A scenic stretch of California’s Central Coast has been hit by an unusual run of summer power outages — and the source is not a storm, heat wave or equipment failure, but wild turkeys.
In Cambria, residents and business owners have seen their electricity flicker off repeatedly since mid-July, with Pacific Gas and Electric pointing to the large birds as the cause of multiple disruptions.
The outages have generally struck during daylight hours and lasted about an hour, according to The Tribune. Some have occurred twice in a single day or across back-to-back days, complicating morning routines for people trying to get ready for work, make coffee or power essential medical devices.
The interruptions have also affected Cambria businesses, including restaurants where staff have been forced to pause prep work and opening duties when the lights go out.
As frustrated residents searched for explanations on social media, PG&E first reported that an “animal contacted the powerline” in connection with the outages.
The utility later told The Tribune that wild turkeys were responsible for six power outages in the Cambria area since July.
While the explanation may seem strange, PG&E regional communications representative Stephanie Magallon said the birds can create a specific kind of electrical risk when they land on utility lines.
“These large birds perch on power lines,” she said. “When they take off, the push from their weight causes the lines to swing and come into contact with one another. When that occurs, our enhanced powerline safety settings (EPSS) detect the hazard and automatically shut off power to prevent an ignition.”
The system is particularly important along the North Coast, where power infrastructure runs through or near areas at elevated risk of wildfires.
PG&E said its enhanced safety settings are activated based on daily wildfire conditions and can cut electricity extremely quickly when a potential hazard is detected.
“We evaluate wildfire risk each day to determine when we should turn them on,” Magallon told the California based outlet. “These settings shut off power within one tenth of a second after detecting hazards on the power line, such as contact from an animal or tree branch, to prevent an ignition.”
Rather than simply blaming the birds and moving on, PG&E crews have been investigating ways to prevent the unusual outages from happening again.
The utility said crews recently worked to modify the lines by creating more space between them, reducing the chances that the wires will touch when a turkey lands or takes off.
Residents and observers have reported increasingly large flocks of turkeys around the coastal community, with the birds commonly roosting in trees close to electrical lines.
Although wild turkeys can fly, they aren’t exactly graceful long-distance aviators. Some residents have reported seeing the birds land on power lines while taking off from nearby trees.
Young turkeys that have recently fledged may be even more likely to misjudge the distance and wind up where they shouldn’t.
The feathered troublemakers have also tangled with Cambria’s electrical infrastructure before.
In 2021, a flying turkey was reportedly seen striking a power line during an outage that affected much of the community, according to reporting cited by the Tribune. PG&E did not confirm at the time that the bird caused the outage.
For now, the latest incidents have left residents with an unusual explanation for their flickering lights — and PG&E with a decidedly unconventional reliability problem.
“We understand these outages have been frustrating for customers, and we appreciate the community’s patience while we worked to identify and address the cause,” Magallon said.
