Ospreys have taken up residence at a new home built for them along the Bow River in Calgary just 12 days after it was constructed.
The city set up the nesting site for the birds earlier this month to replace the perch the birds used last season.
Last November, a wooden pole, which held floodlights in the Broadview Athletic Park soccer, was blown onto two vehicles during a windstorm. That's when city officials discovered that other poles were rotten and had to be removed, ruining the osprey's perch.
The city stored the material for the osprey nest over the winter and reassembled it on a new 18-metre high platform on the north side of the river — just east of Crowchild Trail — in the hopes the birds of prey would return.
"We're very pleased to see the osprey pole in use in such a short time after installation. If they choose this as their nesting spot, the osprey will be building the nest and laying eggs in the next couple of weeks," said Julie Guimond, a wetland biologist with the city.
The ospreys' return to the banks of the Bow is a good sign for the health of the river, she added, because it suggests they are finding enough fish to eat.
TERA Environmental Consultants donated the money to erect the birds' new home.
"We're very happy that we were able to work cooperatively with the City of Calgary and Enmax to provide the osprey with a nest to return to," said Lois Pittaway, a senior wildlife biologist with TERA.
