Agile Tortoise
Greg Pierce’s blog
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The Buzzard Pole
A major utility thoroughfare parallels one of the highways I drive to work for a mile or so. The poles are the traditional exposed steel frame towers. One of them is the favorite resting place for about 100 buzzards. It’s been that way as long as I’ve been doing this drive. The buzzards don’t nest on the pole, but just sit there. And only that one pole. I never see a single buzzard on any of the other dozens of identical poles along that stretch.
I don’t know much about buzzards. I don’t really understand why they would choose that particular pole, but they are clearly creatures of habit and community. The pole certainly has a good view of the highway, so they can keep up with the latest happenings in roadkill land — but no more so than any of the other poles.
Recently, my curiosity has turned to sympathy for these poor scavengers. Why? Because along the utility right-of-way, a hundred or so feet East of the existing poles have been erected a series on new steel monopoles that are clearly designed to replace the existing frame poles. Monopoles have a number of advantages over the older frame-style poles, most notably they are less susceptible to weather damage. They are not, however, a very friendly perch for 100 or so buzzards.
As I drove this morning, and listened to Slaid Cleave’s “Below” (scroll for the lyrics), I couldn’t help but liken the buzzards plight to that of the homesteaders forced into relocation by the dam projects of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Progress, Power and sacrifice.
Then I realized my commute is too long and is rotting my brain.
