PORTAGE LAKES, Ohio — Guess who’s back in Portage Lakes? The osprey!
Last month, we told you the Akron community was saddened and angry, after a beloved Osprey nest atop a billboard was destroyed. Today, residents have their beloved birds back!
The osprey nest sat on top of a billboard along Manchester Road for years. It was a popular draw for Portage Lakers, until someone tore the nest down in mid-March and replaced it with spikes.
Ospreys tend to build their new nests near their old nests, so residents were hoping when the birds returned in Spring, they would rebuild nearby. Well, the osprey returned, and rebuilt right on top of the same billboard, amid the very spikes meant to keep them away.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife says it’s perfectly legal to remove an inactive osprey nest (which the nest was 3 weeks ago). Now, with the birds back for the Spring, the new nest is considered "active"; a permit would be needed to remove it.
Lamar, the company that owns the billboard, could not be reached for comment.
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Editor's note: the video in the player below is from a previously published story, uploaded on March 12, 2021.