A group of bald eagles in the South Bay has made their home in an unexpected spot atop power poles.
“Since utility poles are often the highest and most prominent point in a landscape, birds often perch on the poles to hunt or rest,” said Michael Best with PG&E. “Also, it is often easier for birds to build nests on the flat surfaces of electric equipment than in trees.”
A concerned resident and bird watcher noticed a pair of breeding eagles frequenting PG&E equipment in Milpitas and managed to capture a spectacular photo of one of the birds enjoying a meal on top of a pole.
A bald eagle perches atop a PG&E power pole in Milpitas, CA with a fish in its claws, Apr. 2021PG&E
“It’s kind of rare to have eagles nesting in an urban environment like this. So we have a local birder that’s following these birds, obviously seeing the rarity that urban bald eagles are in California." said Best.
But power lines can also pose a hazard to the birds, who might come into direct contact with live wires.
“When they’re perched on a wire and don’t touch another wire, they’re perfectly fine. But bald eagles are so large that we have to make sure that they don’t touch two wires simultaneously," he explained.
PG&E says after the customer reached out, it sent out a team to install raptor guards on the affected lines to ensure the birds don't injure or electrocute themselves.
