.

I must admit though, that I'm not an expert in this field and someone with more knowledge could easily prove me wrong

 

[pbgrebe]

I spent several years working in the California condor reintroduction program and power lines and poles are also a source of mortality for these large, magnificent birds—this is both by electrocution and by striking power lines while in flight. There are those within the program who have pushed for adding various features to the power lines within the condor’s range that will make the power lines readily visible to the birds. However, these efforts have met with only limited compliance. Part of the problem here is that the condors can range extensively and it’s difficult to recruit compliance and coverage over such an expansive area.

In regard to power poles, one of the means employed to aid in discouraging the birds from landing and perching on them is through aversive conditioning. This is done by the use of dummy power poles. Specifically, a dummy power pole is placed within the large enclosure (aviary) in which the condors undergo their pre-release conditioning process prior to being released into the wild. The dummy power pole delivers a shock to any condor that tries to perch on it. The idea here, of course, is for this aversive conditioning to help prevent the birds from seeking to land on power poles when they are released into the wild. At some of the release sites a dummy power pole is also placed outside of the pre-release conditioning facility, either near it (the free-flying condors are still attracted to the facility after being released) or by a proffered feeding site, as a means of refreshing this aversive conditioning among the free-flying condors. Below is a photo of the dummy power pole that was erected inside the facility at the release site where I worked (Pinnacles National Park; it was still a national monument—called Pinnacles NM—during the time that I worked there).

 

[citrinella]

Visibility ? The power line collisions I have found have probably been in the dark or near dark - Barn owl, Long-eared owl and peewit.

I have had buzzard I thought had been electrocuted. One clamped one foot on to the wire and hung there for a few weeks. It must have been electrocuted across two neighbouring wires as it was nowhere near a pole. This was on a single phase line, two wire system L/N.

Should we bury the cables ? but that would disrupt the ecosystem underground.

Mike.