Taking wing

Four young ospreys were introduced to a home away from home on Friday as they took up temporary residence in a release tower at Birds of Prey Northwest.

Some of them opened their sharp beaks and fluffed up the mottled feathers on the napes of their necks as wildlife biologists Janie Veltcamp, Don Veltcamp, Dr. Wayne Melquist and Cam Heusser soothed them and prepared them for the ladder climb to the tower.

"They all got blown from their nest and had a gentle landing," said Janie, who runs Birds of Prey with husband Don. "They're all going back to the wild."

The ospreys are close to seven weeks old and about to fledge — that is, to successfully leave the nest — but they need some assistance before they can be on their own.

They were all turned in to Birds of Prey after being found by community members. One of the ospreys was found by Twin Lakes couple Roberta and Chuck McKinney and a neighbor last Saturday.

"We all saw it in the street, and it couldn't fly," Roberta said. "We didn't know that it was so young that it couldn't fly."

"We figured out it was an osprey, but I didn't know it was a young one. I've never seen one that close," she said.

Chuck shooed it out of the road: It spent the night on the neighbor's sawdust pile. When they saw it was still there in the morning, Roberta looked online and found Janie's number.

"She said, 'If you can get it into a box, call me back.' That's the $1,000 question, if you can get it into a box,'" Roberta said. "I was so happy to find the right person. I really lucked out because the other neighbor called Fish and Game and they have their hands full."

Birds of Prey retrieved the bird that Sunday to prepare it for flight with the other juveniles that had been bounced from their nest too soon.

"I drove all the way here to see this because I just admire the work they do," Roberta said.

The osprey will spend about a week in the release tower, which is an enclosed structure similar to a treehouse, as they grow accustomed to their surroundings.

“We do want them to imprint on this environment and get used to it so they don’t take off in a panic flight," Janie said.

When ready, the door on the front will be slowly lowered to create a perch for the fledglings as they take their first independent adventures. Don and Janie plan to watch from a boat on the nearby lake — if one of the ospreys plops into the water as it orients itself, they'll recover it from the water, take it back to the tower and give it another chance.

"We'll tiptoe away and go out on the boat and sit there all afternoon and wait for them to take their first flight," Janie said. "They'll learn to fly, they'll learn to fish on their own and eventually they won't depend on the fish being provided for them."

Melquist, who has worked with wildlife since 1972 and banded thousands of raptors, said it was gratifying to know people were willing to be eyes and ears for these creatures.

"Some would argue, 'Why do you need to do that, because what's one bird when you're looking at a population?'" he said. "But if you can and want to do it, it's not hard, and it builds a good relationship amongst people. They feel good about it and it’s helping some animals.

"Some say, 'Why waste all that time and money on animals when we should do it for people?'" he continued. "Well, if we just disregard so much of the wildlife that exists in the world, we're going to be poorer for it."

Several other juvenile raptors are being cared for at Birds of Prey: Western screech owls, an injured bald eagle and great horned owls are being housed in aviaries on the property, which is on the southern end of Lake Coeur d'Alene. The majority of the young ones are too young to fly and will be released when they're strong enough to make it on their own. Recent windstorms and trees being cut down have pushed the birds out of their nests.

This was the first time the osprey tower has been used since it was erected about two months ago. Janie said it materialized thanks to the work of Nate Albrecht, a biologist with the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.

"It’s pretty cool. We’ve been helping Janie for a long time now, and this is a good example of another project we’ve had to work with her on," said Heusser, also a biologist for the Tribe. "One of our guys built the box with some college interns who are helping us."

Ospreys are an important part of a healthy ecosystem because they're bioindicators, Janie said. They’re unique raptors with special feet for grabbing fish and collapsible nostrils for diving. A healthy population of ospreys means a thriving natural community.

"If you have good waterways that aren’t polluted and healthy stocks of fish, the osprey sits atop that food chain and it’s an indicator,” she said. "When you pollute the environment, it shows up first in your raptors."

"We often tell youth it’s the future of the youngsters to make sure osprey stay on the planet."

Birds of Prey Northwest is a nonprofit that has been committed to raptor rehabilitation and public education since it was founded by executive director Janie 26 years ago. She wants to move the site to the Wolf Lodge area in the near future to create a living zoo that is more accessible for school field trips and educational experiences.

"The people need to know: The birds belong to all of us," she said.

A Birds of Prey presentation is scheduled for Dec. 8 at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

If anyone finds an owl, eagle, osprey or other raptor that is in need of help, contact Birds of Prey at 208-245-1367.

Info: www.birdsofpreynorthwest.org