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July 8, 2009
Osprey nest moved to new, safer and taller location
None of the participants had ever helped out with this kind of move before. They weren’t carrying couches and tables and mattresses. They were carrying a 300-pound osprey nest.
Nevertheless, BC Hydro employees were able to move the nest, which was empty at the time, from a power pole to a new 60-foot cedar pole just a few feet away.
Ospreys prefer to roost at the highest point in an area. When the migratory birds return to this region near the Nechako River on the outskirts of Prince George, they will have a safer home. The nest had been just inches away from energized power lines, posing a safety hazard for the occupants and for BC Hydro customers and line crews.
Update and photo: Osprey returns to its nest
Power line technicians Richard Barrie and Tyler Allen (pictured here, Barrie is on the left) were able to keep the nest intact as they used a crane to lift it to a cedar plank platform constructed on the taller, dedicated pole.
Five other BC Hydro employees provided ground assistance.
The actual move was completed in two hours, but was the result of several weeks of planning. The Ministry of Environment granted approval for the move and an easement was obtained from the property owner.
A fibreglass bird guard was placed atop the old pole to prevent any osprey from rebuilding there.
BC Hydro has moved a number of osprey nests off their facilities. The aim is to eventually move all nests to standing nest platforms where possible.
About this region
The Northern region extends from 70 Mile House in the south to Fort Nelson and Atlin in the north, from McBride in the east to the Queen Charlotte Islands and Bella Coola in the west.
Its population is about 330,000, with people living in over 64 aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities.
