Injured osprey dies, known from webcam
A young osprey made famous by a nest webcam attracting more than 52,000 viewers died over the weekend of injuries she sustained while learning to fly and hunt fish in San Francisco Bay.
Whirley was rescued from San Francisco Bay Wednesday by two Richmond barge workers, but she died over the weekend at the Wildcare Wildlife Center in San Rafael, the center reported. She had broken bones and severe muscular injuries.
The sea hawk’s injuries may have occurred during her attempts to master the difficult but essential osprey hunting technique of skimming over water and grabbing fish.
“The severities of her injuries are consistent with a high velocity impact which could’ve been with a structure of some kind,” Wildcare wrote, “but due to the absence of external wounds it is also a fair hypothesis that these were sustained from a water impact during a fishing attempt.”
An average of about 50 percent of young ospreys survive to adulthood, Wildcare said.
Two months ago, Whirley became the first San Francisco Bay osprey to hatch, feed, and grow while online viewers watched the nest on a crane via two webcams placed there by the Golden Gate Aububon Society.
“Whirley lived a short life, but she touched the lives of more than 52,000 viewers,” said Ilana DeBare, a spokeswoman for Golden Gate Audubon. “Whirley’s loss brings home the challenge wild birds face under any circumstances, and the need for having a clean and healthy bay and not making their lives more hazardous than they already are.”
Meanwhile, the other osprey from the nest, Rivet, could be seen Monday morning in or near the nest and taking short practice flights.