On the bus to Seattle along I-5, I saw a large raptor-style nest atop a relatively short cellphone tower. Next to that, whether it was the nest’s builder or not, I beheld the majestical symbol of Jesus’s United States, the bald-ass eagle.
As far as I recall from nature specials and a bit of observation, big hawks and eagles like to build huge nests on tops of trees, especially when they are blunted off or expansive enough to support such a structure. Cell towers have a broad flat top and are often quite tall, so they appeal to that instinct. I once saw nesting ospreys in the tower across from the walmart where I used to work.
My hope is that this doesn’t mess up the birds too much, and that, understanding this reality, cell companies would build the towers to deal with birdy presence – safe places for urine and feces to fall, engineering to reduce fire risk from giant amateur weaving projects next to the high voltage, etc. If I had to guess what actually happens, it’s probably nest destruction where legally allowed.
Good luck to the beasts, as ever.
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The title would have been so much better in the good old days of 3G.
I have no sources for this, but I have a vague memory(?) of hearing/reading/seeing about someplace (I want to say SouthEast US, but again, vague memory…) where it became standard for utility companies to build dedicated nesting platforms, because it ended up being cheaper than dealing with the nests on utility poles/lines.
Less patriotic, and more common, but i’ve been watching/periodically photographing the pigeons nesting on my apartment hallway balcony, and seeing a lot more baby turkeys on my work commute this year. Baby birds seem to come in two flavors; adorable, and adorably ugly. 🙂
joh2n – lol
lochaber – i hope that’s true about the platforms.
Nesting platforms are pretty standard here in Vermont, with some on power poles, others dedicated. The occupants are expected to be ospreys. We see them in the Adirondack region of New York too, and the Rhode Island seashore. The ospreys come back to the ones around here every year.