FirstEnergy continues to address the best ways to avoid power outages and protect birds such as ospreys and bald eagles from being harmed when they build nests on utility poles.

FirstEnergy has deployed a new phone app that allows its personnel to report bird nests to the company immediately and efficiently, streamlining the process.

“The app arms field workers with the ability to submit photos and answer key questions using a drop-down menu to report the locations of bird nests or other bird-related issues along the company’s power lines, all from their mobile devices,” Lauren Siburkis, FirstEnergy spokesperson, said.

The app is especially helpful for the areas in Ohio and Pennsylvania served by Penn Power and Ohio Edison, because the region has had a record number of bald eagles this year and continues to see an increase in its osprey population each year, Siburkis stated.

Last summer, osprey nests on power poles were observed in Bristol Township and Cortland, both not far from Mosquito Creek Reservoir. Ospreys make up the largest percentage of such nests, but red tail hawks and eagles also make up a percentage, Siburkis said.

Bill Spring, resource manager at the Mosquito Creek Reservoir Army Corps of Engineers, said in January during the bald eagle survey, rangers and volunteers counted 27 bald eagles at Mosquito, which was up significantly from 18 in 2019 and seven in 2018.

“Statewide in Ohio we have seen a dramatic increase in bald eagles that are not only visiting the area, but also nesting there,” Spring said.

“Efficiently identifying and responding to bird activity along our power lines is critical to preventing service disruptions and protecting wildlife,” Amy Ruszala, an advanced scientist and in-house avian expert at FirstEnergy, said in a news release.

The new app saves employees the time of submiting paperwork after returning to the office.

In the past two years, FirstEnergy has enhanced its efforts to protect birds, including the use of drones to inspect nests and donation of funds and materials to install nesting platforms.

FirstEnergy recently worked with the Army Corps of Engineers to install four nesting platforms near Mosquito Lake in areas where birds nest on electrical equipment. Such efforts help to reduce power outages caused by nesting birds, Siburkis stated.

Penn Power is a subsidiary of Akron-based FirstEnergy and serves customers in counties such as Crawford, Lawrence and Mercer counties. FirstEnergy subsidiary Ohio Edison serves Ohio counties including Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana, Portage, Stark, Geauga and Ashtabula.

erunyan@tribtoday.com