Like political regimes, utility poles tend to rot from the top down, which is why trucks from Rocky Mountain Power descended upon my street yesterday. Shortly thereafter I found myself looking up in amazement at an acrobatic high wire act performed by a pair of agile linemen. And now this morning I find myself looking at a brand new pole, sporting new crossbars, insulators and a shiny new transformer.
During the installation, wildlife activity in my backyard shuddered to a halt. Just as I can’t get along without electricity, local birds and even squirrels are dependent on utility poles and wires. I know that some of them, such as the Northern Flickers, will miss hunting and pecking for whatever it is that resides in the crevices of weathered wood. Also, I’ve noticed that my mourning doves are reluctant to alight on the newly installed insulators. Time was when the old ones served as a popular trysting spot!
The new pole is taller than the old one, which will be good news for the Cooper’s hawk who seeks out the highest vantage point in order to scan the terrain for prey. Once, I watched in awe as it dropped like a thunderbolt upon a hapless rat, then returned to the tippy top of the pole in order to enjoy a tasty meal.
This morning as I stepped outside I surprised a squirrel in the act of filching peanuts from the dish I set out for scrub jays. I, myself, wasn’t surprised—since of late the neighborhood is being overrun by invasive fox squirrels, which evidently have migrated from West Virginia to Utah via high voltage power lines. How none of them ever gets electrocuted remains a mystery to me, nor have I ever seen a squirrel take a fall. Like expert linemen, they appear to know what they’re doing.
