It’s supposed to be an osprey cam, but a couple of Canada geese have moved in to take over the nest.
The Town of Osoyoos isn’t prepared quite yet to change its popular Osprey camera on the Town’s website to a Canada Geese camera just yet.
The Town turned on its live feed of the camera several days ago. The camera was installed two years ago in a joint partnership between the Town of Oosyoos and FortisBC.
The camera provides an up close and personal 24-hour, seven-day-a-week view of a large Osprey nest located at the top of a FortisBC power pole located only steps from the entrance to Osoyoos Elementary School.
The Osprey camera was a huge hit during its first full year of operation as it had almost 72,000 views and more than 1.3 million total viewing minutes between early April and late September last year, said Steve Shannon, an employee with the community services department who worked with FortisBC on this project.
“It has been a huge success … very popular,” he said.
When the camera was turned on for the 2017 season, a large Osprey was observed for a day or two, but it took off and didn’t return, said Shannon.
Earlier this week, two adult Canada Geese were observed taking control of the nest, he said. It’s believed the female is pregnant.
“I haven’t had a chance over the past couple of days to take a good look at what’s on the camera, but I have been told the Osprey has disappeared and two Canada Geese have moved in,” he said. “I don’t honestly know what’s going to happen when the Osprey returns.”
Osprey are fascinating to watch as they take good care of their young once they’re hatched and are wonderful hunters who hunt down food and bring it back for their young ones on a daily basis, he said.
The Town isn’t prepared to change the name to a “Goose cam” any time soon, said Shannon.
“Everything we’ve done with this project was made with the Osprey in mind,” he said. “We’ve put up information on the website about Ospreys and we’ve had such good reaction from the public.”
Shannon admitted he “has no idea” what’s going to happen between the Canada Geese now inhabiting the nest and the Osprey that has been using the nest to breed and raise chicks over the past couple of years.
“Mother Nature will take care of it,” he said.
Anyone wishing to observe the nest can go online and visit the Town of Osoyoos website at www.osoyoos.ca.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
