AN increase in the local Osprey population has seen a number of nests pop up in strange locations, with telegraph poles proving popular.
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Several residents contacted the Great Lakes Advocate last week to express
concern after a nest was removed from a telegraph pole near Sundowner Tiona Tourist Park at Pacific Palms.
National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) ranger Brett Cann said that the removal of the nest by Essential Energy staff was done in consultation with NPWS.
“It’s only been there during the most recent season and the Osprey hadn’t actively bred there,” Mr Cann said.
“The nest at that location had actually shorted out part of Forster, and had caused a bushfire earlier this year so whilst in a perfect world we’d like to leave it undisturbed it wasn’t sustainable in that location.”
Mr Cann said there were strict regulations in place in regards to the removal of Osprey nests and that NPWS were
working with Essential Energy to relocate the nest nearby.
The problem has also arisen in Forster with another Osprey building a nest at the top of a light pole at Boronia Park. Great Lakes Council’s parks and natural assets officer Andrew Stanilands said that council had consulted with Essential Energy to erect a new pole at Boronia Park and to guide the Osprey to the relocated nest.
“Ideally we like to leave them undisturbed but as it’s in the light fitting we do need to remove it,” Mr Stanilands said.
“Essential Energy are actually going to donate the pole and install it within that zone and once that’s in we will relocate the nest. We normally remove the nest piece by piece and reconstruct it in a different spot. We completed a similar job at the South Street Oval in Tuncurry and we didn’t see any rejection of the nest there so hopefully it will be the same at Boronia.”
Mr Stanilands said that wet weather had delayed the project but that it would go ahead as soon as possible.
