Latest news with #CraigGardner
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Three osprey chicks hatch in 500-pound steel nest boxes
Operation Osprey is officially a success. Three osprey chicks are now sitting high atop the Bear Mountain Bridge overlooking the scenic and sturgeon-stocked Hudson River in New York's Hudson Valley. These three new chicks were born in a nest constructed just for them with the help of some humans from the New York State Bridge Authority. The steel nesting boxes were installed this year to keep the birds, eggs, and motorists safe and allow the osprey to stay in their preferred nesting spot on top of the bridge. 'We noticed that two years ago at the Bear Mountain Bridge, [that] they started building nests on top of the tower,' Craig Gardner, manager of maintenance for the New York State Bridge Authority, told Popular Science in April. 'It's not really an ideal spot for us, so we would go up and try to encourage them to go someplace else. But then last year, before we could get the nest, they laid eggs. So then we stayed away from the nest.' Roughly 20,000 vehicles cross the Bear Mountain Bridge every day and the osprey nests themselves are about 250 feet high, so any falling debris can cause car accidents. Bridge Authority workers typically try to encourage birds to nest on the lower spans, closer to the river and away from cars. But these birds wouldn't budge and appear to really like their perch high above the New York fjord. In 2024, the osprey clutch successfully hatched and the chicks remained in the nest for most of the year. For this year, safety concerns prompted the team at the Bridge Authority to build the special steel boxes to keep the residents of any nests built this year safe. 'We took it up in components and assembled it on the top of the tower,' says Gardner. 'They [the birds] were back there as soon as we left, rearranging the sticks and establishing their nest.' When all weighed together, the engineers took about 500 pounds of steel 350 feet in the air to install the nest boxes. The chicks are expected to remain there for several months. [ Related: To protect birds and motorists, engineers build a steel nest box on bridge. ] Thanks to ongoing conservation efforts in the Hudson River and the surrounding area, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, ospreys–and the fish that they need to survive–have seen a major recovery. The osprey are also the second most widely distributed raptor species, after the peregrine falcon, which can also nest on the bridges.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
To protect birds and motorists, engineers build a steel nest box on bridge
For the osprey that call New York's Hudson Valley home, the bridges offer a tempting nesting ground. Positioned high above the fish-filled Hudson River, the large birds have a nest on top of the Bear Mountain Bridge, a 2,255-foot suspension bridge roughly 50 miles north of Manhattan. However, this is not the osprey's first time on this scenic spot. 'We noticed that two years ago at the Bear Mountain Bridge, [that] they started building nests on top of the tower,' Craig Gardner, manager of maintenance for the New York State Bridge Authority tells Popular Science. 'It's not really an ideal spot for us, so we would go up and try to encourage them to go someplace else. But then last year, before we could get the nest, they laid eggs. So then we stayed away from the nest.' Ospreys are masters at swooping down into bodies of water to catch fish. Like other large birds of prey, they bring these fish back to their nests–whether they sit atop a tree or a large bridge. Osprey can be found in a variety of habitats, typically near any body of water with an adequate food supply. Thanks to ongoing conservation efforts in the Hudson River and its surrounding area, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, ospreys–and the fish that they need to survive–have seen a major recovery. The osprey are also the second most widely distributed raptor species, after the peregrine falcon, which can also nest on the bridges. 'The osprey actually build a nest. They will carry sticks up and create a nest,' says Gardner. 'The peregrine falcons pretty much lay their eggs right on the stone. [For the peregrine falcons], we make a box and we fill it with stone so that they can lay their eggs in there. They're opportunistic.' According to Gardner, last year's osprey clutch successfully hatched and the chicks stayed up in the nest for most of the year. While the nesting birds are a good indicator that the ecological recovery of the Hudson, the nests can pose some risks to the approximately 20,000 vehicles per day who cross the Bear Mountain Bridge. The nest itself was about 250 feet above the roadway, so if a stick, branch, or even a fish falls out of it, cars and people below are at risk. The New York State Bridge Authority, which operates and maintains five bridges along the Mid-Hudson River Valley, typically tries to encourage birds to nest on the lower spans, closer to the river and away from cars. But in true New Yorker fashion, these birds appear to be seeking out the penthouse with spectacular views. The solution: some human-built steel nesting boxes made especially for the ospreys. Instead of dismantling the nests, workers installed modular steel boxes so that the birds have a safer place to nest that contains any potential debris that might fall out. 'We designed it so it would all be modular, so that we could take it up there,' says Gardner. 'We actually have a motorized platform that one guy stands on, and it winches himself up to the top of the tower. It's pretty similar to the basket on your desk. The birds use big sticks, so you could have the rod spaced fairly wide open, and then with the mesh inside.' When all weighed together, the engineers took about 500 pounds of steel 350 feet in the air to install the nest boxes. 'We took it up in components and assembled it on the top of the tower,' says Gardner. 'They [the birds] were back there as soon as we left, rearranging the sticks and establishing their nest.' There is no word yet on how many eggs–if any–are currently up in the nest. The Bridge Authority said that it will continue to share updates.
BBC News
13-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Gardner steps up as Blues director of football
Birmingham City have promoted Craig Gardner to become the club's new director of four years as technical director, the 38-year-old former Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion midfielder will now be responsible for both the men's first team and the academy set-up at the promotion-chasing League One previous role chiefly involved player interim chief executive Jeremy Dale said: "Craig has impressed throughout his time at the club, offering his technical advice across all aspects of the football department, specifically our approach to player recruitment."I am delighted to have been asked to take on this new responsibility," said Gardner. "(Co-owner) Tom Wagner and Knighthead have brought everyone together, not just the club but also the city. "I am honoured to lead the football side of the business. We are building the foundations for future success at the highest levels. It has never been a better time to be part of the club or a Blues supporter."Blues sit top of League One - seven points clear with 18 games left.
