Power line crew makes a Revelstoke osprey home safer
BC Hydro crews in Revelstoke recently relocated a 300-pound osprey nest from a power pole to a 55-foot nesting platform installed nearby.
Ospreys, a protected species in B.C., often build their nests at the top of tall, dead trees and can find power poles to be an attractive option because of their height. However, the poles are not safe for the birds and the nests create a hazard for power line workers.
To move the nest, power line technicians first cut the power to the lines and grounded them. The crew then pushed grounding rods underneath the nest to create a lattice that would provide the support needed to keep the nest in one piece during the move. Then the crews used a BC Hydro truck with a bucket attached to sling the nest to the nesting platform and carefully lower it into place.
When the osprey pair returns to Revelstoke after winter migration they are very likely to use the nest again because the nesting platform is now the highest spot in the same area. Ospreys are fish-eating raptors that feel most protected when they sit above everything and have a clear view of and easy to their fishing spots.
