The Australian National Railways are removing their communications line across the Nullarbor Plain (Transcontinental Railway). Nullarbor, I believe, stands for Null- NO, Arbor - TREE. Anyway, the Nullarbor Plain is a vast area north of the Great Australian Bight -- between Perth and Adelaide. On the Nullarbor, there are 300 miles of gun barrel straight tracks.

Anyway, given that there are no (or very few!) trees on the Nullarbor, the birds have taken to nesting in telephone poles. Man has brought food and water to the desert -- telephone poles provide a place to nest.

ANR are considering leaving one pole in every 100 for the birds to use for nests! On my recent inquiry, a decision had yet to be made. Let's hope they save some poles for the birds and for the insulator collectors to look at. Before much longer, there will be no telephone poles left in Australia.

The enclosed photographs are taken at Peterborough - SA mid. north district. Nullarbor is too far and too isolated and dangerous for me to travel in my old car alone.

The birds have chosen the familiar 
bottle-shaped porcelain insulators as neighbors.