The success of the “OFF” – Sprey Raptor Deterrent is highlighted in this article that was written and reproduced with permission by The Tennessee Valley Public Power Association (TVPPA). Click on the image below to view the article.
Click the image to view a short video on how the “OFF” – Sprey Raptor Deterrent works.
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By Jeff Nichols
Each year Ospreys build their nests often on top of utility poles, buildings, homes and other places that could cause damage to the structures and injure or kill the birds. Since these birds of prey mate for life and build their nests in the same place, or as close as they can to the same place year after year, the cost of loss of power, fires and the bird’s life itself grows. Many times utility workers will find a nest atop a pole, remove it (if it doesn’t contain eggs or fledglings) only to see the osprey return to rebuild immediately after the workers leave. Their natural instincts result in Ospreys being very tenacious and not easily deterred from their attempts.
Osprey nest built on top of a utility pole. Notice the twigs hanging down close to the wires. Photo by Mike Nichols
By encouraging the birds to build their nests in alternate areas, therefore voiding these hazards and helping to prevent the osprey from being injured or killed. This often includes loss of power and ultimately increasing costs to residents and utility companies if damage occurs because of the nesting birds.
Mike Nichols. Superintendent of a utility company and 35 years of working in the electrical industry, has come up with an idea to deter the osprey from building on structures that could cause problems.
“As a superintendent of electric for a utility company I experienced the problems that the nesting Ospreys brought with them,” Nichols said. “Our efforts of trying to deal with the problem by purchasing items to deter the building of the nests had little to no success. The cost of the damages and of these failed devices each year continued to rise so I set out to attempt to design something to help with the problem.”
Nichols’ new product “OFF” – Sprey, Raptor Deterrent keep the ospreys from being able to sit directly on top of the poles and build their nests. Generally the Osprey will drop the material for the nest while hovering above the site and then land to place the material for the formation of the nest.
“In my workshop at home, I came up with the design that is now the “OFF” Sprey Raptor Deterrent and my utility has had great results from its use,” he continued. “The device can be used virtually on all types of construction standards and can be easily and quickly installed. It is made of dielectric materials and poses no potential harm to the Osprey or the environment.”
With the use of this device it eliminates the need for unnecessary human contact allowing the failed efforts of the Osprey to be the discouragement as-well-as the encouragement needed for them to find a alternate location for their nests while removing any hazards. Generally, there are natural sites available that the birds can utilize as alternates and oftentimes utility companies will provide manmade structures for the birds to build their nests.
The “OFF” – Sprey Raptor Deterrent restricts the area an Osprey has to build the nest and the flexible tubing makes an unsteady perch. Photo by Mike Nichols
The device keep the Raptors from having a unobstructed opportunity to drop the debris and usually will be deflected away from the target site. The idea that ospreys do not like tight, confined areas along with the flexible tubing makes it nearly impossible for the birds to get near the arms of the poles and construct their nests. It also prevents the birds from getting too close to live electrical wires while landing or taking off where they could be killed or injured as you can see on this video of an Osprey trying to build a nest.
(Click to play on YouTube)
The possibility of fire from the sticks and debris built around or in close proximity to the energized conductors is also eliminated with their absence.
Originally designed for the tops of electrical poles and structures it can be easily modified for other applications and situations. For less than $200 and no modifications to your structure, your worries of damage to utility poles, homes and the birds will be over.
Ospreys can be found anywhere there are bodies of water, along the coasts and around lakes from Canada all the way to Australia. They are also known as “Fish Eagles” because their diet mainly consists of fish.
For more information or to place an order for The “OFF” – Sprey Raptor Deterrent, contact Power Supply Company LLC (423)624-7330 www.offsprey.com
Visit the “OFF”- Sprey Raptor Deterrent Web Site, FaceBook page, Twitter or on YouTube.
The United States has always been the land of immigrants and we are proud of that fact. We came to a new land, fought to make it our own country and have been defending it ever since. But lately we have all been bombarded with news of illegal aliens moving into America, sneaking in the southern border and coming from many different countries, as well as those who live in other states moving into states because the cost of living is much better and life seems a little slower. In my opinion (and the opinion of many others) when you decide you want to move into another country, another state, another town, it is you, the traveler, the newbie, the “outsider” who is obligated to conform to the area you are moving into.
Most who move to our country are moving to the U.S. because:
1. They want a better life.
2. Their country is corrupt, socialist, dangerous.
3. They just want freedom!
I have no problem with people wanting to live here, as long as they do it legally. But is it really right for someone to “jump the line” ahead of those who do it legally and get the benefits? Many of the legal immigrant have a problem with that.
Now, we have in many areas where the illegal aliens are given more rights than Americans. They get upset if kids in schools wear shirts with American flags on them and the schools discipline the American students. The illegal aliens get upset if we recite the Pledge of Allegiance, yet they came to our country to live the pledge. Then comes the ones who complain about our celebrations, such as the Texas Independence Day just to name one because it offends them. I have little patience for those who move somewhere only to complain that something we do offends the country they came from, they didn’t have to move here. There is much more that I could go into here, but I think my point is made.
Moving inside the USA
Now, in the same way that immigrants move into a place and try to turn it into the place they left, are those who move from state to state, town to town and because they have money think they can try to make their new home into the same place they left. While I was living in Kalispell Montana, I loved it. Mountains, horses, grizzlies you name it, everything you could want in the outdoors. Then the folks from California started moving in, clearing off land, building huge homes, moving closer to wildlife so that encounters were more frequent. Property prices started climbing, cost of living started climbing making it hard for those who have lived and wanted to live the simple life. Now, granted, every person in the USA has a right to move and live anywhere they want, and live the way they want to. But it is their obligation to conform to the area they live in.
While some people bring money to small towns, that is commendable, and to share ideas as to things that might help out the community is a good thing, however, pushing those ideas on the people who have lived there all or most of their lives is outright unacceptable. You are not the savior, and you are not going to “bring light to the wilderness” if those who live there do not want it. Sometimes a small town wants to stay that way, a small town! Most who move from a large town to a small town do so for a couple of reasons:
1. They want the small town feel, friendly attitudes and slow pace or
2. They are greedy, and all they want to do is bring more in like themselves to make as much money as possible. And of course, take advantage of the low taxes and score in the gas and oil boom.
That is all fine, as long as they treat the town with respect and do not look down on them for who they are and how they want to live. As I had said before in a previous post :
With that being said, I hope that this explains how you should act when moving into a new country, or a new town.
A few months ago I happened across a satellite TV station that caught my eye. I was scrolling through my Dish Network listings and I saw “The Six Million Dollar Man” was on. Being a child of the late 60’s and 70’s I turned to it to see Steve Austin crash his special plane and the narrator saying “Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. “We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better…stronger…faster.” Right then it took me back to when I was about 12 years old and running into the living room to watch Col. Austin’s latest mission every week. Then of course they introduced “The Bionic Woman!” Well again, I could not keep from watching that every week too. Watching each one of their individual shows was only topped by watching one or the other’s show where they guest starred on each other’s show. I would head outside after each show and make sounds and act like I was running in slow motion. I even got a Steve Austin action figure that you pushed a button on his back and you could move his arm as you picked up a toy truck, or something else that I would imagine weighed 1000 pounds. It even had a electronic (plastic) chip in his arm that you could take out and pretend you were going to repair him.
I was always a fan of Lee Majors when he was on The Big Valley, even before he played Col. Austin, and Lindsay Wagner as The Bionic Woman was one of my first celebrity crushes.
I can honestly say that The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman was used as a bargaining chip to make sure I did my chores and homework or I was not allowed to watch them. It worked most of the time!
Those were the days, TV was about using your imagination, pushing kids to think and push themselves to run faster, be stronger and be an honest person. While those shows were my favorites, Family Entertainment Television (FETV) has more shows that were hits at the time, like Charlie’s Angles, Hart to Hart, Marcus Welby, M.D. and some 80’s hits like Magnum PI and Knight Rider! All shows about good people vs. bad people, with the good always winning.
Then, I realized that in the afternoon, they had shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy, The Roy Rogers Show and The Lone Ranger (the original). I found myself turning on FETV and watching all the shows from 4pm until 11pm every night and remembering what it was like when television was decent and didn’t have all the reality trash shows they have now. Even though the special effects of the day are not even close to what they are today, I honestly would rather watch these shows than what is on TV now.
Now don’t get me wrong, there are some shows today that I do like, and many of the old shows they are remaking them to fit the current time, but I just can’t help but love the honest way TV shows were presented back in the old days. To be honest, there is no way anyone can come close to the original actors in these shows.
Even in black and white I begin to imagine riding a white stallion, chasing the bad guys and leaving a silver bullet behind before riding off into the sunset with Tonto and giving a mighty “Hi Yo Silver, Away!”
FETV can be found on Dish Network channel 82. Unfortunately, Direct TV does not carry this channel.
A young hunter posts photos of big game she has taken in Africa and people lose their minds. They make posts threatening to kill her, call her vile names and relentlessly attack her for doing something they have no idea about. Many of these same people have no problem aborting babies, killing innocent children who not by their choice were conceived, yet they prefer not to take responsibility.
Well, this young, bright lady hunts because she loves it, and because it does benefit conservation and the areas she hunts in.
While mankind likes to move into areas, tear down forests for profit, push the limits between wildlife and humans, these same people complaining about “Sport” hunters kill far more wildlife than hunters ever would and not put one penny back into reforestation, prevention of poaching or research to help wildlife. Hunters on the other hand, whether hunting for trophies or hunting to fill their freezers put billions of dollars back into the wildlife they love. Some will say, trophy hunters don’t hunt for meat, while that may be true, that meat goes to the villagers to feed them. Many hunters in many states get several tags to fill, more than what is needed to fill their freezers, but what most do is donate the meat they don’t take to local food pantries and “Hunters for The Hungry” which takes meat from hunters who have too much or who just want to help out.
If anyone has ever been in the wild and have seen starving or diseased animals, I can promise you they are in much more inhumane pain than from someone who goes out and hunts them. Their pain last for weeks or months and does not subside, but when a hunter shoots an animal, it is the hunter who takes careful aim to make sure that the shot is going to be clean and take out the animal in the fastest way possible.
Those who hunt in Africa are even more important to the conservation of the ecosystem there. For example, when an old lion is challenged by younger lions for a pride, the older lion is banished to live on his own. He no longer has the pride to rely on to hunt for food and he must do it himself. As he gets older and slower he is more apt to take easy prey (humans) than to go after his faster natural prey. If he doesn’t eat and keep up his strength, he becomes ill and is even more likely to become a man-eater. He is not longer afraid or humans and he attacks closer to farms, where humans and farm animals are easily taken.
Those lions are targeted for trophy hunts, where a person who has enough money to do so, pays to hunt, with that money going back into the area where they are hunting. Giving a boost to the economy there, as well as taking care of a problem.
This also aids in younger stronger lions being able to pass online strong genes to grow a healthy pride. These animals are also hunted when a population grows larger than an area can hold.
You can say the same about many other large animals, who if left unchecked, they will grow larger populations, deplete an area and then you have disease and starvation to deal with.
So, to those who think they know what hunting is all about, it would only take a few minutes to open your eyes and your mind and do some research on the subject. Yes there are arguments on both sides, but unless you have been there and seen that, you really do not know and can not make an educated opinion on the subject.
As for Kendall Jones, I applaud her for doing her part for conservation. At a young age, she is doing great things to help wildlife and doing something she is passionate about. Keep up the great work!
I have recently acquired a taste for the TV show Mountain Monsters on Destination America and I can honestly say I love it! So I go on a search for all information on the show and I am intrigued, not just that they are from West Virginia, but because they are real people and it is entertaining.
Now I don’t know if any of the monsters exist and as long as I have been an outdoorsman I have not seen a monster in the woods. But I have seen strange things in my time. Limbs twisted, areas torn up etc… But I have also heard the stories throughout time. Stories from old timers who you know do not lie and you could trust with your life. These stories have to start somewhere, and something have to had prompted them.
Mountain Monsters has it all, it has drama, it has suspense and it has some good humor. But most of all, it tackles the old stories we heard as kids of monsters roaming the mountains. I know what you are going to say, “If there is something out there, why hasn’t trail cameras gotten a good photo of it?” or “with everyone carrying cameras, why are all the photos blurry?” I can’t answer that, except for the fact that with most videos and photos taken, are taken by someone who is surprised. How many times have you tried to take a photo of a pet or a child when they are doing something cute, only to get a blurry photo? Same thing goes for people who take photos of an elusive monster.
As I was browsing around, I actually came across an article by the Huffington Post about the TV Show Mountain Monsters and as I was reading the comments below (by New Yorkers I am sure) One said, “How in the world do they get out in the woods and see the monsters and not catch one in an hour show?” The quick answer to that is, it is a show! A three day expedition edited down to a 45 minute TV show. Those same New Yorkers think that no animals were harmed in the making of super market meat!
So back to my point is, something has caused the stories to be told, and some times there are things out there we have no clue about. But until someone proves otherwise, there is always a chance.
The way I look at it is, it is always good to have an open mind about the things that go bump in the night, and there is nothing wrong with believing. It is when you have no imagination left that nothing new will be discovered.
Plus, it is just fun to get out, get your heart rate up and face your fears!
As I sit here 24 hours without power I have to think how it was in the days before electronics. I woke up this morning at 7am and didn’t realize what time it was. As I am sitting here now, it is 8pm and I am felling like I need to go to bed. It is dark in here, except for the light of the fireplace and very quiet. I can’t help but think of days before television, computers and things that keep me up late.
I also have to think of what families did in those days, without tv and video games. Kids had to entertain themselves, maybe reading or playing some sort of board game, or imagine this, family time!
Now I know I am not roughing it, I have a gas fireplace, I have a propane cooking stove, running water and this iPhone to keep me “in touch.” But it seems to me that this is just what we as people need once in a while. We need jolted Back to a simpler time, a time when families talk, a time when it got dark, it was bed time and when daylight came it was time to get up. Sometimes I wonder if technology has killed the way you should live. Yeah, I am writing this on my iPhone, and yes I am bored silly, but really I think if families did this once a month, maybe everyone would appreciate what we have just a little more.
Many people without power are swearing at the power companies, me, as much as I would love to have my power back, would thank them for the job they do and sash “no rush, it is peaceful here tonight.”
Yes folks, I am a redneck from West Virginia and proud of it. I have never claimed to be anything else. In the past 31 years since I graduated high school and moved around the country, my status as a redneck has stayed with me.
Now, before I go any further, let me explain to those who think that the term Redneck is a bad word, it is not. It actually came to be known because of the coal wars (1920 – 1921) in southern West Virginia, when the coal companies were forcing the miners to work in unsafe conditions and the coal miners wanted to join the union. A fight broke out, and several company thugs were killed in Matewan, WV. Then the union coal miners from northern West Virginia marched south to help the miners against the coal companies. The northern coal miners wore red bandanas so that they would be recognized as the good guys and thus, the term Redneck was coined. Yes, I know there are a thousand and one other thoughts as to where the term was coined, but I am pretty sure that this is the one that is the true meaning of the word!
Now that we know where the term Redneck came from, we can discuss the differences between them and city folk. We rednecks are tough, resilient and resourceful! We all like to laugh at someone who puts a metal watering trough above a fire and then uses it for a hot tub, but really, how many city folk would think to do that? Instead of spending $4,000 to buy a heated tub, the redneck used what he had and it worked just fine (maybe after a few comedy of errors).
The point is, Rednecks are not dumb people. They know what they have and they solve problems using what they have.
Now, I recently got into a conversation that was started from the Duck Commander’s suspension being lifted (I won’t get into the whole A&E thing) and one person who was clearly from the city (when I use city, I am talking about NYC size, not small town) and he was so appalled by all the redneck reality shows on TV now and how the world would be better off without rednecks. That is where I entered into the debate.
I explained to all who read that if ever something happened to our infrastructure, electric grid, electronics etc… that those people would be complaining about not having any food, TV, or any modern convenience that they enjoy now and that many who live in the city would perish! Well, I set off a firestorm with that comment!
He went on to say “Shouldn’t you be off researching what seeds Glenn Beck thinks are best to have for when the apocalypse comes ?”
When I explained to him that being ready is not a bad thing and that most rednecks do not need to have anyone tell us what we need to survive, it only got worse in the debate as another city person stated this:
Oh yeah – I forgot all about Doomsday Preppers (mostly just paranoid ignorant rednecks too).
You don’t fool me. Most people on welfare, sucking off the teat of the government, are white – and almost all of those who aren’t black or Hispanic are white trash rednecks or southern hillbillies.
The “lazy ignorant Southerner” label is more than just a stereotype – for many it’s a fact. Many blame it on ‘the humidity’. As transplanted yankee living in the South, I realize that could very well be.
Well, after I quit laughing at them, I said, well, I am not a prepper, I am prepped! Meaning that I know what to do when the time comes. I do not need to watch reality TV to know what to do and I certainly do not need anyone else giving me advice when they think that “the meat in grocery stores are from animals that are not harmed!”
So, the city folk quit debating me when I asked them what they would do if ever something happened. Not one could answer and they clammed up. I ended by saying:
“I know exactly what to do, I don’t have to research anything. unlike people like you. You will go steal what you want, or try to. Won’t make it far, because the people who are able to survive will not put up with looters like you.”
Well, maybe I was a little harsh, but such is life and if you want to survive, you learn how to take care of yourself. I have no problem in saying that if anything ever happened, I would still be fat and happy as I am right now. City folk, not so much. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how things go!
So, with that being said, I am very proud to be a Redneck from West Virginia!
It is a week before I begin my travels to my hometown for the Thanksgiving holiday and some much needed time in the woods deer hunting.
But this year, it is a little different. You see, my hometown is in a bit of spot with City Hall not being transparent, people feeling harassed and intimidated when they speak out against those in charge of the city. Well, I have a bit of advice for the residents of my little town, stand up, be heard and do not back down. Just like the lack of transparency can cause chaos in the federal government, it can crush a small town and when residents allow that to happen, you can’t blame anyone but yourself.
Now I am one who does not take to intimidation very well. I will tell you what I think and if you don’t like it, walk away. You can discuss differences and come to middle grounds or even an agreement, but you have to know all the facts.
Now, someone might ask, “what do you care, you don’t live here?” or “you don’t know all the facts!” I would agree with that, except for two points:
1. I care because that is my hometown and I am moving back.
2. I have seen what both sides have said in public forum as well as watch clips from local news and articles written about what is going on.
Now this little town has gone on social media and has an “Official” information page. But the problem is, they do not post relevant information, like when the next council meeting will be held, where it is and what is on the agenda, and the minutes of the previous meetings. When businesses use social media, they allow the customer to originate posts when they have questions or comments, good or bad about the host page. On this particular page, that is not allowed. So, I took it upon myself to post the city council meeting just an hour before it began, so that those who did not know would be informed.
After the meeting was over, I went back to the host page and my comment had been deleted, and I was magically banned from making any further comments on the page. My comment was simply “Don’t forget the city council meeting at 7pm.”
Well, I had written to the administration asking why it was deleted and why they banned me, but they have yet to respond to me. Instead, they posted this “This facebook page is for city information only any negative posting will be removed. Let’s keep it clean. Thank you.”
I wrote them another email asking about why they deleted my post again and have yet to get a response to that as well.
Now I am not going to go into the weeds as to all the problems of the town, or name names on here. What I will say is, that it is time for the residents of this great American town to stand up and take it back. The residents own the town, the city government serves you and you as residents deserve to be treated with respect and honesty.
I make it home at least once a year and really look forward to getting back there. Yes, I can see that my trip home will be interesting to say the least, but it will be even more interesting when I finally move back there for good!
Even with all the problems of this great town, I can’t wait to return, it will always be my home. See you soon!
At the start of the Revolutionary War, it took a king to try to control and tax the colonist into submission as a cause for war. The King wanted to confiscate our guns so that he could keep collecting more taxes. As time went on, the colonists decided that enough was enough and America stood up against oppression for the first time in our young history. A country was formed from fighting men who wanted and won freedom. So America was born because strong men stood up, stood together and defeated evil!
Fast forward to San Antonio in the year 1836 where a group of Texans joined by strong Americans fought against a dictator from Mexico to win their independence. When you step back and look at this war, you will see a lot of similarities to our own Revolutionary War. You have a dictator that wants to have total control over his subjects and make them pay for whatever freedoms he allows them. Even though all of those fighting inside of the Alamo lost their lives, their loss gave the rest of Texas the anger and strength to stand up and fight for freedom and they won if not for the words of “Remember the Alamo!”
In World War II the United States tried to stay out of the war, but when Japan decided to attack Pearl Harbor, they pulled the United States together once again, proving that once again if you attack us as a Nation, you have truly “Awaken a sleeping giant!” The United States did what was needed at that time and fought to make sure that Japan did not get away with killing thousands of people.
And then you have September 11, 2001 when terrorists attack us with hi-jacked planes again killing thousands of innocent people. We stood up, stood together and have been in a war against terrorism ever since. Every American wanted justice to be served and wanted those who planned the attacks to be held accountable for their actions. It did not matter what party you were affiliated with, republican, democrat or independent, we all agreed we needed to fight.
Each of these wars was being perpetrated by leaders (one sort or the other) who thought that we would cower down to them, would be scared and not stand up to them. Well, that backfired in a big way because as Americans, we just do not give up our freedoms to anyone. We live by our constitution and die protecting it.
The point of all this is, why as Americans do we stand up to anyone attacking us from foreign lands but we will not stand up to those in our own country who want to take rights away? Why is it that we allow our government to try mimic countries who hate us, who do not believe that we should live free? While America is the country who comes to the rescue of every country in the world during some of the worst disasters, even our enemies, we are hated and yet we still give more to the world than anyone has ever given us. We don’t complain about that, we don’t ask anyone for anything.
Why is it that we have a government that believes that hard working Americans should “have” to give part of their money to those who could work hard but refuse to? What has happened to the America that stood together and when times were tough we helped our neighbors without being asked to or without being forced to? Why do we have a government that will force us to buy healthcare under the guise of reform, yet they decide there are some who do not have to live by the rules and then still call it a tax, run by the IRS?
When did we start blaming tools, games, music and movies for the troubles in society? When instead we should blame our justice system and parents for that. We don’t want anyone to be held accountable for their actions, so we allow millions of babies to be aborted because some do not want to be pregnant. Our government would rather glorify abortion, saying it is ok to take an innocent life and then wonder why kids are murdering innocent people. It is ok to rip a baby out of the womb thousands of times a month but it is not ok to defend yourself with a gun.
When is it ok for someone to call themselves a reverend, yet every word out of his mouth is filled with racist hate? When do we allow people like him to talk to large groups and cause hate to grow? Yes it is free speech, but it is only free speech if he does it. If someone speaks out against him, they are labeled a racist. Since when do we allow a religion that is against everything we believe in, like equality, women’s rights and peace even be mentioned in this country. Freedom of religion is a right, but it is not a right to use against all other rights.
Parents, start parenting. Start playing with your kids more, take them camping, fishing, play wiffle ball in the yard. Have game night, make time for each other. When a kid wants to play cops and robbers, it is ok to be a good guy. Let kids be kids, and don’t arrest them for making a pop tart into the shape of a gun!
We should never need a phrase or a disaster to bring us all together. We should never have to say “Remember the Alamo” to make us stand and fight. We should just look around and see what is happening in our own communities and have the guts to stand tall and say enough is enough!
We need a change in this country, we need less government and more people standing up. We need truth and until we get that, we will continue to go backward instead of forward. Some say we need less religion, but personally, I think right now we need God more than ever.
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