[TowerTalk] Unusual bird problem - Bird stuck in mast

[K8RI on TowerTalk]

Birds are not exactly the brightest critters on the planet although some are 
a lot smarter than others. In general the little ones are at the shallow end 
of the gene pool. OTOH Ducks and Sea Gulls are pretty close to shallow water 
as well.

Some birds are great at judging distance, but many are not.
They will perch on top of a pipe, look down and think the equivalent of 
"this little hole might make a good nest" not realizing that little hole 
goes a longgg way down.  Once inside they can not jump back up nor can they 
use their wings in the confined space. In some instances they might have 
ducked into the "hole" to avoid a Hawk. The Hawk would have been quicker.

However it's not uncommon.

Roger Halstead (K8RI and ARRL 40 year Life Member)
N833R - World's oldest Debonair CD-2
www.rogerhalstead.com


>I have seen dead birds in my 3" diameter mast.  I'm not sure how this
> happens.
>
> John KK9A
>
>
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Unusual bird problem - Bird stuck in mast
> From: Bill Coleman
> Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2007 22:40:40 -0500
> List-post: <mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>
>
> Today I climbed the tower to take down the four foot lighted
> snowflake that serves as a Christmas decoration. Just before I came
> down, I noticed something odd.
>
> My nine-foot mast is mounted about 1/2" above the top of the rotator.
> I did this because when doing some antenna maintenance a couple of
> years or so ago, I found the mast full of acorns. The 1/2" gap allows
> the acorns to fall through.
>
> What I noticed were some feathers sticking out of the bottom of the
> mast. A bit of digging with a piece of wire, it turned out to be a
> bird carcass -- a finch, if memory serves. Apparently, he had backed
> into the top of the mast, then he couldn't climb back out. Poor guy.
>
> Anyone else seen anything like this?
>
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