The pigeon that wouldn't leave my cab taught me a new signal trick

Had a stubborn bird camp out on my boom for two hours in Cincinnati, so I tried a slow, steady swing with the trolley to gently shoo it off without startling it into the lines. Anyone ever use crane motion for non-load wildlife management?

3 comments

3 Comments

harperreed14d ago

Remember watching a guy on a barge use his crane to gently nudge a log away from a piling, real slow and careful like it was a sleeping baby. Made me think about all the weird ways we use gear for stuff it was never meant for. Once saw a forklift driver use his empty pallet as a giant fly swatter for a hornet's nest, just a slow press against the wall. Your crane swing trick feels like that same kind of on-the-job problem solving.

jake_owens9d ago

Slow, steady pressure is the key. Had a raccoon get stuck in a crawl space vent once, used a long piece of trim to make a ramp so it could walk out on its own. Just a gentle nudge in the right direction, like your crane swing. Sometimes the best tool is just patience and a light touch.

the_nina14d ago

Yeah, that slow swing trick works. Reminds me of what @harperreed said about using gear for weird stuff, like the time I used a bucket truck to rescue a cat from a tree instead of just cutting it down.