A post that is a bit out of the ordinary but pertains to AWIN and a particular site. This is an article from the latest AWIN Monthly newsletter:
TWO BIRD SPECIES, ONE NEST, AND A PROBLEM…
For all the State employees, Motorola teams, and outside contractors involved in the management, maintenance, and upgrade of the AWIN system, one bit of wisdom is key: Expect the unexpected. This story of such an unexpected, year-long series of unforeseen events, fortunately, has a happy ending.
It all began in October 2020, when the AWIN tower site at Rose Hill in Drew County started having issues with occasional microwave fading. A representative of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) observed a large, sturdy eagles’ nest at the top of the tower, nestled near a slightly misaligned microwave dish, with three young bald eagle chicks observed calling it home.
A representative from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) informed us that, as a protected species, the bald eagles inhabiting the nest would have to be allowed to abandon the nest of their own accord before the nest could be disturbed. After remaining observably absent for a period of time, an application for nest take permit could be submitted. Thus began a long period of “wait and see….” Eventually, the eagles moved on; thus began another long period of obtaining the required permit.
In March 2021, permit in hand, crews hoped to remove the eagles’ nest. Before work at the site could begin, another observation period was required to ensure that the bald eagles had not returned to the nest. The USFWS Migratory Bird Division advised us to monitor the nest starting half an hour before sunrise and half an hour before sunset for 60-90 minutes in subsequent visits.
In early May 2021, a professor of biology monitored the nest and observed no signs of return of the bald eagles. A second biologist, however, identified a new problem: a family of ospreys had moved into the well-fashioned eagles’ condo and was either incubating eggs in the nest or tending to young nestlings. According to a certified wildlife biologist at AGFC, ospreys have an incubation period of 36-42 days and can remain in a nest for up to 8 weeks. By the third week of June, an adult osprey was observed perched on the edge of the nest, rearranging sticks and materials, but was no longer seen sitting at its center. A month later, it was confirmed that the osprey family and departed.
An urgent effort was then made to remove the nest before any new creatures could be enticed to this prime slice of bird real estate by its great location, hardwood floors and stunning views. The work was performed by Holsted Operations, Inc., a company with skilled tower climbers, contracted by AWIN to change burned out lights on the towers. Holsted carefully removed the eagles’ nest and replaced it with a hand-fashioned sculpture of PVC pipe and tape to discourage future nest construction.
Epilogue… As a condition of the nest take permit, a report will be submitted annually to USFWS, attesting that no new signs of returning birds have been observed. The microwave at Rose Hill will soon be replaced by another as a part of the statewide upgrade of the AWIN system. Hopefully, new families of bald eagles, osprey, and other wild birds will avoid building on the AWIN structures, but continue to visit and settle in the beautiful surrounding countryside and live happily ever after.