Blog # 315 Flying Saucers Take Off

 

Osprey begging for a fish, courtesy of Martin Brehman. 

Never doubt the capacity of Ospreys to adapt. It’s the key to their success. Just when  you think they will do something, they do the opposite. The Ospreys’ stubborn nature  and their plasticity of nesting sites allows them to readily adapt their nesting strategies  to suit the changing environment.  

When Ospreys select a utility pole to support their nests, they unknowingly put their  lives at risk. If any part of the flammable nest touches the pole’s live wires, fires can  occur, killing the Ospreys and creating power outages. On March 27, workers from the  National Grid company removed five decades-old nests along Osprey Alley, the section  of Routes 5 & 20 that cuts through the Montezuma 

Nest on left was on Osprey Alley. Nest on right is a FiberNest replacement, courtesy of FiberNest. 

National Wildlife Refuge, and replaced them with FiberNest saucers. The day before, I saw the female sitting in the 3 foot deep nest built around 2001–2. It broke my heart to  see the old stick Osprey nest gone and the Ospreys nowhere to be seen. The row of  high-tension pylons were empty, and I doubted whether the Ospreys would adapt to the  new round nest dishes as I had seen so many left unused. However, a week later, in  true Osprey contrary fashion, the pair from the 3-foot ancient nest started building anew  on the saucer and a second pair, refusing the new nest dish, stubbornly built a  substantial nest next to a saucer. 

Happily, a month later, Osprey Alley is blooming again with nests, every saucer has an Osprey nest except for the one hold-out pair nesting on the pylon. My faith in the disks  is restored. FiberNests are far more desirable than I had previously surmised. At a time  when NYSEG is removing problematic nests, the Fibernest saucers are now a  welcomed sight.

This osprey nest was successfully moved by National Grid employees and 

placed on top of a FiberNest, courtesy of National Grid. 

Given their efficacy is no longer in doubt, let’s consider some of the advantage of the  FiberNest disks. They are high quality, cost-effective non-conductive fiberglass platform  dishes, ergonomically designed to support the natural nesting materials of raptors. The  saucers are made of non-conductive fiberglass and are 63 inches in diameter, 6 inches  deep, with nine 3 3/8 inch diameter drainage holes. These 30 pound saucers do not  leach wood preservatives into the ground as the wood platforms do, and they resist rot,  rust, and corrosion. The reproductive imperative supersedes the Osprey’s notorious  fussiness.  

Another popular Osprey nest box substitute is the Pearson Pilings’, a new all-composite  osprey platform, is also a non-polluting alternative to a typical wooden structure.

A Pearson Pilings nest box, courtesy of Pearson Pilings. 

These new fiberglass nest platforms and dishes are being used by electric utility  companies as part of the Avian Protection Programs to protect wild birds of prey and  prevent power outages. NYSEG had a similar program using inexpensive wooden nest  box risers, which raise the nests safely above the wires to prevent fires.  

An Osprey nesting on a Pearson Pilings, another alternative to the 

wooden nest box, courtesy of Pearson Pilings. 

These nest remediations have been very effective in the past, but they have stalled due  to NYSEG’s COVID policy. As it stands, there are at least ten potentially hazardous  nests in the basin needing NYSEG’s attention. Will NYSEG tear the nests down or  install risers? We’ll have to wait and see. 

Eyes to the sky! 

Candace 

Candace E. Cornell  

Friends of Salt Point  

Cayuga Osprey Network 

Lansing, NY  

cec222@gmail.com 

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP PROTECT OSPREYS: 

• AVOID GETTING TOO CLOSE TO NESTING SITES DURING THE BREEDING SEASON. IF AN ANIMAL  VOCALIZES WHEN YOU'RE NEAR, YOU ARE TOO CLOSE! BACK OFF IMMEDIATELY. 

• CARRY BINOCULARS TO VIEW WILDLIFE FROM AFAR. 

• RESTORE, CLEAN, AND PRESERVE LAKESHORE AND WETLAND HABITAT. • HELP KEEP LOCAL WATERS CLEAN, HEALTHY, AND SAFE. 

• RECYCLE USED FISHING LINE, WHICH CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO OSPREY.  

• JOIN THE CAYUGA OSPREY NETWORK AND VOLUNTEER TO HELP MONITOR OSPREY NESTS. WRITE TO: CEC222@GMAIL.COM. 

• 

EYES ON OSPREYS 

WATCH! 

Coming Soon! Salt Point Osprey Nest Cam 2021 

READ! 

On Osprey Time—A Blog on the Ospreys of Salt Point 

VISIT! 

Cayuga Lake Osprey Trail

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