PSEG is erecting a new pole on Flanders Road next to the pole where a pair of ospreys had been nesting until the utility company removed the nest Monday morning.
The new 50-foot pole will replace the existing pole and have two sets of cross arms, one to support the wires and one at the top of the pole to support the nest.
Work will be complete this afternoon, said PSEG customer experience representative Samantha Eddy, who was at the site this morning.
Eddy wasn’t the only one keeping a watchful eye on the work crew this morning. Perched on a branch high above crew members was one of the displaced raptors, observing everything that was going on below.
PSEG consulted with an avian expert to determine the best way to offer the ospreys an alternative nesting place.
The original nest had to come down because it was causing power lines to arc, a company spokesperson said Monday. PSEG said it was important to remove the nest before the ospreys laid eggs, to give the birds an opportunity to build another nest.
The removal of the nest sparked a public outcry in the community and the threat of a protest march on Flanders Road this weekend.
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