I can have it sometime next month.
So what's Sepia Saturday up to this week?
Poles and wires, oh my goodness. Do I have any photos of them?
I should. My oldest son works daily outside in Florida taking care of Verizon's "boxes of connections" and wires, and even goes up phone poles if he has to. And occasionally he takes a photo of what he can see.
But I don't always save them. After all, I'm also busy taking photos of my life.
Remember when you had to carry a camera after loading the container of celluloid film, and then send the film off to be developed and come back a week (or more) later to pick up your photos? I even remember the earlier rolls which had to be loaded, rewound and unloaded in the dark (or in a black bag). I do have several tons of those old photos stored away, and need to scan some of them to use here sometime!
But I digress.
Here's one of my son's pictures looking down from a pole.
Crockett Street, Beaumont, Texas, 1900s. With many electric poles going along. It does look paved at least, with concrete sidewalks. I wonder when cities started taking down some of the wires and putting them underground.
A modern pole supports several utility wires, electric, cable, and phone, as well as a street light.
White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) in their nest on a utility pole in Romania
In central Florida there are many poles with a platform on top, just for Ospreys to nest upon, and hopefully keep them away from power poles, where they can be injured or cause a fire if the nesting materials hit live "energized" spots.
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| Osprey |
This nest was elevated above the energized equipment and the transformer busing covers were covered up. OspreyWatch nest 750.
And if you happen to love watching birds on live cams...here's an Osprey nest on the Chesapeake, currently live. (The Montana site was interested in charging money, too bad).
Osprey cam
There's a road I drive a few times a year where, to encourage birds to nest there, the utility company has affixed screening around multi-legged metal power poles about 2/3rds of the way up - high enough so predators can't get at them, but well beneath the power lines & it works. The birds stopped trying to build their nests on top of the poles & began building them in the screened areas - keeping the power flowing smoothly without outages, & the birds alive. And thanks for the video of the Osprey. I inched it forward bit by bit. When he/she flew off, I kept waiting for it to return, but night came & no bird. Hmm? Was there a wild Osprey party going on somewhere? I can see them now, salsa dancing around a giant buffet bird feeder. (sometimes my imagination gets a little carried away) :))
ReplyDeleteHi Gail, I've changed the link, to one on the Chesapeake...and so far there is still a bird. I noticed that happened to the one in Montana too, and then that they wanted you to pay for some kind of package deal. No thanks. I've never heard of, nor seen the kind of set up you're talking about, but it makes sense. What part of the country is that in?
DeleteI've always disliked the look of messy electrical poles and I really dislike pylons so it's wonderful to see that some places provide safe platforms for nesting birds. I could grow to like the poles if they did that in the UK :-) The poles in Crockett Street look neat and tidy, like the rest of the street! Jo
ReplyDeleteNice pics! I always curse at the wires in the way of the view -- perhaps I need to embrace them.
ReplyDeleteNah, they are usually like pimples, sometimes noticeable, but not the true scope of the picture.
DeleteAs a child traveling through the panhandle of Texas I was convinced the only thing they grew in that state were telephone poles.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad to see telephone poles with all the wires in towns. Out on long stretches of highways they can be a bit romantic, but seeing all the wires overhead in towns feels claustrophobic.
Did you lie down in the backseat sometimes and watch them stream by? I think that made me a bit carsick.
DeleteBy the way, love the pottery house at the top!
ReplyDeleteThanks...I call them Spirit Houses.
DeleteOh goodness, the addition of birds and why high up nests is quite fun!
ReplyDeleteYes, those birds sure know the sky better than I!
DeleteHi Barbara - Nice post, and I liked seeing the vintage photos. My how times have changed!
ReplyDeleteI like seeing what other folks post at Sepia Saturday...so I usually scrounge around to find something to share.
DeleteThis post is unique, combining power poles with osprey nests. What a wonderful idea.
ReplyDeleteThe birds chose the poles (probably thinking they were ideal trees) and finally men figured out how to build platforms for the birds separate from power poles...especially when Ospreys became an endangered species.
DeleteA super literal spin on the theme. Ospreys are my favorite bird from when I lived on the coast in Georgia and Virginia. The big power pylons now regularly include those designated nesting platforms for the birds safety.
ReplyDeleteYes, aren't they wonderful? Not having seen many eagles in my life, I am entirely thrilled with an Osprey flying over...almost as big a wing span.
DeleteThanks for the link to the osprey cam. We recently had a hummingbird nest right above our busy back door which opened and slammed shut all day long. We have acres of avocado trees surrounding us so why the birds chose the door is a puzzle. At the moment we are swarmed with swallows trying to paste up nests under our patio roof...Capistrano is 10 miles away. I guess we'll have to put up a sign to get them going to the right spot!
ReplyDeleteFunny bird comments! Thanks for stopping by. Strange hummingbird choice for nest!
DeleteMy favourite's that first shot on the Florida waterfront by your son.
ReplyDeleteIt sure is beautiful, isn't it? I'm glad he carried that iPhone wherever he goes!
DeleteI wonder who thought 'Rosebud' was a great name for a new Texas town. Somehow it doesn't match.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the webcam link.
Wishful thinking perhaps? I guess the Orson Wells "Rosebud" hadn't been written yet, nor filmed. Enjoy looking at the wild birds.
DeleteWe had similar ideas this week regarding poles, but I like your addition of birds. Unlike us, they have no concerns regarding electrocution!
ReplyDeleteYes, sometimes when we stick live wires up into the sky we have to take responsibility for them.
DeleteI was cleaning out a drawer last week and ran across a canister of film. I wonder if that film was coming or going.
ReplyDeleteMy usual determination was if there was a tag of film still sticking out of the can, it hadn't yet been used...so don't bother to develop it. Once used there wasn't a tab sticking out any more. Hope if you do develop it (if you had photos on it) that some fun old memories pop out for you!
ReplyDelete