Thank you all for your input and support! Ron Rohrbaugh has agreed to advise
NYSEG on the project, and Alan Poole ("The Osprey Man") also may get involved.
I will help in whatever way I can, of course. I will facilitate a conversation
with the right people, and we should be able to move forward soon hopefully.
To answer Dave's question, I think it will be possible to erect a platform of a
plastic (nonconductive) material right above the old nest location. It will
need to be far enough up that there is no chance of electricity arcing to the
nest. However, the pole was also burned, and I'm not sure what the extent of
the damage is. If the same post is not possible, they may have some
decommissioned poles that might be repurposed into a free-standing Osprey
platform. In the Big Flats area, they erected an old pole for an Eagle Scout
who did all of the construction/design work.
Some of you have informed me of NYSEG-aided Osprey platforms in the surrounding
areas (Auburn, Big Flats), and the appropriate contacts are now being reached
about how they went about it. (It's worth noting that they are responding
quickly!) It is so inspiring to see our birding community get behind this, and
even have the different NYSEG divisions talking to each other about their
independent Osprey circumstances. Keep in mind that storm season is upon us,
and while I hope that March is a reasonable goal, it all depends on cooperative
weather.
Thank you all for your contributions and such productive conversations!
Robyn Bailey
From: bounce-39148249-15067...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-39148249-15067...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Dave Nutter
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 8:13 PM
To: CAYUGABIRDS-L
Cc: Stephen W. Kress
Subject: [cayugabirds-l] NYSEG seeks help restoring Portland Point Osprey nest
site
Thanks for the news. What a great opportunity! Please help if you have
knowledge or contacts.
I can understand NYSEG not liking fires atop their poles, especially with
transformers, and Cargill not liking operations to be interrupted by flaming
nests. Would they be interested in a platform higher on the same pole to
separate the nest better from the wires, or are they considering putting up a
separate pole in the vicinity with a nest platform? I suspect that the closer
the new platform is to the original nest site, the more likely it is to be
used. From a public relations and birding standpoint, it would be good if the
nest were visible from the public road in a place where people can pull over in
a car and not be in the way of Cargill's trucks. The previous site worked
fairly well, I thought, but I was mostly there on weekends when there were no
trucks, and Cargill may have a different opinion. They might like to have a
small gravel pull-off on the shoulder for one or two cars for the public to see
their operations - an amazing sight in itself - and the Osprey nest in the
middle of it.
I don't know what types of Osprey nest platforms are most successful - I've
seen many go unused for unknown reasons. I believe the pole and platform at
Treman Marine Park, which saw some Osprey interest last year after several
initial barren years, was coordinated by Bill Evans (who I think is on this
list) and Ronda Roaring (who may not be). Perhaps Bard Prentiss (also on this
list?) knows about or was involved in putting up a platform at Dryden Lake.
Perhaps Steve Kress (cc) has contacts or info, too. I hope they or others
among the many people at the Lab with related experience, expertise, or
contacts step forward.
This should be figured out pronto. The Ospreys will return in late March, and
the first thing they are likely to do is start putting sticks atop that same
pole unless there's a more attractive alternative close by.
--Dave Nutter
On Jan 17, 2012, at 12:19 PM, Robyn Bailey
<rb...@cornell.edu<mailto:rb...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
I spoke to the NYSEG lead forester for the Ithaca region (my fiancé) about the
Osprey nest. I have a vested interest because this Cargill property abuts our
own, meaning I could have Osprey on my yard list. :) So, here is the scoop.
This past fall, the nest made contact with the lines and sparked a fire. The
fire department and line crews responded appropriately to put out the fire, but
sadly the nest could not be saved. NYSEG is willing to provide a riser and
possibly the bucket trucks/necessary equipment to install it in a safer area so
that the nest would be up off of the lines. They are aware that Osprey often
return to the same locations year after year to nest. They are asking that
someone from the birding/CLO community with expertise on providing nesting
platforms please work with them by providing input and feedback on such a
project. The timeline for this being done before Spring 2012 is on the table.
We just need a volunteer to work with the crews to help advise on best
practices.
If someone is willing to rise to the challenge, that would be great. This is a
big company, but they are reasonably agile on things that benefit a community,
in my experience. Feel free to reply all if you would like to work with me and
NYSEG on this or if you just want to share ideas with us all.
Thanks Dave for bringing this to my attention.
Regards,
Robyn Bailey
Lansing
From:
bounce-39136974-15067...@list.cornell.edu<mailto:bounce-39136974-15067...@list.cornell.edu>
[mailto:bounce-39136974-15067...@list.cornell.edu]<mailto:[mailto:bounce-39136974-15067...@list.cornell.edu]>
On Behalf Of Dave Nutter
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 10:37 PM
To: CAYUGABIRDS-L
Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Portland Point Osprey nest gone
Today while birding with Ann Mitchell on Portland Point Rd I noticed that the
power pole in the Cargill mine complex which for the past couple years held
Tompkins County's only Osprey nest of which I'm aware now only holds the
intended trio of transformers and crossbar with insulators and wires. Does
anyone know when (and how?) it came down? Be on the look-out for Ospreys with
sticks around the southern part of Cayuga Lake come March and April. Maybe
this year they'll make a more serious effort atop the platform at Treman Marine
Park.
We saw neither Red-necked Grebes nor Northern Shrikes from Portland Point Rd,
but we did see at least four NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS.
We also went to Aurora to try to find the Eared Grebe. Even though the water
was still flat we only saw 5 HORNED GREBES from the Wells College boathouse,
plus some expected waterfowl: CANADA GEESE, 2 SNOW GEESE (1 adult with 1
immature), MALLARDS, AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, COMMON GOLDENEYE, 5 BUFFLEHEAD,
singles of COMMON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, distant flying small REDHEAD
flocks, plus a few of the usual RING-BILLED, HERRING, and GREAT BLACK-BACKED
GULLS.
--Dave Nutter
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