It’s springtime in Saskatchewan and the ospreys are making their way back home. However, many ospreys will face eviction notices from tower owners as they try to rebuild nests in new locations. Yorkton This Week reports that prior to the ospreys return, the nest relocation team in Endeavour has been hard at work preparing for their arrival.
“We need to have it done by March as that is when a crane is coming to remove the nest from the cell tower,” said Brad Romanchuk, Endeavour’s Mayor. “They will be installing a cone on top of the tower to help deter the birds from building on it.”
Without these precautions, the ospreys can nest atop cell towers, endangering themselves, telecommunications workers, and local connectivity and emergency services. A representative from SaskTel explained that the birds and their nests are heavy and add structural stress to the tower, which is not designed to handle them. Add a strong wind and ice, and the excess weight could be enough to topple a tower, according to SaskTel.
Shorts in the wires from nest building and lightning fueled by the collection of kindling also create potential fire hazards. In addition, maintenance workers have reported that when they go to service the towers, the osprey feel threatened and dive bomb them.
SaskPower and Forbes Brothers Construction are building an alternative site for the ospreys that should persuade them to build there instead of on the town’s cell tower. A repurposed telephone pole will serve as the base for the structure and a platform on top will leave plenty of room for a nest. Plans call for the use of a 150-foot crane to lift the old osprey nest and move it approximately 200 feet to its new location.
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