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Pelicans have an ongoing association with Country Energy. It’s not because they perch on overhead wires like other birds - rather it’s because they are the beneficiaries of an innovative conservation strategy.
Pelicans were causing blackouts at Ballina on the North Coast and being killed or injured when colliding with powerlines crossing a tidal creek.
The Australian Seabird Rescue (ASR) group discovered that summer and winter migratory patterns of younger birds were causing all the problems.
Each year juvenile pelicans arrive, with older birds from western breeding colonies, and fly up a tributary of the Richmond River. According to the ASR, while the older birds are familiar with the power lines spanning the creek, the younger ones were too inexperienced to notice and make the necessary in-flight corrections.
Country Energy’s live line workers installed bird diverters on the wires to make them more conspicuous. Collisions and fatalities have reduced dramatically as a result.
The Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) is one of our largest birds; big enough to cause a short circuit across overhead powerlines. Making the power lines easier to see is our strategy for reducing the risk of pelican prangs.
[INSET: Live line workers install bird diverters]
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| The bird diverter is a simple mechanical device made of plastic and wire. It clips onto an overhead power cable. The high visibility orange racquet section is hinged and can swing in windy conditions. The device makes it easier for birds to avoid power lines. |
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| Always make safety your number one priority |
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