Osprey Updates 2011
Thanks to volunteers Vic, Doug, and Janet that helped Kay feed the osprey while in the hack tower. Below are their comments and photos.
All posts in date order:
11 July
No official word from Kay and crew in Minnesota on whether Allete / Minnesota Power lineman were able to climb poles today and retrieve young osprey. The lineman always leave at least one young osprey in the nest for the adults to finish raising. For this reason, several different nests are used to to help reintroduce osprey across Iowa.
14 July
MP completes osprey relocation project, encounters nest vandalism -- Courtesy of Minnesota Power
Casey Pederson (left) and Mark Martell with the second osprey chick of the day in hand.
Minnesota Power and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) teamed up to successfully relocate ten osprey chicks on Monday. Unfortunately, one of the nests that the group encountered had been shot at, leaving four osprey dead.
“This is the first time I’ve seen vandalism of osprey nests,” said MP Environmental Compliance Specialist Bill Fraundorf, who has been managing the program since 2003. According to his report, the team was left “looking to our list of back-up structures to replace the osprey chick so senselessly lost.” Fraundorf reported the event to the Minnesota DNR Game Warden and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
MP employees used bucket trucks in order to capture the first two birds from their nests atop tall structures near Crosby, Minn. The other eight were captured by MP linemen Casey Pederson and Cole Schwarz by climbing the transmission structures.
Once the osprey chicks were safe on the ground they were handed over to the Iowa DNR to be transported to Iowa. When the birds arrive in Iowa they are put into nests in “hack boxes” and are fed fish. When the osprey chicks are old enough to fly, they are freed to hunt for fish. Osprey migrate back to the area where they first learned to fish.
2 August
The gates on the tower are open!
3 August
The two biggest osprey are using the perch near the edge, holding on, and flapping their wings. Shouldn't be long now before they take their first flights.
4 August
One was on the tower when I got there, but unable to I.D. Three were sitting on the front perch and YU is the smallest and was still huddled on the floor.
5 August
Similar to when fed yesterday. YK is the bird on top. Three are near or on the front perch.
10 August
Volunteer osprey feeder, Vic, reports that two of the five osprey are flying -- one is YK, still can't read the band on the other flyer. The others are content to sit on the perch near the edge of the tower.
11 August
Today, Vic was able to confirm (with certainty) which birds are flying and which have yet to take their first flight. On the top of the tower (the flyers) are YK and YX. The three osprey still inside the tower are YU, YN, and YT.
14 August
When feeding this morning, Kay reported that only YU is still in the tower. Be on the watch for four young osprey flying around Whiterock Conservancy.
15 August
Vic confirms that this morning, still only YU in the tower. He says it won't be long before YU is flying, too. YU was testing its wings this morning and looking strong!
16 August
Vic went to feed and found YU on the walk area around the hack tower eating on fish. Vic propped the trap door open and set a piece of fish near the door.
17 August
Vic returned the next morning to find all back to normal -- YU inside the tower and YN eating on top of the tower.
18 August
Vic spotted three of the young osprey out and about near the tower -- one just west, one way south and west, and and on north platform, plus a whitetail deer on the trail.
21 August
Kay reported at the evening feeding that three osprey are enjoying a carp dinner on the tower tonight.
23 August
YU, YN, and YK are still around and eating at the tower. Doug saw all five of them tonight. Pictures below from the 'trailcam' mounted on the top of the tower.
YK waiting for a turn... |
YN enjoying fish. |
YU...not quite on camera. |
31 August
Have been consistently seeing three osprey in the morning.
2 September
Kay reported in the evening at tower were an adult bald eagle, no vultures, and three osprey. Two osprey were tag-teaming to chase eagle off!
3 September
Those folks attending the "Osprey Viewing" event were able to see at least one of the osprey fishing.
23 September
The osprey feeding volunteers did not see any birds in the area of the hack tower over the weekend of 17-18 September. There has been fish left on top of the tower and no osprey on the trail camera. One last feeding was on the 19th. The osprey have either moved on and/or are not needing a supplemental food source.
10 October
Kay along with SOAR volunteers Ally and Savanna cleaned out the tower and closed the gates for the year.
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