It's Not Uncommon to See American Bald Eagles Flying Around the Skies of Maryland. In fact, the birds of prey, which live only in North America, are not only flying around Maryland with more frequency, many are starting to call Maryland home.

While this is very exciting for the area, one pair of eagles created a great deal of concern in 2008 when they began to build a nest in an inopportune spot. As a result, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. (BGE; Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.) had to take some uncommon steps to help ensure the birds' safety while maintaining system reliability. In fact, many believe it is the first time a utility in this country has relocated an eagle's nest.

THE NEST

On Jan. 30, 2008, BGE's forestry unit advised the utility's transmission engineering/construction and environmental management units that eagles were building a nest atop the dead-end insulators of a 110-kV transmission line near the Constellation Energy Brandon Shores and Wagner power plants south of Baltimore. This high-voltage transmission line feeds directly into the electric power grid of the greater Baltimore area. The raptors selected this transmission tower location near Marley Creek in Anne Arundel County because it is the highest point in the area on which to build. This is a typical strategy for birds of prey.

BGE staff was extremely concerned about the danger to the birds because of the proximity of the nest to the energized lines. There was some relief on finding that the eagles had not laid any eggs. However, it was obvious that since the birds were making “preparations,” so BGE had to move fast.

Bald eagles are federally protected, so BGE contacted a representative from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) enforcement office in Virginia to inform them about the situation and to discuss BGE's recommendation to relocate the inactive nest. After several messages, discussions and callbacks, the inquiry was referred to the Northeast Region FWS in Hadley, Massachusetts.

AN ANXIOUS FEW DAYS

Days passed with no word, so BGE contacted the Hadley offices again to reiterate the urgency of the situation. With an impending rain storm, eagle nest material atop a string of insulators supporting a conductor energized at 110 kV and a power plant generating full power during the winter peak load season, tensions were high at BGE. Without FWS approval for a nest relocation, BGE equipment and service were placed at risk. Also at serious risk of adverse effects were the eagles and any eggs or young in the nest. BGE was concerned about the real possibility of an outage, damage to equipment and danger to the national symbol of the United States.

After a day of back-and-forth conversations, the Hadley office director said he had to contact the main office in Washington, D.C. for further direction, as this was uncharted territory for them.

Another day passed with no answer from FWS. Finally, BGE contacted FWS and pressed the issue further, citing the possibility of equipment damage and electric outages, and the continued threat to the nesting eagles.

About an hour later, FWS gave BGE the green light to move the eagle's nest. Immediately, the outage request was submitted to the PJM Interconnection offices, platform design began and construction materials were gathered.

RELOCATION

Within a few hours, the platform design — taking into account the heavy weight potential of an eagle's nest as the bird's mature — was completed. Materials were ordered and a BGE supervisor headed to the company's fabrication shop across the river from the nest location.

On a cold winter morning (the day of the outage), the platform construction was completed. The erection crew atop the tower began calling in measurements via cell phone to the supervisor who cut supports and struts. Good communication was critical as the platform was hoisted to the top of the tower. In fact, the communication was so effective that the platform did not have to be raised and lowered to make alterations or adjustments, saving time and meeting the outage deadline.

Several crew members used a Condor aerial lift to install the large platform, remove the existing inactive nest materials from the tower insulators and gingerly relocate the nest to the new aerie, which was only about 13 ft (4 m) away.

A NEW AERIE

Fred Eckhart, a retired BGE employee who now works for the C.W. Wright Construction Co., helped move the inactive nest. “That nest was made out of anything the eagles could find; they entwined 1.5-inch (38-mm)-thick branches with wires and other materials. It was remarkably well made — and very bulky.”

As the men worked, the birds watched their every move from a nearby tower.

By late afternoon, the work was complete, the outage had ended, and the nest relocation was an overwhelming success. BGE notified FWS and forwarded photos of one of the eagles on the new nest/platform location. As the crews were leaving the site that afternoon, one eagle flew to the lattice platform and perched there. Several hours later, the pair was seen making adjustments to the newly relocated nest.

Larry Bosley, supervisor of transmission construction, fabricated the nest platform with materials on hand at BGE's Riverside facility and also helped with other aspects of the job. He was so interested in the project that he took his wife to the site several weeks later. “Watching the eagles sit on their nest on the new platform gave me such a good feeling — one of pride and accomplishment — that BGE handled this situation the way it did. It's just a great story!” Bosley said.

There was great hope that the eagle pair would mate successfully once they were acclimated to their new aerie, but no offspring were born at the nest in 2008. However, a visit to the location in late spring 2009 revealed two dark heads protruding from the nest while one parent monitored its young from a nearby tower. The eaglets fledged in late June.

Although other eagle nests may have been relocated prior to the one south of Baltimore, this relocation had far-reaching impacts to employees and customers, not to mention to the eagles that now have a new penthouse on the shores of Marley Creek near the Chesapeake Bay.

Dave Kammer, transmission crew leader, summed up the experience: “This was a unique opportunity to do something for the environment. In our line of work, there's something different going on every day. This kind of project makes our jobs even more interesting.”

Gregory J. Kappler (Gregory.J.Kappler@constellation.com) is a senior environmental scientist with more than 30 years of utility experience at Constellation Energy/Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. Kappler spent 10 years in substation operations/relay control and the last 20 years in the environmental compliance area. He is a registered environmental property assessor and holds a BS degree in environmental planning from Towson University and a MS degree in management from Johns Hopkins University.

Ann Mooney (Ann.Mooney@constellation.com), communications specialist, currently designs communications strategy and products for Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s safety-related initiatives. Mooney has worked as a communications specialist, generalist and public relations practitioner for more than two decades with Constellation Energy, BGE's parent company. Throughout her tenure, she has played an integral role developing, creating, producing, implementing and evaluating hundreds of successful communications products and campaigns for both internal and external audiences. She has a degree in corporate/organizational communications from Ithaca College.

AMERICAN BALD EAGLE FACTS

The American bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a member of the sea and fish eagle group.

Color - Male and female adult bald eagles have a blackish-brown back and breast, a white head, neck and tail, and yellow feet and bill.

Current population - It is estimated there are 9789 breeding pairs of bald eagles.

Diet - Eagles eat mainly fish but will seek out carrion.

Eggs - Bald eagles lay from one to three eggs.

Eyesight - Eagles are renowned for their excellent eyesight.

Feathers - Bald eagles have 7000 feathers.

Fidelity - Once paired, bald eagles remain together until one dies.

Flight - Bald eagles can fly to an altitude of 10,000 ft (3048 m). At level flight, they can achieve speeds of 30 to 35 mph (48 to 56 kmph).

Food chain - Bald eagles sit at the top of the food chain.

Incubation duties - Male and female eagles share incubation duties.

June 28, 2007 - The U. S. Department of the Interior removed the American bald eagle from the endangered species list.

Longevity - Wild bald eagles may live as long as 30 years.

Mass - Eagles are light because their bones are hollow.

Maturity - An eagle reaches sexual maturity at four or five years of age.

National symbol - American bald eagle became the U.S. symbol in 1782 when the great seal of the U.S. was adopted.

Nesting cycle - The eagles nesting cycle is 20 weeks.

Nests - Nests are built in large trees near rivers or coasts.

Size - The female bald eagle is 35 to 37 inches (89 to 94 cm), slightly larger than the male.

Strength - Bald eagle lifting power is about 4 lb (2 kg).

Territory - Hunting area varies from 1700 to 10,000 acres (688 to 4047 hectares). Home ranges are smaller when food is readily available.

Weight - Bald eagles weigh from 10 to 14 lb (5 to 6 kg).

Wingspan - Bald eagle wings ranges from 72 to 90 inches (183 to 229 cm).

Bald Eagle Breeding Pairs

Year	Number of pairs
2006	9789
2005	7066
2000	6471
1999	6404
1998	5748
1997	5295
1996	5094
1995	4712
1994	4449
1993	4015
1992	3749
1991	3399
1990	3035
1989	2680
1988	2475
1987	2238
1986	1875
1984	1757
1981	1188
1974	791
1963	487

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Editor's note: For its eagle nest relocation project, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. received the Southeastern Electric Exchange Industry Excellence Award in the environmental category.

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARD

The BGE eagle relocation project received the

This is the citation for the Southeastern Electric Exchange winning project announcement in the environmental category:

When BGE learned that an American bald eagle had built its nest on a transmission tower insulator, posing a serious arcing hazard and possible damage to both the eagles and the equipment, the BGE environmental management unit went into action and devised a plan to safely relocate the nest. This award recognizes employees who went beyond the call of duty to implement a creative solution on short notice … and with a storm looming!