Honestly, the weirdest shift I've seen lately is how aggressive the local geese have gotten. Tbh, last week I was setting posts by the new pond development, and a whole gang of them started patrolling like feathery security guards. Ngl, I had to pause the auger more than once because one big guy kept charging the base of my ladder. It's like they think every new fence line is an invasion of their turf. My helper now brings a bag of bread crusts just to distract them so we can work. Who knew wildlife management would become part of the job description?
I mean, he pretended the whole fence was leaning and everyone believed him, which finally got me to stop guessing and just use the darn line every time.
I was on a fence job in South Carolina last spring. The ground was sandy and the wind came off the ocean hard. An older guy on the site showed me to put in kickers at a 45-degree angle from the post to the rail. We dug them in deep and poured concrete to hold them. This stops the whole line from swaying during storms. I have since done this on three other jobs near lakes and it works great. It is a small extra step that makes a big difference in durability.