The Ospreys are back at FortisBC in Kelowna.
Every year, ospreys build a nest on a FortisBC pole in town. This year, they’ve already built their summer home and have laid a new egg. The pole they created their home on is called a ‘nesting pole’, which is an inactive power pole Fortis installed to protect the species.
“Protecting osprey and other wildlife around our infrastructure is important for us as the electric utility in the Southern Interior and it’s always a special time of year when the ospreys come back to build their homes and mate,” said FortisBC’s Amy Duncan. “With our efforts through the Osprey Management program, we’ve made sure any nests on our power poles are safely moved outside of nesting season and we continue to install new nesting platforms for any birds looking for a safe place to build their home.”
FortisBC began their Osprey Management program in 2005 by installing these nesting poles. They are close to 80 of them scattered around the Southern Interior and are higher than usual power poles to encourage wildlife to use them.
They also have a specialized team of power pole technicians to safely remove osprey and wildlife nests from active power poles they make their home on. They relocate them to a safer area. In March was the last time they safely moved an active osprey nest to an dedicated nesting location.
Want to take a look at the osprey family? FortisBC has a livestream camera on the nest for people to watch. On the site, people can also learn more about their Osprey Management Program.
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