Working with utility companies to place nest boxes on poles?

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Sam Marshall NSULA
Sam Marshall NSULA's picture
Working with utility companies to place nest boxes on poles?

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Has anyone had any experience working with local telephone/utility companies in using utility poles for nest box placement?

Bill Chitty
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I found utilities very reluctant to agree to placing boxes on poles.  Liability question for them.  I did easily secure permission to place my own (articulating) pole within power line easements.  And had far better results attracting kestrels with those boxes than boxes on trees.

Meagan Duffee-Yates
Meagan Duffee-Yates's picture

I have a great partnership with the local utility company here in SWMO. They gave me access to some substations and all that they asked of me is to get them the GPS coordinates, a picture of the pole with the pole ID information and a picture of the box on the pole. These locations are within a town and so far 3 out of the 5 boxes placed in these locations have some kind of kestrel activity sign. Mostly with birds outside of the nest box, but one box with scraping activity, body feathers inside and the female perched directly overhead upon my last check. 

Keep in mind that these locations are all part of the utlity companies property, any of their poles that I wish to access that run through other's properties I will need to obtain permission from the direct landowners to access. I'm currently working on that for access for next year.