NEW OSPREY NEST IN TOWN
2024 February 23
2024 February 23
A pair of ospreys chose the top of a power pole at the corner of 3rd and A Streets to build a new nest. Not only was this dangerous for the ospreys because of the risk of electrocution, the nest itself posed a strong risk of fire and loss of electricity to the restaurants out on Dock Street. In fact, a small fire already occurred soon after the nest was built. Local Cedar Key Audubon president Janie Veltkamp contacted Tom Wesson, Central Florida Electric Cooperative Membership Vice President and Jim Beauchamp, Vice President of Operations for Central Florida Electric Cooperative. Together with Janie’s knowledge of ospreys’ nesting behaviors, they worked for days to come up with a plan to coordinate with the power company a way to improve the safety at the current nest and to prevent any future fire at this pole.
Friday morning at 0745, CFEC installed a new separate pole that is higher than the current nest pole. With Janie’s expertise and knowledge of ospreys, her husband Don’s expertise in constructing a suitable nest out of a wood palette that was donated by CFEC, and the power companies considerable help in not only providing a taller pole but safely installing the new pole, the new nest was in place within hours. Don and Janie had the nest already on top of the pole before it was erected by the power company. It was incredibly 
exciting to see the male osprey bringing nesting material to the nest and the female arranging the sticks BEFORE the pole was completely installed! What a gratifying sight to see! CFEC will return early next week to reconfigure the original electric pole to make it safer and less attractive for ospreys to nest.
exciting to see the male osprey bringing nesting material to the nest and the female arranging the sticks BEFORE the pole was completely installed! What a gratifying sight to see! CFEC will return early next week to reconfigure the original electric pole to make it safer and less attractive for ospreys to nest.A big thank you for all of Janie and Don Veltkamp’s and CFEC’s effort to safely resolve the nesting problem for the ospreys. It will be exciting to watch the osprey family grow in what has to be the tallest nest on the island! Stay tuned for more developments of the CKA Osprey Project and the addition of a webcam to observe the nesting osprey pair!
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