For all the people contacting me about the nest on the Highway sign in Wayzata…..yes we knew about it. We watched those ospreys build the nest last summer…tho they didn’t lay eggs. The nest was removed over the winter. When the ospreys returned this spring, they rebuilt a large nest and it was removed again. The DOT put a cone and some flags up there to deter them, but apparently the people in power do not understand that ospreys are very philopatric…..very loyal to their nest site. They are stubborn. So the ospreys rebuilt their nest AGAIN. I caught the male perched on top of the cone they installed to scare them away. They laid eggs on April 29…..so now they are protected under federal law as well as state law. Our attempts to communicate with the DNR earlier were ignored. We are watching all known nests in 8 counties…..and I am often frustrated because I know a lot about osprey behavior. I see what is going in the metro. Our population is exploding. We have found 21 new nests already this year. A few were not new, but we didn’t know about them so thanks to everyone who has reported their observations to me. It is deeply appreciated. I have also seen sad mistakes made, when the DNR issued permits for a nest removal and someone built a new nest, set a new nestpole….all admirable and appreciated efforts…but because they didn’t consult with someone who has knowledge about ospreys, poles were placed too close to tall trees, which may eventually result in the osprey returning to the lightpoles which created problems. Nest boxes were built wrong, with solid wood bottoms that provide no drainage, no way for the nest to breath. Chicks have died uneccessarily in a heavy rain In the past in similar situations. I do my best, am happy to share my knowledge, I even sometimes have a nestbox to donate.
No comments:
Post a Comment