Copyright Jerry Ellison – Image used by permission<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nIn late April of this year I received a stressed email from friend and blog follower Jerry Ellison. He had been watching this pair of Osprey nesting on a power pole in Summit County, Utah for some time but on one Friday afternoon…<\/p>\n
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Copyright Jerry Ellison – Image used by permission<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nlinemen from Rocky Mountain Power appeared at the nest pole and destroyed the nest (there were no eggs or chicks present).<\/p>\n
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Copyright Jerry Ellison – Image used by permission<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nThis is the power pole after the nest had been removed. Jerry reports that the\u00a0Osprey pair was visibly upset during the destruction process…<\/p>\n
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Copyright Jerry Ellison – Image used by permission<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nbut almost immediately they began to rebuild.<\/p>\n
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Copyright Jerry Ellison – Image used by permission<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nHere the\u00a0male is delivering nesting material as the female waits on the beginnings of the new nest. It only took them two weeks to rebuild the nest.<\/p>\n
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Jerry was very upset about what he’d witnessed and so was I when I heard about it so I decided to investigate. At the time I fully expected Rocky Mountain Power would turn out to be the villain in this story but I was wrong. With the help of good friend and raptor expert Jerry Liquori I was able to contact his wife Sherry Liguori who just happens to be the Avian Program Manager for Rocky Mountain Power. Below are the basics of what I found out over a period of weeks, even months.<\/p>\n
\n- Rocky Mountain Power simply had no choice but to destroy the nest. When nests get this large\u00a0the nesting material can bridge across conductors, potentially causing fires that destroy nests (and any eggs or chicks), create brush fires, damage property\u00a0and\/or cause power outages. The potential for\u00a0these hazards increases in wet (spring)\u00a0weather. Power companies can and do legally remove nests from poles as long as they don’t contain eggs or chicks.<\/li>\n
- To the credit of RMP they had every intention of immediately erecting a nesting platform in the vicinity of this power pole (at their own expense)\u00a0but the\u00a0landowner\u00a0was reluctant to give permission for it to be done.<\/li>\n
- Some time afterward I received an email from Sherry saying that because of the delay in erecting the nesting pole and platform RMP had redesigned that section of line so that the\u00a0nesting pole\u00a0could be temporarily\u00a0“de-engergized” which would allow the birds to complete the nesting season at this site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Until recently I’d heard nothing more about these birds but in the back of my mind I was doubtful that with their nesting season interrupted they’d be able to raise a family this year.<\/p>\n
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Copyright Jerry Ellison – Image used by permission<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nBut three days ago I received a jubilant email with this photo attached\u00a0from Jerry Ellison, which I quote below:<\/p>\n
“FYI…Ron, this is the nest site at the Summit County complex that\u00a0we saved this spring…the pair of Osprey rebuilt the nest in less than two weeks \u00a0after the RMP crew destroyed it and raised a family of 4..count-em beautiful Osprey!! \u00a0This picture shows the four young and both parents taken in August. \u00a0Sometimes good things happen. \u00a0Thanks to you and your many friends…we won one. \u00a0Feel free to forward this to any you may want to share with! \u00a0 Your friend…Jer”<\/em><\/p>\nKudos to Jerry Ellison, Sherry and Jerry Liquori and especially to Rocky Mountain Power. It took a huge effort by many people to chalk this one up in the win column. And let’s not forget the persistence and hard work of the Osprey pair themselves to rebuild that\u00a0huge nest in time for a successful nesting season. And four<\/em> chicks – that’s amazing!<\/p>\nI’ve checked on this nest sporadically over the past eight years and after all this drama I can’t even begin to tell you how delighted I was to see this last photo…<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
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Not only do the good guys win occasionally but this time there were more of the good guys than I originally thought there were.<\/p>\n
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