A young male bald eagle had to be rescued by a BC Hydro worker after nearly being electrocuted by power lines in Delta.
The eagle, named Flash, is one of 47 wild birds that have been injured or killed in 2016 after hitting power lines in the Delta area, an almost 30 per cent increase compared to last year, according to the OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society.
“Unfortunately, the food is here, the birds are here, but there’s nowhere for them to roost or hang out,” OWL’s Rob Hope said. “A lot of the trees have been taken down so the space is limited and they’ve turned to power poles.”
Hope believes there is a simple and inexpensive fix. Birds of prey tend to hunt for the highest point to rest so he wants B.C. Hydro to install metal and wood perches to every second power pole in the area.
“For the price it costs for the birds to hit the power lines or the transformers and blow them out, it would probably be cheaper in the long run just to apply some simple steps to prevent it from happening in the first place,” Hope said.
“We’ll absolutely consider the suggestion but we are doing a number of things already, including installing perches and platforms as well as bird diverters to protect the birds,” B.C. Hydro spokesperson Mora Scott said.
As for Flash, he survived brutal burns once before. But Hope said “his chances of survival are slim.”
– With files from Rumina Daya