February 15, 2022

During a visit to the St. Marys (Pa.) Area High School stadium, West Penn Power Operations Manager Jack Kifer noticed a large pile of sticks on one of the 90-foot light poles located at the facility. Thanks to his years of experience in the utility industry, he knew exactly what it was – an osprey nest.

Jack, who coaches for the nearby Ridgway Elkers High School football team, made the observation last fall while his team was practicing for a state all-star game at the stadium. He spoke to the St. Marys’ athletic director and offered assistance to help relocate the nest. The school district took Jack up on his offer.

“When we spot a nest near energized electrical equipment, we try to encourage the birds to move to an alternate location – not only for their safety, but for the safety of our line crews and local residents,” said Jack. “In this case, the birds were littering the football field and stadium parking lot with half-eaten fish plucked from nearby St. Marys Reservoir, causing a safety concern for people using the facility.”

This wasn’t the first time these birds of prey had located their home on the pole. A previous nest was removed under the guidance of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, but the persistent pair of ospreys didn’t want to give up the best seats in the house for watching Friday night football games.

The Game Plan

Taking advantage of the ospreys’ annual trip south for the winter, the school’s maintenance team cleared the nest from the light pole and carefully salvaged the sticks. The group also constructed a nesting platform based on specifications provided by West Penn Power.

In January, a line crew based out of St. Marys Service Center set a new 55-foot utility pole on a hillside located about 300 yards from the school. Line workers fastened the nesting platform to the top of the pole and filled it with the sticks from the old nest so the ospreys could construct a new home.

“Our hope is that the ospreys will identify the new location and reconstruct their nest this spring,” added Jack. “In case it doesn’t work, we encouraged the school to place deterrents on the light pole to make the location less desirable for the birds to build on.”

To help the school’s students learn about their new neighbors, St. Marys plans to install a camera that will provide live streaming images from the nesting platform. Members of the high school’s ecology club and students in science classes will be able to get a bird’s-eye view of an osprey family.

​ In an attempt to help relocate a pair of nesting osprey, West Penn Power line workers set a 55-foot utility pole about 300 yards from St. Marys Area High School and fastened a nesting platform on top.

​ Sticks from the old nest were carefully removed from a stadium light pole and placed in the nesting platform so the ospreys could construct a new home.