The JCB Demonstration Team recently put their skills and machines to work at the Burton 4-H Center on Tybee Island. JCB installed a 30ft tall telephone pole, with the hope it will be the future home for an osprey family that currently has a nest in a nearby pine tree. Ospreys often build their nests on telephone poles, and since the pine tree is expected to fail within the next two years, it is the hope of the 4-H Center that the federally protected birds will make a new home on the pole that will soon include a platform suitable for nest-building. The JCB team brought in a 2TS Teleskid and a 542-70 Telehandler for this unique job assignment.

            “When we heard that the Burton 4-H Center was looking for a solution to provide a new home for the ospreys, we gladly volunteered to help with this project,” said Ashby Graham, General Manager, Product and Marketing for JCB North America. “We consider it a privilege to partner with others who are like-minded about sustaining our environment and work to preserve our ecosystem and we hope our small contribution will help the ospreys thrive.”

            The osprey, also called a sea hawk or fish hawk, is a fish-eating bird of prey with a 59-70in wingspan, large feet, and hooked talons. The distinct birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Act, one of the country’s oldest environmental laws prohibiting the purposeful and accidental killing of migratory birds.

            The JCB 2TS Teleskid fitted with an auger had the job of drilling a hole deep enough to secure the telephone pole intended as the new home for a large bird’s nest. The JCB 542-70AGRI, which offers world-class strength and a tight turn radius, finished the job by placing the pole in the drilled hole. Because of its exceptional maneuverability, the machine could install the pole without disturbing the nearby pine tree holding the nest of the federally protected birds.