Councilors say they will explore safe nesting platform after resident flags osprey nest on Distal utility pole

A Longmont resident told the City Council on July 29 that an osprey family has nested on a utility pole inside the Distal open-space property and asked the city to fund and install a nearby nesting platform to reduce the risk of electrocution, worker hazard and fire. The speaker said the bird — nicknamed “Ozzy” — uses a nest that could be endangered by the pole location and that a nearby platform would be an accepted mitigation used elsewhere in Colorado.

Ethan Augren told councilors that “ospreys are a federally protected raptor species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act,” and that relocating the nest to a city-built platform 100 to 200 feet away would be a low-cost, best-practice solution that reduces risk to birds and utility workers. Augren asked the city to act quickly because fall migration would begin in mid- to late-August and recommended installation within about two weeks so the osprey family would discover the platform while still in the area.

Mayor Pro Tem Hidalgo Faring and Councilor Yarbrough each said they would speak with staff to explore constructing a platform; both thanked Augren for raising the issue. Councilors noted that nests with eggs or live birds cannot be removed without authorization and that coordination with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the local utility would be appropriate.

Ending: Councilors directed staff to review the request and confirm whether existing city programs can fund and install a nesting platform before fall migration; no formal vote was recorded at the meeting.