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Hey there was a really nice article in the Star Tribune today about our efforts! Thanks to Jim Williams for the lovely story!
http://www.startribune.com/twin-cities-area-osprey-nests-are-a-catchall-for-castoffs/508951712/

Happy Easter, Happy Earth Day

It’s been a challenging week...we are trying to get around to visiting all nests, identifying all banded birds, and it’s a huge task these days. Some of us are growing increasingly sad as we visit and revisit a nest where a beloved Osprey has resided in the past....and we keep finding an empty nest, or another Osprey there in his place. I have visited the nest where our beloved, formerly “single” Dad lived. He raised three chicks alone two years ago and earned a permanent place in my heart. I have not seen him. Today I found another male on that nest. My heart sank. One of my most dependable and devoted volunteers is also feeling a sense of loss as her “first love” in the Osprey world has not returned to his nest. These losses are inevitable and I have lost many ospreys that I loved, but it’s never easy. We do grow attached, while we know these are wild creatures and migration is not without great challenges. I also received a call about a dead Osprey, so I rushed out to check the identity. I was relieved to find that it was not the banded male from a nearby nest, but probably a young male, trying to establish a territory and suffering a catastrophic wing injury. Every loss, of every beautiful Osprey causes me great sorrow, even after 25 years. They are just so stunningly beautiful. Holding the limp body of such a perfect creature is a gut wrenching experience. Life can end so abruptly.

On a happier note, some of our favorites have returned and the first eggs have been laid. Chicks are on the way! I have also found some nests removed, and some ospreys are having to start over, rebuilding their nests quickly. We will keep making the rounds, reading bands, observing behaviors, doing what we can to keep up the research, collect the data, rescue birds when necessary, educate the public and build relationships in the community. Hoping that we can help each of you to fall in love with these magnificent raptors. Happy Easter, Happy Earth Day.

April 14, 2019....

I finally had a day that I could spend making some rounds and checking nests. I visited 20 nests. 11 had no ospreys on them, 4 had one bird, and five had a pair. I read three bands. Several other females were uncooperative as far as revealing their legs! Three males were older established males that I have known for quite a while, back on their nests. That may give you some idea of where we are regarding the return of our Osprey friends. In addition, one nest had been removed from a cell tower. Sigh. No sign of any rebuilding there.
I saw no birds at the Arboretum nest which has the cam.
It was a lovely cool, but bright day (hard for band reading.) It was so nice to be out there, watching, listening, enjoying my Osprey friends. Some lakes are still partially frozen...so don’t panic if your favorite Osprey is not back yet! We had a slow start last year, and it looks like we are experiencing the same thing this year. I expect we will see many more of our friends this week!

Sky dance

As I was coming home today, I saw a male Osprey doing a sky dance, so of course I checked the nearby nest and sure enough, a female was sitting there. He was trying to impress her! I am always impressed with this courtship display! I usually hear it before I actually spot the male, high in the sky, performing this mating ritual.

I saw this video (link below) and thought it might be a good teaching video for new volunteers have not yet witnessed this display. It still thrills me to see it!

I checked a handful of nests today, and saw one of my dear, favorite male Ospreys working diligently on his nest. I also checked out a new nest, new to me anyway, occupied by two unbanded ospreys! I still have another new one to check out on the other side of town soon. The population keeps booming. I am sure there are many nests that I don’t know about, so please do send in your reports of new nests, as we are doing our very best to keep track of them all!

Lots of reports are coming in from around the metro about ospreys back on their nests, and I deeply appreciate each and every one of them!

Hope everyone hunkers down during this spring blizzard they are predicting....5-15 inches of snow!

https://youtu.be/--F85zJmD4Y

Yes, I have seen, and identified, my first Osprey of 2019

Well, ya all probably knew I couldnt wait to see my first Osprey, so I ran up to a nearby nest and watched a banded female, band read, as she picked up sticks off the ground and worked on the nest. I watched for an hour, my heart racing...what is it about these birds? But I have to stay focused on my income producing work this week.....holy smokes it’s gonna be hard. So the 2019 Osprey season has officially begun!

There are are still a lot of volunteer monitors that I have not heard from, and we always need help watching all these nests.....and if anyone wishes to make a donation to support this field study in its 26 th year...we have a Twin Cities Metro Osprey Watch page at Go Fund Me to take donations.

They’re back!!!!!!!

I know that many of you are waiting to hear something from me! Yes the reports are coming in about the first ospreys back on their nests here in the Twin Cities. I have been so busy with my pottery business and a big show next week, as well as teaching three full classes a week now....that I have not had much time for ospreys. Gotta earn some money so I can afford to start putting on the miles visiting nests. Anyway, this is a heads up for the volunteers.....Osprey season has begun, finally! I may buzz up to a nest or two tomorrow if I can.....so do keep me posted about your observations!

Nest monitors!

Even tho we are still in the depths of winter here with several feet of snow on the ground, our Osprey friends will return sometime in the upcoming weeks.....not sure how many weeks. So I once again am putting out a call for volunteer nest monitors. If you have monitored in the past, and want to return to your nest this year, please let me know. Experienced volunteers become more and more treasured each year as your knowledge and instincts improve and increase each year. If anyone else is interested, we ask for a commitment to visit your nest at least once a week, thru the breeding season, April to September. After each visit you will need to send an email sharing your observations. We have a list of guidelines for what data we are trying to collect at each nest. It is helpful to either have a spotting scope or a good pair of binoculars to be able to closely watch for specific behaviors. If you will be unable to visit your nest for a week or two, (vacation, illness, whatever....) all I ask is that you let me know so we can plug in another monitor or I will check the nest. We have nests in all eight metro counties, tho none  are in the heart of the city, so you may have to drive a ways to monitor a nest.
I  like to spend some time in the field with volunteers when we are able to coordinate schedules, tho it doesn’t always happen. But I am always happy to answer questions in emails. The more questions you ask, the more you learn! The project is always growing and we always need help watching over all these nests. It can be a life changing experience to get to know a family of ospreys and many of our long time volunteers have fallen deeply in love with “their” ospreys!
If anyone is interested in volunteering, or has questions, you can contact me at Osprey.mn@gmail.com