BGE Bribes Ospreys with New Homes

BGE Osprey Watch Program’s First Year Leads to Safer Birds, Increased Reliability

Customers reported 23 osprey nests located on Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) electric equipment during the inaugural season of the company’s Osprey Watch program. March through September marks osprey season in the Chesapeake Bay region and with it the increased chance of electric outages caused by the birds or their nests.

“The first year of Osprey Watch has been a great success. By providing our customers with a way to help us protect ospreys and also prevent potential power outages, we are partnered with them in delivering smart energy,” said Alexander Núñez, BGE’s senior vice president of regulatory and external affairs and member of the board of Audubon Maryland-DC. “BGE’s focused environmental work has been recognized by groups like the National Wildlife Federation and Wildlife Habitat Council. We will not stop, however, in seeking ways to be even better stewards.”

The nests were found in Harford County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County. Each nest was evaluated and either moved to a newly installed nest platform, shielded from electric equipment with protective material or removed if empty. Four nesting platforms were installed: two located at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, one at the Oyster Harbor Community in Annapolis and one in Pasadena.

Sound like win win. I know the Smithsonian lab in Edgewater routinely dismantles Osprey nests as they try to build them on their meteorological towers. If you do it enough times, they give up and move elsewhere.

I drove 50 or 60 miles on the water today chasing, largely, unsuccessfully, the wily rockfish. We saw eagles along nearly every mile of shoreline, and no Ospreys. I'm pretty sure they are gone for the year.