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04/04/2023 03:40 PMIt took the efforts of neighbors, volunteers, town officials, and a compassionate local business, but a damaged and difficult-to-reach osprey nest at Daniel Avenue Beach in Mulberry Point recently received some much-needed repairs. Resident Carol Bascom-Slack got the effort underway when she and her neighbors saw the sorry condition of the nest a few weeks ago.
Terry Shaw, a volunteer at raptor rehabilitation nonprofit A Place Called Hope (APCH), said Bascom-Slack contacted him about the situation and immediately began coordinating the repair. Shaw and APCH are the shoreline’s most strident raptor advocacy rehabilitators. They are often called in to rescue injured and orphaned birds of prey and address, fix, and install osprey nests across the state.
According to Shaw, Bascom-Slack initiated the effort after recognizing the nest was in a critical state of disrepair. With the expected arrival of nesting osprey just weeks away, action was critical.
“Carol was the one who actually pursued this, got permission from the town, and contacted the tree service,” said Shaw. “Carol got my name from another person who I had helped with a platform about a mile away. It’s absolutely great that we have community members who jump in and help with the effort. She posted on FaceBook looking for a volunteer with a bucket truck because this nest is so tall. That’s when J. Witkowsky and Sons got involved.”
John Witkowsky, owner and operator of North Branford company J. Witkowsky & Sons Tree Service, LLC, said he and his family are always ready to provide their services for community projects. The nesting platform is so high that only a bucket truck or “cherry picker” style of equipment would be able to reach the nest for repair, according to Witkowsky.
“We did an owl recuse for A Place Called Hope recently, and like I said to Terry (Shaw), if we can help out, and we can work out a solution, we are always willing to help with whatever we can do,” said Witkowsky. “Our new spider lift has worked great on some of these types of jobs. There is no way someone could have accessed it with a ladder; it is just too high. Everything went well, and if we are available, we are always happy to help out with something like this.”
According to Shaw, this is the 136th nest the organization has repaired or installed, and the height of this nest is unusual and did present some challenges. The nest, which is more than 40 feet high, presented some difficulties as the nesting platform had to be constructed on the ground and then lifted into place to ensure its stability.
“I got the help of another volunteer, Deanna Broderick, and we built the osprey platform here in my garage, so when we got there it was a pretty easy job to install. That platform is about 40 feet up, so we were able to have the bucket truck take me and the platform up there and bolt it in place,” Shaw said.
Shaw said he and the other volunteers at APCH are optimistic that a pair will choose to nest at the site. The nest was repaired several weeks ago, just a few days prior to some of the first osprey arrivals of this nesting season.
“We added what we call “starter sticks” that help get the osprey going with building a nest. And we are pretty sure we are going to have a bird here in three weeks,” Shaw said. “The osprey population is now good, and they aren’t in trouble anymore, so we are thankful for that. But providing nests like this and keeping the birds away from the live wires on power lines is a big help.”
Bascom-Slack said she and her husband became aware of the nest and pole and wanted to repair it as quickly as possible.
“My husband noticed that the nest had been damaged. The osprey bring so much joy to us and many in the neighborhood, so we felt it would be a shame if they didn’t come back to nest this year. We asked Lorna Davis, an avid bird-watching neighbor, for suggestions on how to get the nest repaired. She gave us Terry Shaw’s contact info.” said Bascom-Slack. “Terry tried to affix a new platform, but the nest was actually too high. He said if I could find someone with a bucket truck, he could repair the nest. I posted to Simply Guilford, and within hours, Tiffanie Witkowsky had responded with an offer to help. We needed permission from the city to get access to the beach, so I contacted Rick Maynard, Director of Guilford Parks and Rec. He was very responsive, supportive, and gave the necessary permission. The effort just required a bit of logistics to get everyone in the same place at the same time. I’m so thankful for Terry’s skills and the generosity of J Witkowsky and Sons. Last year the osprey mom had three babies, and it was such a joy watching them learn to fly and fish. They provide daily entertainment for the neighborhood.”