Crews install osprey platform in Fremont

Osprey on a utility pole.

A pair of ospreys in the Fox Valley has a new option to call home. Our crews recently installed a nesting platform near Fremont, Wisconsin, giving the pair a safer option than their original preference – atop one of our utility poles. 

Ospreys frequently attempt to nest on top of our power poles, which can result in power outages and harm to the ospreys. In this case, we were able to work with a local wildlife organization, The Feather, and a private landowner to secure a site

Drilling hole for osprey platform pole.

for a nesting platform.

Ospreys are listed as a special concern species in Wisconsin after their population declined significantly in the 1950s and ‘60s due to widespread use of pesticides such as DDT. We have installed dozens of osprey platforms since the late 1980s.

There’s no guarantee the pair will find and use the new platform, but it’s ready for them come nesting
season.

Erecting the pole with platform.

    Photos courtesy of The Feather.

Mike Haak and Tim Bristol, We Energies line mechanics.