Raptors get helping hands from SMECO

Crews ensure that owls and ospreys have safe places to raise their broods

By John Johnston

An osprey nest in Morgantown. (Photo by Mark Finisecy)

An osprey nest on a river platform.

An osprey nest on a river platform.

SMECO’s concern for its community includes the birds of prey that are vital to the well-being of Southern Maryland’s environment. Owls, ospreys, and other raptors ensure a healthy ecosystem by controlling the numbers of prey animals.

We monitor the interaction of wildlife with our electric system and work to mitigate the impact that our lines and equipment have on different species. Our crews also lend their skills to provide homes for the birds.

New home for barn owls

In February, a SMECO crew went to the Allen’s Fresh area in Charles County to replace two nesting houses for barn owls, ghostly faced predators that live year-round in Southern Maryland. The cooperative had installed the old boxes 15 years ago and they had fallen into disrepair. A local member of the Boy Scouts of America, Tyler Neall with Troop 793, selected repairing the owl houses for his Eagle Scout project, working with the Southern Maryland Audubon Society’s Raptor Conservation Committee and SMECO’s Environmental Affairs team.

The job was a natural fit for Carl Freeman, an environmental affairs coordinator for SMECO. Freeman is also an Eagle Scout.

“I contribute a good deal of my success in life to my time involved with the Scouting program. An Eagle Scout project is an opportunity for the youth to test their skills in planning, organization, time management, and, most importantly, leadership,” Freeman said. “When I found out the owl boxes were part of an Eagle Scout project, I was excited to be a part of it.”

Freeman and the Audubon Society scouted the location at the waterfront, where the old owl houses were mounted on poles shared with platforms for nesting ospreys. These platforms were also in disrepair and hadn’t been used for many years. At the Audubon Society’s request, the crew removed the platforms and shortened the poles so they wouldn’t pose a hazard. The SMECO crew also removed the old owl boxes and installed new owl houses on the shortened poles. They used a bucket truck to mount the first house. Because of the soft ground at the pole for the second house, the crew climbed the pole to install the new house there.

SMECO line workers mount a house for barn owls near Allen’s Fresh in February.

“While we were removing the old boxes, an owl flew out of the second box. Mike Callahan from the Audubon Society instructed us to ‘knock on the door,’ meaning the pole,” Freeman said. “One of the linemen knocked and a second owl flew out. We opened the door to check for eggs, and there weren’t any yet, so we were able to take down the house.”

A line worker mounts a new barn owl home to a shortened pole.

A line worker mounts a new barn owl home to a shortened pole.

After wrapping up the project, Neall invited Freeman to his Eagle Scout Court of Honor.

“I have been to dozens of Courts of Honor, but this one was special. Mike Callahan brought a rescued barn owl to show during the ceremony. The owl had her injured wing amputated and can’t be released into the wild. I strongly believe the Scouting program is a net positive for the youth of our community, and that is why I volunteer my time as an adult leader with my local Troop 903 in Huntingtown.”

Mike Callahan of the Southern Maryland Audubon Society with a rescued barn owl.

Mike Callahan of the Southern Maryland Audubon Society with a rescued barn owl.

Keeping ospreys protected

A SMECO crew assembles a nesting platform near Blossom Point.

A protected species under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, ospreys return to Southern Maryland each spring to raise their young. The birds of prey are tempted to nest atop our utility poles, which can be deadly for the adults and their offspring. Sticks from the nests can also interfere with our electric service by causing short circuits on our lines.

A nest on a cross arm near Chaneyville.

A nest on a cross arm near Chaneyville.

SMECO makes a positive impact on Southern Maryland’s environment by protecting the birds from the hazards on our electric systems. In areas where the poles attract ospreys, our crews install alternative nesting locations. Sometimes SMECO installs a nesting box several feet above the electric lines, and other times the crews recycle a pole that has been retired from active service and mount it nearby with the box on top. The cooperative also installs deterrents next to the lines themselves to persuade the ospreys to relocate their nest to the alternate site.

“Ospreys constantly try to build nests on our poles’ cross arms. The boxes and the deterrents protect the birds from getting injured, and they prevent our system from sustaining damage from the nests and cutting off electricity,” said Tommy Short, managing director of environmental and property rights.

A nesting box on St. George's Island.

A nesting box on St. George's Island.

A SMECO truck sets a pole for an osprey platform, replacing one damaged by a storm.

A SMECO truck sets a pole for an osprey platform, replacing one damaged by a storm.

The cooperative’s Environmental Affairs team oversees the Avian Protection Plan, which ensures that SMECO complies with federal and state rules for bird protection. In 2023, crews installed and or replaced six nesting platforms and additionally installed deterrents in five new locations.

Each winter before the ospreys arrive, team members drive through the utility’s service area to update their list of platforms. The team is creating a database of the osprey boxes on the system, with 100 of them cataloged so far, and it places an asset ID tag on any pole with a platform to track it more easily. Most of the platforms are close to the Potomac and Patuxent rivers that provide fish for the raptors’ diet.

If SMECO learns of a nest that is being constructed on the lines, its employees are permitted to remove it as long as no eggs or young birds are inside. By taking quick action, our crews can keep the power flowing while ensuring no harm comes to the raptors.

“When the ospreys migrate from South America in the spring, within a month and a half they have eggs in their nest. So it’s important for us to respond as quickly as possible when we discover them nesting on the poles, since we can’t touch the nest if there are eggs,” Short said. “After they fledge and are big enough to fly on their own, then we can add a platform or deterrent so they have a safe place to live. It’s amazing that they can return year after year to the same spot.”