Wedge-tailed eagles have so far failed to return to a nest relocated from a Queensland hospital site facing construction delays.<\/p>\n
The 1-tonne eagle’s nest was removed from a tree by specialist arborists and taken to bushland nearby at a cost of about $100,000 in December last year.<\/p>\n
Biodiverse Environmental director Liam Pratt said his firm was hired by Queensland Health to move the birds of prey from the site of the new Bundaberg Hospital.<\/p>\n
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The eagle’s nest was located in the middle of the new Bundaberg Hospital site. (Supplied: Biodiverse Environmental)<\/p>\n
Mr Pratt said the nest was moved as the birds were preparing to lay eggs because of ongoing construction on the site.<\/p>\n
“We thought it was best to just go ahead and relocate them to try and minimise the disturbance over the longer period,” he said.<\/p>\n
A specialist arborist assisted in its removal from the tree, while a 60-tonne crane lowered the mass into a specially engineered basket.<\/p>\n
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A specialist arborist and crane operators assisted in the relocation. (Supplied: Biodiverse Environmental)<\/p>\n
The basket was then secured to a large pole structure and repositioned at its new location underneath another tree canopy nearby.<\/p>\n
Mr Pratt said the company had been monitoring the nest since the operation but the eagles so far had not returned.<\/p>\n
“They’re very sensitive to, you know, if there’s any threat nearby, they will give up nesting,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We were expecting the disturbance to impact them, but we also have very good hopes that they’ll come back to it next year when they’re more comfortable.”<\/p>\n
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The nest was cordoned off at the construction site. (Supplied: Biodiverse Environmental)<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Health Minister Tim Nicholls did not comment on how much the project cost.<\/p>\n
But Mr Pratt estimated the work cost $100,000.<\/p>\n
“It’s over an extended period as well because there’s a whole lot of monitoring happening and work to be done afterwards,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We really need to look after such a special animal that has such an important part in the ecology.”Hospital delivery<\/p>\n
It comes as the government has gone back to the drawing board on the new hospital design in Bundaberg.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Mr Nicholls said work at the project site continued “delivering services including electricity, drainage, roads and access”.<\/p>\n
He said the state government was committed to a new hospital with more than 410 beds, emergency and maternity services and a multi-storey car park.<\/p>\n
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Tim Nicholls visits the new Bundaberg Hospital site. (ABC News: Grace Whiteside)<\/p>\n
The government’s Hospital Rescue Plan and new timeline for the delivery are expected to be announced by the end of the year.<\/p>\n