How to Mitigate Bird Collisions With Power Lines
- 1). Determine flight patterns of local species. Hunting grounds of raptors, migration routes and breeding grounds are the most likely to be affected.
- 2). Mark the offending power lines so that the birds can see them from a distance. Bright-orange fiberglass balls, called "aviation balls," were designed to keep low-flying planes from hitting power lines, but they also work for wildlife. Millen Bypass in Jenkins County, Ga., was successfully outfitted with aviation balls to deter endangered wood storks from flying into power lines. In St. Albert, along a migration route for geese and swan, a combination of coiled, insulated wire was wrapped around the wires to make them more visible. They also used white tags with yellow stickers to dangle from the wire and reflect light. In Woodbridge, Calif., they used glowing, disc-shaped "bird diverters" to mitigate avian collisions. Each of these places has since reported a decline in bird collisions.
- 3). Large raptors may try to use power poles as a high vantage point for hunting, but they may accidentally touch two wires and electrocute themselves as they take off or land. In this case, the solution is to put perches that stand higher than the pole and the power lines. The bird will usually choose to land on the highest point. For birds that often choose to nest on power poles, such as osprey in the Florida Keys, platforms on poles placed slightly higher than the power lines have met with success.
- 4). Whenever feasible, move or bury power lines that are in the direct path of a migration route.