Pair of ospreys are safely building their summer home on FortisBC pole

May 13, 2021

Public invited to watch Kelowna’s two newest residents and their three babies via livestream

Kelowna, B.C.  ̶  May 13, 2021: A pair of ospreys have built a nest and laid three eggs on top of a pole installed by FortisBC Inc. (FortisBC), giving these birds a safe place to call home and raise their family. Ospreys are large raptors that prey mostly on fish and look to nest on high structures near bodies of water. To discourage ospreys from nesting on active power poles, FortisBC installs dedicated nesting platforms to protect the species.

“We always look to proactively protect wildlife around our electricity infrastructure and, with ospreys, we want to ensure they have safe areas to nest within their natural habitats,” said Amy Duncan, terrestrial biologist, sustainability and environment, FortisBC. “We know that ospreys often mate for life and established pairs typically return to the same area to build their nests so it’s important that we continue these protection efforts every year.”

FortisBC’s Osprey Management Program has been in place since 2005 helping protect these birds through the installation of nesting platforms. These platforms are built higher than the surrounding electricity infrastructure to encourage the ospreys to nest at these safer locations. If an osprey does manage to build a nest on a live power pole, FortisBC will safely remove the nest and relocate it to one of these suitable nesting platforms. To date, FortisBC has installed more than 70 of these platforms across the Southern Interior.

Through FortisBC’s livestream, the public can follow the ospreys’ journey and watch the three baby ospreys’ develop and grow. Learn more about FortisBC’s Osprey Management Program and watch the livestream at fortisbc.com/osprey.

 

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