Versant Power's Osprey Camera is up and running for its fourth season!
Lamoine, ME- An osprey pair that nests in Lamoine has returned to their nesting platform created by Versant Power to prevent them from nesting near power lines. Each year, a solar-powered camera live-streams the ospreys as they build up their nest, lay eggs, wait for them to hatch, and care for their chicks.
“We are pleased to see the osprey pair continues to return to their specially created platform each year” said Logan MacDonald, Environmental Supervisor at Versant Power. “We hope customers who have enjoyed the live camera in the past will continue to watch the birds and that even more viewers will enjoy the camera this season.”
The platform was built with ospreys’ preferences in mind and required Versant’s environmental team as well as the expertise of outside environmental groups, including the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Because ospreys like to be at the tallest point above the water, Versant crews replaced an existing utility pole with a taller one. Crews installed a square platform with no coverings, as experts tell us the birds prefer to look down and hunt for fish below without any obstructions overhead.
Ospreys are federally protected birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Versant Power worked closely with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife on this project. The intent of the osprey camera is solely to allow the public to observe the birds and Versant Power does not intervene in the natural processes of osprey nesting.