January 4, 2013

Urban Changes


I haven't driven down the actual street where the Sarasota bald eagles live in about seven months.  So, when I stopped under the nest the other day something seemed different.  Then it struck me.  The old wooden utility poles, where I captured these two woodpeckers last spring, now look like this: 



They're encased in concrete.  And, I didn't see any birds -- definitely not any woodpeckers -- flying around.


Also, the flat tops, where I captured this shot of one of the Eddies with his roadkill rack of
ribs, have been covered with this:



A pointy metal cap which certainly will discourage the Eddies, and other birds, from roosting.  I'm not sure why the utility company made these changes.  Recently, a structure fire broke out under the eagles' nest.  So, I'm wondering if some utility lines were damaged and the company decided to make the modifications when replacing the lines.  Who knows?!  Besides woodpeckers, I regularly saw bluejays, and cardinals here and once I even saw a red shouldered hawk.  It used to be the most unexpected urban bird oasis.  I wonder if they'll return...

6 comments:

Lorraine said...

How depressing. Hopefully the birds will adapt to their changing environment and find new places to roost.
I love the new header photo! Happy New Year SRQ!

SFlaGuy said...

Great Blog and one of my favorite Florida cities. I'll be visiting often.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

That pole looks very user unfriendly now SRQ, bit of a shame really, that's at least four different types of birds that will visit less often.

Leslie D. said...

Gosh that's a lot of trouble & expense they went to to Eagle-proof those things..interesting.

Kay said...

I'm guessing these new poles won't be seeing many avian visitors, especially with those "no perch" caps. Sadly, this is a good visiual example of the concept of "shrinking habitat."

Jack said...

Utility companies in many areas are putting in much sturdier poles when replacements are needed, as part of the initiative to harden the grid and resist storm damage and power outages. It would not surprise me if they also put a wooden perch for the eagles somewhere in the vicinity Utilities are quite sensitive to public opinion and the environment and don't want people suggesting that they destroyed eagle habitat. Why don't you call their media folks and ask.