Jerry Converse asked

>The windmill question brings to mind another question. What effect does
>high voltage lines have on birds nesting UNDER them.

Excellent question. In my case, it doesn't take carrying an aluminum pole
to make me feel some effect -- the hair on my head wants to stand up. A few
years ago I was doing research on pond turtles in Oregon. One of the people
I was working with commented that whenever she floated down one particular
stretch of the river she always saw a turtle or two basking on a rock right
under the power lines. The turtles would stay put as she went past, rather
than dropping into the water as usual. She postulated that their little
brains were "fried" somehow by the powerlines, rendering them stupid or at
least unnaturally tolerant. Sure enough, I later had the opportunity to
raft the same section of river. As we passed under the power lines there
was indeed a turtle out on a rock, head tilted back and eyes glazed. Didn't
move a muscle.

Can't say exactly why that turtle was so blissed-out. Approaching most
aquatic turtles requires extreme caution, as they are very wary and
disappear at the twitch of an eyelid. But as with everything else, there is
individual variation. I think we are all much more sensitive to subtle
forms of energy than we know. It's probably also difficult to pinpoint what
the effects are, and to isolate the cause.

-- Janet Hardin
Port Townsend, WA
wings at olympus.net