With a permanent place to call home, these birds may never flee the nest.
Following community concerns of an osprey nest, piled on top of an old telegraph pole on Limekilns Road in Tea Gardens becoming electrocuted, a bird-friendly pole was installed.
Conducted by electricity company Essential Energy, the existing nest was removed from the top of an 11,000 volt power pole to protect the osprey.
After a short power outage affecting some customers, the new pole was installed adjacent to the old pole, with a cradle for the existing nest to go in.
"We wanted to help protect the osprey from electricity risk and pole-top fires," Essential Energy Mid North Coast acting operations manager Rob Ridley said.
Tea Gardens resident of 20 years Leesa Ellicott has been watching sea hawks come and go and was excited to see the wildlife have their own pole.
"They don't seem fazed that their nest was moved and I've seen two sea hawks tending the new nest," she said.
Ms Ellicott said the nearby mangroves attract bird life to Limekilns and she hoped to see ospreys return to their permanent home every year for nesting.
"I've been watching the sea hawks sit on their nest and feed their chicks, it's so beautiful to see. Now they can stay for however long they like," she said.
Resident Sheridon Rayment said she noticed the osprey building its nest in June last year.
"We see them collect building materials like seaweed and sticks down at the river front all the time. They seem really happy with the new location. The power company did a wonderful job," she said.
Previous Limekilns resident Jill Madden has plans to move back to the area and was "delighted" to see the energy company had taken initiative.
"Ospreys are a pretty unique and vulnerable species. What the energy company did was responsible, proactive and good for the environment. It's a win-win," she said.
To see more stories and read today's paper download the Newcastle Herald news app here.
