Return of the osprey

The osprey are here! After seven months in Central America, the osprey have returned to their nests in McEuen Park.

Osprey mate for life and return to the same general area each year, whether that’s at McEuen Park and Tubbs Hill or elsewhere. The nests at McEuen Park have been occupied for more than 25 years. They used to be perched on lights, but when the park was built in 2013, the city of Coeur d’Alene erected three poles with 36-square-inch boxes and perch rails.

“Everybody loves them,” said Bill Greenwood, Coeur d’Alene parks and recreation director.

Usually the male arrives first, followed by the female a few days later. The couple spends some time choosing and repairing their nest, collecting branches and material, before they mate and lay eggs.

Osprey lay an average of two or three eggs each year. They take 30 to 35 days to hatch, which usually happens throughout June.

Beth Paragamian, wildlife education specialist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the Bureau of Land Management, said if there are problems that prevent osprey from laying eggs in May, they probably won’t lay eggs at all.

“If something happened — if the nest isn’t repaired or geese have stolen the nest and the osprey have to wait for the geese to hatch — by June it’s too late,” she said.

Osprey prefer to nest in places where they have a 360-degree view and are close to the water. Unfortunately, this makes them more vulnerable, especially with eggs in the nest. But osprey eggs are brown and speckled and blend in with the sticks of the nest.

Once the eggs hatch, the female stays in the nest to protect the babies from the weather and predators while the male hunts for food to feed the babies, the female and himself.

Osprey are full grown by six weeks and leave the nest for the first time at eight to 10 weeks. The mother stays with the babies until they grow their feathers — keeping them warm when it’s cold or spreading her wings to create shade when it’s hot.

Once the babies grow feathers, the mother is able to hunt for food, too — leaving the young alone in the nest for short periods of time. It is important for both parents to provide food because the young need to eat a lot while they grow.

Young osprey have a natural instinct to flatten themselves in the bottom of the nest when a predator comes by. This makes them less visible over the edge of the nest. Crows, gulls and ravens have been known to prey on young osprey. Raccoons do, too, if the nest is at ground level.

When it’s time to leave the nest, mothers will kick the young out. Sometimes, when the young birds aren’t comfortable leaving yet, they will go to an unoccupied nest nearby.

Humans can pose threats to osprey. When boaters approach osprey nests, it keeps the adults away, leaving the young exposed to predators, dehydration and the cold.

Also, osprey will pick up fishing line to use in their nests. The babies can easily get caught or tangled in the lines.

Osprey are very adapted to hunt in the water. They have strong wings with oily feathers that wick away the water. They also have grips on the pads of their feet to hold slippery fish. Osprey will dive into the water to catch a fish that is 3 feet under the surface. They are such good hunters that eagles will watch and wait for osprey to make a catch and then try to steal it from them.

The ospreys can be seen on the osprey cameras at McEuen Park. Visit cdaid.org/osprey-web-cameras to see live footage from the webcams.