A raven pair’s nest in a desert power transmission tower. Photo © Tim Shields and Hardshell Labs.
To a bird so obvious in its comings and goings, and so careful in its choices, the thousands and thousands of high-tension power line towers that slice across the desert are a huge boon. 50 to 100 feet off the ground the birds have no fear of terrestrial predators such as coyotes or badgers. The complex grid of metal also affords protection from the only aerial threats they face, Great Horned owls and Golden eagles. The elevated 360 degree view allows ravens to spy on wide swaths of territory.
It is as if the birds have ordered up perfect custom homes and humans have obligingly provided them. Any hope of managing the decimation or extinction of other species by ravens will depend on addressing the fact that we have provided these ideal nest platforms across huge areas of tortoise habitat.
