Odd Piece Of Wood Attached To Utility Pole Hides A Heartwarming Secret
There's more to it than meets the eye.
Located in the sparsely populated inland region of Argentina, the small town of Ucacha is connected to the outside world by a long chain of utility poles — testaments to human progress.
But, curiously enough, affixed there to one such pole is an object that speaks far more about human kindness.
Along a road leading out of town, an eagle-eyed observer might catch a glimpse of this — a piece of wood high overhead on the side of a concrete electrical pole.
Although its function, or how it got there, isn’t immediately clear, that piece of wood is actually nothing short of priceless.
A few years ago, local journalist Gustavo Oscar Perusia came to learn the touching story behind that odd wooden piece.
It all began when utility operators began working to update their infrastructure along that stretch of road, replacing long-standing wooden poles with new concrete structures.
During this process, project manager Gustavo Bernardi made a discovery in one of the wooden poles slated for removal — a family of woodpeckers was living inside it.
Rather than carry on the work as usual, forcing the birds to find a new home, Bernardi instead instructed his crew to save that piece of wood just for them.
It was then “placed on the relevant concrete post, at the same height and towards the same direction,” Perusia wrote. “It was an attempt to preserve the shelter of these birds, not knowing if it would work.”
But, sure enough, it did.
Perusia lingered quietly beneath the retrofitted nest to observe its occupants coming and going — raising their family in that cozy spot like they have for generations.
“The birds are coexisting there without problems,” Perusia told The Dodo.
It’s been years now since the woodpeckers’ home was spared thanks to that kind concession to nature — and, Perusia said, it continues to be used by the birds today.
While the addition of that odd piece of wood does deviate from the concrete pole's original design and function, there's undeniable beauty in finding solutions that keep everyone safely in place.
