Osprey family back in action, watch livestream

Osprey-watching season is underway.

A pair of ospreys have built their summer home and laid one egg on top of a FortisBC nesting pole in Kelowna.

Through FortisBC’s livestream, the public can follow the ospreys’ journey and watch the baby osprey grow up. You can watch the livestream at fortisbc.com/osprey.

Ospreys are large raptors who typically prey on fish that 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.

“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 Amy Duncan, terrestrial biologist, sustainability and environment at FortisBC.

“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’s Osprey Management Program started back in 2005 and continues to protect birds through the installation of nesting platforms. These platforms are built higher than the surrounding electricity infrastructure to encourage the ospreys and other birds to nest at these safer locations.

To date, FortisBC has installed close to 80 of these platforms across the Southern Interior.