[TowerTalk] Birds and Towers

[Cam and Juli Hedrick]

Hmmm, the Red Shouldered Hawks nesting pair on my property love my towers.
They sit way up there on a monobander and hunt.  I don't have many mouse or
other rodent problems here because of them.  They are on the protected list
and we love watching them teaching the new ones to fly and hunt each year.
Also the screech owls hunt from them towers at night. The bats love to paly
games fly around the towers chasing bugs and they're protected as well.
No dead birds near my towers in 33 years of radio as a hobby or
profession...Air Force Combat Communications.
  
I guess I'm going to have to demolish my shack though...the sliding glass
door, windows, and storm door have taken a toll on the small birds...one
bird has committed suicide at each over a period of 7 years.  A shack with
no windows makes for isolation and I love to watch it snow and keep an eye
out on the horses while I operate or work on project.  One thing I really
like is that I can assemble antennas in the shack and test everything before
sending it up the tower.  That's nice in the winter as that's when I do most
of my design work and machining for new antennas to go up in the spring.  
I guess I'll have to do that outside since the shack is in the way of the
birds.  One thing though...I might be able to get a waiver since a number of
birds built nests under the eves and the timber frame foundation.  What do
you guys think?