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Osprey nest removed on bridge

An osprey nest was removed Monday from atop the George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge to allow crews to make traffic cameras repairs, raising concerns among some residents about the birds losing their home.

Ospreys are not a listed, or endangered, species, but are protected under the Migratory Bird Act, said Troy Andersen, a local spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A check with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries found that no violation apparently occurred since there was not an active nest at the Coleman Bridge, which carries Route 17 over the York River between Gloucester Point and Yorktown.

But at least two Gloucester residents questioned the nest’s removal, one sending an e-mail to the Gazette-Journal and another sending an e-mail to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Jennifer Gwaltney, a spokesperson in VDOT’s Hampton Roads District that maintains the Coleman Bridge, said Wednesday that the nest that VDOT crews removed on Monday ...

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