It’s that time of year when osprey will be building their nests high in the sky in preparation for laying eggs.

Unfortunately, when they can’t find a higher perch, they sometimes choose one of the most dangerous locations for their nesting — electrical poles.

Noble REMC wants to make sure that these birds stay safe and away from our lines, which have the potential to run 7,200 volts through their nests, putting them and their eggs in danger. It also becomes a hazard for our members, who could then experience an outage if a fire occurs.

It nearly happened last May when two ospreys chose a pole near Gilbert Lake to build their home. By the time our lineworkers were able to get to the nest, it was already burning. Luckily, our workers were able to build a higher perch nearby and transfer the nest to the new location before any harm was done.

We ask our members and those in the community to please be on the lookout for any nests being built on our poles this spring and summer. Call our office at 800-933-7362 if you spot any osprey trying to make our poles their home.