On Sun, 5 Jan 2014 10:47:28 -0800 (PST), Tim wrote:

On Sunday, January 5, 2014 12:42:59 PM UTC-6, wrote:
On Sun, 05 Jan 2014 13:23:43 -0500, Poco Loco

wrote:



I see birds sitting on power lines all the time.



I think they have to be big enough to touch two of them at a time, or ground themselves, or some

damn thing. I know sitting on one wire and touching nothing else is safe.



You see them on the low voltage and even medium voltage now and then

but I never see one on a high voltage line. (using the PoCo definition

of voltage)

I think the corona of HV lines keeps them away.

The capacitive effect might knock them out if they try.

I do see a bird on the HV poles now and then tho but they are

grounded.



The critters that take a beating are the squirrels. If they are

playing around the transformers they do get between the hub and the

can now and then and hit the ground in a smoking pile of fur.

Not really that often but we've had a problem with 'protected' wild turkeys flying up into electric lines, crossing the wires and blowing out transformers. Lights out!

Did it kill the turkey? When a kid in Minnesota, my grandfather would point out a goose every now
and then that had electrocuted itself on wires. He's the one that told me they had to touch two
wires, and most other birds were too small to do so.

Looks like the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department of Physics has some answers:

http://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=1341

[Ain't the internet great? 100 geese **** 100 lbs, and the birds have to touch two wires. Wow.]
--

Hope you're day is spectacular!