Osprey nest moved by BC Hydro crews weighs 300 pounds

BC Hydro crews who feared a massive osprey nest perched atop a power pole in Revelstoke, B.C. might trigger a power outage or fire, have moved the nest to a platform they specially constructed.

It wasn't an easy task: BC Hydro estimates the nest weighs approximately 135 kilograms or 300 pounds.

"[It's] estimated to be nearly two metres across and weighing as much as an NFL lineman," BC Hydro said in a statement.

Hydro crews used a bucket truck to scale to the top of the power pole on the banks of the Illecillewaet River and then swung the nest over to the recently built nesting platform.

"The height of the nesting platform was very close to the reach of the bucket truck which made it difficult to safely place the nest on the platform," BC Hydro distribution manager Sid Laurila said in the statement.

"All the while, the crews had to manoeuvre around a lot of electrical equipment."

BC Hydro moved the nest during a planned power outage, and says it is confident when the birds return from their migration in the spring, they will find and use their new spot which is now the highest point in the area.

BC Hydro was forced to take precautions because osprey nests have been known to cause power outages. Ospreys are also a bird of prey listed as a protected species in B.C.

Osprey nests are protected year-round, whether or not the nest is in use.