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Operation Osprey: What a Bird!

© B. J. Barton

A few weeks ago I was walking along the dirt road between Watson Lake and the Cache la Poudre River when I saw a large bird flying in a zigzag pattern about 50' above the lake. It was white underneath and, as it flew, it peered down into the water. I recognized it immediately as an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) and I wondered if it could be one of our birds, or maybe one of their offspring. I stopped to watch until it hesitated an instant in mid-air, then held its wings up over its back and dropped swiftly down into the water, long legs first, talons open to grasp its prey. It rose to the surface, thrusting upward with strong wings. The fish had escaped this time and it lifted itself back into the sky to continue its search. It was July, and this male was probably fishing to feed a family of chicks and a female nearby.

Seeing this beautiful bird in action brought memories of one of the most interesting projects I've ever been a part of. In November 1989, I joined Operation Osprey, a project sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and a coalition of local environmental groups who wanted to introduce ospreys to the northern Colorado front range. While some osprey nested on the west side of the Rocky Mountains in our state, only one nesting pair had been located on the east side. Historically, the area was too dry for these fish-eating raptors, but humans have built dams and created large reservoirs, allowing the possibility of supporting osprey families. Ospreys are not good at colonizing new territory. After first year birds migrate south for the winter, they usually return to the area where they first learned to fly. This is not necessarily the place where they hatched, which opens up the possibility of raising young birds and releasing them in the area where you want them to live.

The project planned to build "hacking towers" at two sites adjacent to the Poudre River where old gravel pits had become a series of ponds. These areas were already stocked with fish for recreational purposes. The project was recruiting volunteers to help observe, care for, and protect the young birds until they could make it on their own. One of the sites was at Riverbend Ponds, almost in my back yard. I signed up and got educated about osprey and trained to be an observer. This is one of my favorite pictures of me, holding a "baby" osprey. It appeared to be as curious about me as I was about it. Photo is courtesy of the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

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