The osprey pair who returns year after year to the Southport bridge won’t be raising chicks on the bridge this year, but Maine Department of Transportation said that’s not its fault.

After receiving a letter from resident Robert Reed, who asserted MDOT destroyed a nest with eggs in it in preparation for autumn work on the bridge, the Boothbay Register asked MDOT what happened. According to MDOT officials and the bridge tenders, MDOT removed a nest before the osprey returned. When the female, nicknamed Mazie, arrived to find the nest gone, she began to build a new one in the same location. MDOT said it decided to leave the nest alone since any chicks hatched would fledge before work began. However, a spate of windy weather destroyed the nest; and bridge tenders said the nest was incomplete when that happened and no eggs were in it.  The osprey have not tried to rebuild after that,  at least not yet.

Reed said it was his understanding the nest was active and that MDOT had “cavalierly” destroyed it, even though workers have worked on the bridge over the years without interference from the osprey pair.

MDOT has scheduled  a 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 1 public meeting at Southport Town Hall to discuss the upcoming work.