Last week, PSEG Long Island worked with wildlife conservation groups to return a juvenile osprey to its nest in Oyster Bay after the bird was rescued in July. The chick was one of three raised by osprey parents on a nesting platform sponsored by PSEG Long Island, which has hosted the birds for several years. The company maintains a 24/7 webcam on the nest, which helped identify health issues with the chick.
After being rescued, the young osprey received veterinary care and spent about five weeks at Sweetbriar Nature Center recovering its strength. Once it was able to fly independently, PSEG Long Island provided equipment and support so wildlife experts could return it to its nest. The osprey parents continue to leave food for their offspring as they prepare for migration.
“PSEG Long Island is pleased that we were able to play a role in rescuing this young bird and giving it the best chance of thriving in the wild. We work closely with wildlife conservation partners to protect osprey from high-voltage equipment because good environmental stewardship is part of being strongly involved in the community, and because it also improves reliability for customers,” said David Lyons, Interim President and COO of PSEG Long Island.
To balance reliable power delivery with environmental stewardship, PSEG Long Island installs protective equipment to prevent ospreys from nesting on electrical infrastructure—a risk both for birds and utility systems. In some cases, nesting platforms are installed as alternatives.
Ospreys tend to avoid human contact and may abandon nests if disturbed by people they perceive as predators. Wildlife experts advised delaying intervention until all fledglings could fly on their own to avoid risking abandonment of other chicks.
PSEG Long Island works closely with Group for the East End, a nonprofit focused on nature preservation since 1972. Volunteers from this group survey local areas for osprey nests and share data with PSEG Long Island’s team dedicated to mitigating risks and relocating nests safely according to regulations protecting wildlife.
A report from Group for the East End found that active osprey nests on eastern Long Island increased significantly over eight years—from 199 in 2014 to 477 in summer 2022.
More information about PSEG Long Island’s environmental initiatives can be found at https://www.psegliny.com/wildlife.
