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.
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!
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.”
Fall is here and for me it is the best time of the year. I feel like getting outside more, setting out trail cameras to see what might come by. I do not necessarily have to be hunting at that time because even near the house, it is fun to find out just what might be lurking by. Here are some fall photos to get you in the mood for the cool, crisp air and maybe motivate you to head outdoors to enjoy nature.
Nothing better than walking down a trail in the early fall.
Fall is a beautiful time of year, the leaves are changing colors and falling and although it seems like everything is dying, there is much more to Fall than that.
In the country, you never know when you will see something.
Having a trail cam, less than 50 yards from your home will give you an idea of who comes to visit after dark.
Bucks in the fall lose the velvet from their antlers and prepare for the breeding season.
If you look long and hard enough, you will come across a large buck, like this 10 point.
Here is a schedule for you and your spouse, we all know there are seasons for all of us!
Y’all come back, Ya’hear!
I hope that you enjoyed the photos, now get out and enjoy what nature has provided, it will make you forget all the problems in the fake world!
I sure miss my horse Fancy, she was very smart. So I thought I would share this short video of her. Enjoy!
Not always will you have a quality camera to get crisp HD videos or photos. Case in point:
I was fishing a few years ago, and hooked a bass. as I pulled the fish to the bank, I heard something. I looked down below where I had just pulled the fish from the water, and saw this big snake had grabbed this very big frog. I quickly released the fish, and pulled out my cell phone and began to record what was going on. You are only seeing a little over a minute of the action and it was a little late and the struggle went on for over two hours and into the night. So I could not get the whole thing recorded. I even did the editing on Windows Movie Maker.
This is just to make a point that not always will you have everything you need when the need arises. Sometimes you just have to go with it and get the best footage you can. And if you are lucky, you get something like this!
After attending the WVU Integrated Marketing Communication’s (IMC) INTEGRATE 2012 on campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, I listened to several marketing/communication professionals and university instructors on how to communicate in the new age of computers and social media. One such professional (and instructor) Mark Schaefer said that to keep up, you need to be out there. By being out there, he meant that you should get a Twitter account, get on Pinterest, and start a blog. The more sessions I attended there, the more I thought, “Yeah, I can do that.” So I opened an account on WordPress and decided to give it a shot. After setting things up, I then came to the realization that I talk alot, but I don’t say much and I started wracking my brain to think of a topic to come up with. I am good at nature photography, but did I have enough to keep a blog going? I love to talk politics, but do I want to get worked up and cause arguments all of the time? I love the outdoors, hunting and fishing, do I make more time to get out into the woods? Sports? The Steelers and Mountaineer football team only play in the fall. I could not pinpoint one thing to talk about.
Then it hit me. I will do it all, as it happens. I get out and take some photos, I blog about it, I get into the woods, I blog about it. I watch my favorite football teams, of course I blog about it.
I may never get rich off of blogging, I may not get anybody to read my blogs, but it will be a great way to talk about the things I like to do and if anyone is interested then maybe we all can learn something. I am going to give it a shot, and hope that it works. So, tell me what you think, and I will do my best to make my topics as interesting as I can.
Oh, by the way, I will share a cool photo or video of the day/week. The photo for today is one that I took in 2004 when I was living in Montana and visited a bear park. This grizzlie bear was only four years old and already weighed in at 700 pounds.
Enjoy!
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