Birds on power lines and transformers are common, but their presence is hazardous to birds and people. It is prevalent to see entire flocks of birds surrounding and sitting near one pole. Birds can nest, leave droppings and garbage, get electrocuted, and can cause damage to the power lines, poles, and transformers. It may look harmless to the common eye, but it is hazardous to multiple parties.
You can see a wide variety of birds on transformers and power lines. Since this is a nationwide infrastructure, you will see many different species of birds. From pigeons to crows, seagulls, and blue jays, all of these can be spotted resting on the lines or transformers. Birds view these spots as comfortable and safe resting places. They are also perfect vantage points for sight.
How can the birds land on the power lines without being shocked? This comes from birds having two feet on the power lines. The electricity goes in and back out since there are two contact points. But electrocution is a real risk if they come into contact with two wires at once or with certain equipment parts. The electricity will have nowhere to escape the bird's body and, therefore, will electrocute the bird.
Birds can cause lots of damage to transformers and power lines alike. If they improperly touch two powerlines with their wings, they can cause power outages due to the electrical shock. For people, these power outages caused by birds can be costly and dangerous, significantly damaging electrical equipment. Aside from short circuits, you can also see damage to transformers from birds nesting. They bring in foreign materials to create their nest by transformer, which can be a fire and electrical hazard. If one piece of nesting material is out of place, there is potential for a fire or shock can take down a stretch of lines and multiple transformers. The droppings these birds leave are also very unpleasant to look at. They make these poles, power lines, and transformers look dirty and unsanitary. These can be costly repairs and cost hundreds of people power for an undetermined amount of time.
Nothing loose should be on the poles to protect both the birds from electrocution and people from power outages. Transformers must be appropriately secured to the poles to prevent the birds from touching them. If the poles are near trees, trimming them near the power lines is essential since these can provide perches and easy access for birds. Finally, prevention must be implemented to discourage birds from landing on the wires. These devices and deterrents are designed to scare and keep the birds away without harming them.
In terms of prevention, we want the best of both worlds, for the birds not to be harmed and for the infrastructure to be left intact and in good working shape so there are no power outages. Sound units and visual deterrents have been known to work in these situations. The sound units emit different intervals and frequencies of sound to deter the birds from landing in that area. The sounds are unpleasant to the birds. With the visual deterrents, an owl or predator bird look alike can be placed in the area to scare away the birds. These can be used on bird hotspots with large concentrations. By breaking up these concentrations, less damage will likely occur to the electrical infrastructure. Municipalities need to protect power lines, transformers, and poles. Check out our website for different products that can work in your situation.
Contact AviAway Bird Control Services for all your power line and transformer bird problems.