Triangles along Highway 115 protect birds

What are the white triangles that you see on power poles along the highway as you enter Colorado Springs on Highway 115 south? My husband says they have been there a long time. Some poles have one, some two, some poles have four, and other poles have no white triangles. Besides the answer to “What are they?,” do they have anything to do with NORAD and Fort Carson, or are they also found in other areas?
- Diane Hintze, Williamsburg, CO

ANSWER: They’re “perch guards,” according to Kirsta Scherff-Norris, Wildlife Biologist with Colorado Springs Utilities Environmental Services Department. “They are placed on the crossarm of the power pole to prevent large birds such as hawks and owls from landing on the crossarm. This prevents the birds from being injured by the electricity in the power line. Perch guards are just one of the devices we use to protect birds on power poles."