The delicate operation of relocating an osprey nest atop a power pole in Yamba has been a soaring success.

An Essential Energy crew from the Maclean depot worked with precision and care to relocate Yamba’s high-flying residents from their power pole perch, ensuring the osprey family and local electricity stay safely grounded.

The nest in Clarence Street was moved to a newly installed stand-alone pole in a nearby park, helping protect wildlife while ensuring the continued delivery of safe and reliable power to the community. 

Ospreys typically build their nests on tall structures near water, such as trees, cliffs, and occasionally power poles, which provide a good vantage point to spot predators and access to their primary food source, fish.

Essential Energy Community Relations Manager North Coast, Raelene Myers says there are strict rules around their relocation since ospreys are a threatened species.

“We have been working closely with the Clarence Valley Council regarding the relocation,” Raelene says.

“We’ve done everything we can to identify mitigation and control measures to minimise the impacts of the relocation on this vulnerable species.”

A planned outage was also necessary to complete to high-wire relocation, which occurred on Friday 1 November.

“Essential Energy thanks the community for cooperating while we completed this work, safeguarding wildlife and the electricity network.”