Through the power of technology, curious birdwatchers can now get an up-close look at a pair of ospreys who’ve made their nest in Conestogo.
It comes courtesy of a 24-hour live stream from a camera placed atop the Avetria Wireless Internet tower at W-S Feed & Supplies.
Arnold Stoll, CEO of Avetria Wireless, says this is something new for him.
“We provide Internet in the rural neighborhoods and we already have equipment up there, so when I saw this I thought ‘I’ll put a camera up to make it more enjoyable for people.’”
He says people noticed the nest and had asked the property owner if they could climb the 140-foot tower to take photos, which obviously wasn’t going to happen due to safety concerns. When Stoll heard about this last fall he decided to set up a camera in the spring before the weather got too nice and the birds were nesting.
“Originally the osprey were living in Bloomingdale at the ball diamond, but then someone for some reason didn’t want them there anymore, so they put up some wires so that they couldn’t nest there anymore. Then the osprey needed to find a new home and they found it on top of the tower in Conestogo,” Stoll explained.
By the time they realized the birds had relocated to the tower it was too late to install a camera because they didn’t want to disturb them once they had built a nest, as the birds are highly protective. He adds they’ve been busy building up the nest and they seem pretty content in their new location.
“The other neat thing too is I actually live on Sawmill Road and I have a pond with trout in it and they come and eat my trout and they go back and feed their babies. I feel like I’m a surrogate right now,” Stoll laughs.
He notes osprey aren’t the only interesting birds getting attention locally. A bald eagle near the Grand River has attracted birdwatchers to go right underneath the tree, which disrupts it. The osprey don’t seem to notice the camera and you can watch from your computer, even pressing a button to take photos and save them.
Osprey are protected by the Migratory Birds Convention Act.
“The only time you can actually mess with the nest is before the season or at the end. I know there’s some closer to Cambridge but in this area I don’t know of many others right now other than the Conestogo ones,” Stoll said.
The fish-eating birds of prey catch their prey by diving into water and grabbing fish with their feet.
“Right now they’re preparing the nest and at night they stay in trees until there’s eggs. As soon as there’s eggs in the nest and live babies there’s always going to be one there all the time protecting the nest,” Stoll said.
They choose to make their nests high to be out of harm’s way and they have a good view of everything around them.
Stoll expects much more activity in the nest soon, as it’s about time for the female osprey to lay her eggs.
“They haven’t put eggs in the nest yet, but they’re moving sticks and everything so it’s probably within the next few days. They lay up to four eggs a season and hopefully they all hatch and become viable, but usually at least one of them will,” Stoll said.
The live feed is available on www.avetria.com.
