Ospreys delay sign replacement for construction project near Wayzata

Ospreys near Wayzata, Minnesota, have claimed a road sign as their nesting site. The Minnesota Department of Transportation was set to replace the sign, but put the swap on hold.

"We originally removed the nest after seeing no babies or eggs and then we put up some cones and some barriers, which are actually still up there, but the birds returned," Nathan Bowie, a spokesperson with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, said. "I guess they really liked the location and liked watching the construction, perhaps."

The ospreys were undeterred by the warning. Bowie said the plan was to remove and replace the sign as part of the Highway 12 construction project, which started last month, though the state agency said the swap will be made in the fall, once the birds are finished nesting.

Road crews aren't the only people who've had to work around a pair of birds.

Last August, some ospreys forced Apple Valley High School to rearrange their sports schedule. With the birds nesting on a light pole above the field, the school couldn't turn on the lights for late-night games. 

Ospreys are protected under both federal and state law.

"It's a small little blip in the whole scheme of this project," Bowie said. 

According to the state agency, efforts to repave the highway are still on schedule. Drivers can expect intermittent lane closures for the next few months. 

MnDOT is working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to put up a new nesting structure for the ospreys, so when the loyal birds return next year, they won't be living on the sign.