State Grid builds artificial bird nests to protect birds while ensuring power grid safety

China's vast territory and diverse climate provide ideal conditions for birds to thrive. The country is home to over 1,500 species of birds, making it one of the countries with the richest bird biodiversity in the world.

An issue has arisen in the grassy plateau regions though, as some raptor species prefer nesting in elevated locations, but these regions lack tall trees. As a result, the birds have been nesting in transmission towers, and the materials being used to build their nests like sticks and metal wires are causing power line malfunctions.

To ensure power grid safety while protecting birds, the State Grid Corporation of China launched a public welfare project in 2016 to develop artificial bird nests around the transmission towers and lines that are suitable for the birds to nest in.

① : A raptor flies away from an artificial bird nest on the Ruoergai Grassland in southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Liao Bin)

② ：Workers of State Grid Qinghai Electric Power Company climb a transmission tower to install artificial bird nests in the Sanjiangyuan area located in northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/Wang Guodong)

③ : Two birds rest in an artificial bird nest on a transmission tower on the Ruoergai Grassland in southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/An Wei)

④ : A worker installs an artificial bird nest on the Bayanbulak Grassland, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Yang Yang)

Guiding the birds

In the Ruoergai Grassland of southwest China's Sichuan Province, the sky is clear and blue. Near a 110-kilovolt power line, falcons circle a tower and perch on the edge of their nest, where several fluffy chicks await feeding. A nest made from vines by local power grid staff provides a cozy home for the falcon family.

Building artificial bird nests on power transmission towers helps prevent birds from interfering with grid safety while maintaining the ecological balance of the grassland, said Huang Jian, a bird protection expert from the Shan Shui Conservation Center.

The threat brought by the birds to the transmission towers and power lines goes beyond just the materials they used to build their nests.

According to experts, bird droppings are another major concern, accounting for about 80 percent of bird-related transmission line malfunctions.

"Birds have very short rectums and cannot store large amounts of feces; the corrosive droppings they excrete at any time can affect the safety of the power grid if they fall onto insulators," says Liu Yong, an electric power expert from the Aba branch of the State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company. Furthermore, some birds have the habit of pecking at insulators, damaging the insulating function of the tower. When birds take off or land, their larger movements can also affect the safety of power supply.

Statistics show that bird-related power line faults are the third most common cause of power outages, after lightning strikes and external damage.

In the past, power workers attempted to deter birds from perching on the towers by installing repellent devices, but the effect was limited.

"Blocking is not as effective as guiding. Not all parts of the transmission tower are risky, so it's better to proactively build nests in non-risk areas to provide birds with a habitat," Liu explained.

Designing and placing the nests

Equipped with safety helmets and harnesses, two State Grid employees climbed a 15-meter-high transmission tower. Once they reached a suitable position on the tower, they lowered a rope to the ground.

Dang Zhou, the head of an electric service center, tied the artificial nest and wire attachments to the rope and passed them up. "We usually install the nests before the birds' breeding season, during the power line maintenance work, placing them about 90 centimeters away from the live parts in a safe area," Dang explained.

To ensure the comfort of the birds, power grid workers have put significant efforts into researching the size and materials of the nests. For size, through consultation with industry experts, nests with a diameter of about 100 centimeters and a depth of about 40 centimeters are used. For materials, initially they used bamboo baskets lined with straw, but due to strong winds in the area, the straw could easily be blown away, and the bamboo baskets could become damaged.

Later, they replaced the straw with coconut mats and the bamboo strips with willow branches, binding them together tightly with wire. Eventually, the material was upgraded to vines, which were pre-soaked in preservative solution to increase the durability of the nests, transforming them into "luxury accommodations".

The nests are strategically placed on transmission towers near areas that contain rich water and food sources, which provide ideal habitats for birds. In addition, big data and other advanced technologies have been employed to select bird nest sites.

Liu said, before finalizing locations for artificial bird nests in Sichuan, they meticulously recorded the places where birds appear, their species, numbers, and activities on transmission towers. In areas without network coverage on the Ruoergai Grassland, innovative wireless communication technologies were used to enable real-time monitoring of birds' nesting activities.

So far, the public welfare project has been extended to the grasslands on plateaus of six provincial-level regions, including Sichuan Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Gansu Province, Qinghai Province, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Xizang Autonomous Region, according to an executive of the State Grid Corporation of China.

By the end of 2023, 5,207 artificial bird nests and 16 eagle perches had been installed, resulting in the successful hatching of nearly 4,000 chicks. Some regions labeled artificial bird nests with unique "house numbers" for easy monitoring.

Patrolling the lines

The job isn't finished with just the placing of the nests.

A growing number of power workers are joining the ranks of bird protectors, taking on the dual role of patrolling transmission lines and monitoring the condition of artificial bird nests.

Kang Zhoujia, a post-90s employee of the Aba branch of State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company, recently prepared for his daily patrol along a 210-kilometer 10 kV transmission line in the habitat of black-necked cranes in Ruoergai.

"We have black-necked cranes, whooper swans, and wild geese here," Kang said, frequently stopping to observe birds with his binoculars during the patrol. He can identify various bird species and their behaviors.

Kang's journey began as a hobby but evolved into a passion when he volunteered for the public welfare project in 2021. He immersed himself in studying bird behaviors, poring over field guides, and consulting experts to enhance his knowledge.

Thanks to his dedication, Kang has been a valuable reference for selecting locations for artificial bird nests.

Kang is only one of the many power grid workers who have taken up an interest in the birds, and have become important players in the efforts to protect the birds and power line infrastructure.

"We aim to establish a regular patrol mechanism to ensure the safety of birds and transmission lines, strengthen cooperation with non-profit organizations and research institutions, and promote technological innovation and application to extend the public welfare project to more suitable areas," said an executive of the State Grid Corporation of China.