Let’s do our part to keep ospreys safe in Boulder County

Several times a week I have the pleasure of walking along the western section of the St. Vrain Greenway. This is a wonderful way to avoid the negative news of the world and enjoy fresh air, gorgeous views, bald eagles, herons, hawks and, my favorite, ospreys.

A little over a year ago, I had the opportunity to start watching an osprey nest that was near my house. I was smitten with the female osprey’s behavior with her youngsters. As the weather became hot, I observed “mom” shading her youngsters from the sun by spreading her wings. “Dad” would swoop in and drop a fish, and off he would go to find more food. The nest I observed had a successful season. All three youngsters grew, learned to fly and, at times, practiced skimming the pond with their talons. They even started catching little fish. It was exciting to be walking and see one of the young ospreys perched on a branch eating a tiny fish they had caught.

Though, even so, there were times when I held my breath as the youngsters would get their talons stuck in plastic that the ospreys had used to build their nest. Thankfully, the youngsters never became entangled and survived. The plastic in their nest was dangerous. Another youngster, from a different nest, had baling twine wrapped around its leg. For several days the osprey perched in different trees trying to get the baling twine off. After several days, to the relief of many, the osprey was able to get the baling twine off. Even so, the young osprey could have gotten caught hanging upside down in a tree. If its talon was injured, starving to death could have been the result. This young osprey did survive though it reminded me of how dangerous people are to ospreys.

Ospreys only eat fish; therefore, they live by the water. They have had to live around people, so there is more trash. Plastic bags are tossed on the ground, and the ospreys end up grabbing it for their nest. Baling twine is tossed in the fields, and ospreys grab this dangerous material. A wide variety of items are used to build their nests. This material could include sticks, bark, sod, grass, vines and algae. Plastic items seem to mimic the appearance of many natural building materials. According to Ben Wurst, an osprey expert at the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, the most deadly and dangerous items are the most common he finds in nests. “Trash like monofilament, ribbon and string can easily entangle a foot, leg or wing of an adult or young osprey … single use plastic bags or other plastic sheeting can choke or smother them.” Fishing line is also dangerous. According to scientists, fishing line seems to look like sea grass or is picked up accidentally because it gets tangled with a twig or grass. If the fishing line ends up in the nest it can entangle osprey chicks and sometimes even the parents, causing serious injury or even death by starvation.

In a few weeks, the ospreys will be coming back to Boulder County after their long migration. They will start building their nests. I know of two osprey nests near me that have been cleaned up by staff or volunteers. Thank you for that! The ospreys will have a fresh start. The plastic, baling twine, balloons, fishing line and so many other things that humans just discard could end up in the ospreys’ nests. It seems to me that to keep the ospreys safe and healthy we need to keep our environment clean. Make sure those items that could be deadly to osprey are put in covered trash. Our walkways are not garbage cans. If you are using baling twine, please take it with you instead of dropping the twine in the fields for the ospreys to pick up and take back to their nests. All of us can pitch in and make our environment safer for the ospreys. I am excited to see our ospreys back in Boulder County and bring joy to so many.