Phase 1 Owl Platform Deployment
Suitable trees include tall pines, redwoods, cypress, or similar species (no oaks). Trees must have clean, vertical trunks clear of power lines. Adjacent level ground suitable for towing a cherry picker to the tree’s base is required.
Owl Platform Closeups
Great Horned Owl platforms are double-mounted to the tree trunk with additional under-platform support. A 200-lb dead-weight stress test is applied to all installed platforms.
Platform Deployment Action Shots
Carmel Owls’ volunteer team consists of a cherry picker driver and navigator, picker foreman, bucket operator, site supervisor, safety officer, traffic safety crew, and drone operator.
Full safety protocols are enforced, including 72-hour “No Parking” cones, fluorescent safety vests, helmets, and a bucket operator safety harness.
Once the cherry picker is correctly positioned, the parking brake is engaged, safety chocks are deployed, and the trailer is detached from the tow vehicle. The hydraulic outrigger legs are extended and the picker is auto-leveled.
Next, the boom is extended with tools and the owl platform (with nesting material) is loaded into the bucket. A short ladder is used to reach the bucket.
Boom control is handed over from the foreman to the bucket operator. The bucket can be moved through three-dimensional space within a predetermined safety envelope using a video-game-style hand controller.
Phase 1 Deployment Coverage
Carmel Owls’ initial platform deployment focused on Carmel-by-the-Sea and the surrounding area. We had never previously towed and deployed a rented cherry picker; in fact, we were the first renters of a brand-new JLG T-350 from Home Depot. It performed flawlessly.
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The tree-trunk owl platform mounts had not been tested while 35 feet high in a cherry picker before. The 30-lb owl platform was somewhat
heavy to extend outward to affix to the installed mount. However, with a custom, double-level installation template, all platforms were deployed flat and level.
One of Carmel Owls’ volunteers, who is handy with a custom laser engraver, burned our mascot “Mr. Hoot” into a cedar shingle on every owl platform.
The tree-trunk owl platform mounts had not been tested while 35 feet high in a cherry picker before. The 30-lb owl platform was somewhat heavy to extend outward to
affix to the installed mount. However, with a custom, double-level installation template, all platforms were deployed flat and level.
One of Carmel Owls’ volunteers, who is handy with a custom laser engraver, burned our mascot “Mr. Hoot” into a cedar shingle on every owl platform.
Carmel Owls’ initial platform deployment focused on Carmel-by-the-Sea and the surrounding area. We had never previously towed and deployed a rented cherry picker; in fact, we were the first renters of a brand-new JLG T-350 from Home Depot. It performed flawlessly.
