The feed from the Bay Bridge traffic camera really got interesting for a second there. An osprey built a nest just in front of its lens, giving visitors to the state website a candid look at the habits of the beautiful bird of prey. Then the Maryland Transit Authority destroyed the nest, an eviction approved by the Department of Natural Resources since no eggs had been laid. The osprey rebuilt. The MDTA re-destroyed. The osprey rebuilt. The MDTA, thinking surely one more demolition ought to drive the message home, destroyed it a third time.
But guess what? It appears the osprey has begun to build a fourth nest in the same location, because ospreys are ospreys and not people.
To the MDTA: Don’t waste your energy destroying it a fourth time without installing another pole of the same height and only a few feet away from this location. Anecdotally, it worked in my hometown in Central New York. An osprey made its nest on top of a telephone pole, which was fine until some guy had to climb it to fix something. After that, the utility company installed an “OSPREY NEST” pole, which is just like a telephone pole, but instead all those wires, there’s just a platform on top.
But don’t take my word for it. This federal wildlife biologist is saying the same thing. Let’s look like the smarter species!
Or, they could simply move the camera once, instead of trying to remove the nest several times.