Nesting instincts

So why not offer new homes for birds in safe places if they cannot be prevented from nesting? After researching the birds' behavior, the company began to choose trial locations to install artificial nests on transmission lines.

The artificial nests are made of stainless steel or iron wires that are noncorrosive. "We move the existing nests into the artificial ones and fix them in safe places on the towers, and then guide birds to perch or breed," Gao said. "In 2017, we selected four lines for the pilot application. After four months of observation, no trip-out of the power supply caused by nesting birds was reported."

Another employee, Jiang Qing, said more than 70 percent of the artificial nests have been inhabited by the birds over the past three years. Short circuits caused by birds have reduced from 12.2 percent in 2017 to 6.9 percent last year. "The power grid has become safer and more stable, and birds have been getting less hurt around the pylons," Jiang said.

The company plans to continue the program and install another 1,000 artificial nests this year.

"From driving birds away to attracting and protecting birds, the company's move has contributed to ecological balance and protection," said Lu Gang, director of the Haikou Duotan Wetlands Institute.

Hainan has been striving to build itself into a pilot national ecological zone. The local power grid company is also cooperating with experts to research the migration routes and distribution patterns of birds.