DARTMOUTH, N.S. -- A pair of Ospreys have had their home moved because of a construction project.

The hope was they would move to the relocated nest a few hundred metres away, but that hasn’t happened and now residents and wildlife experts say it might be time to move the nest back.

Oscar and Ethel have become part of the community around Russell Lake in Dartmouth.

"They’ve been coming here for at least 14 years," says Connie Dennis. "Every year we look forward to seeing them in April."

This spring however, their home isn’t where they remember it being.

"Halifax Water are doing some significant sewer pipe upgrades," says Halifax Regional Coun. Becky Kent. "Nova Scotia Power had to move a pole to accommodate the construction work that had to happen."

That pole is where their nest was. So, it was moved a couple hundred metres away. The hope was that the osprey would find it and move in.

"I live in the apartment and we can see them fly by," Don Dennis says. "They have no interest in going back to the nest. All they want to do is nest here."

They have even tried to build a new nest on a power pole next to the old one, but steps were taken to discourage the new construction.

"We became aware of a couple birds sitting on those polls and it looked like they were trying to nest in the area, so for the safety of the birds we decided to put some pylons up there as an immediate measure to keep them safe and try to get them to move back toward the nest itself," says Steph Walsh, an environmental scientist with Nova Scotia Power.

Wildlife expert Hope Swinimer is glad everyone is trying to do what’s best for the birds.

"From experience, I found that they pick their spot and that’s the spot they want," says Swinimer, who operates Hope For Wildlife, a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Seaforth, N.S.

"Everybody acted out of caring for nature, which is really lovely to see," Swinimer said. "They move the nest because they cared about the osprey, and now a lot of people are concerned because again, they care about the osprey."

Swinimer says moving the nest back might be the best option. She says if the nest situation gets settled quickly, there’s still time for the pair to lay eggs and raise their young in a familiar place.

But Nova Scotia Power says they'll wait to see if the birds choose the new spot before making any decisions.