An Osprey's Story

by Kari Jones, Wildlife Care Center Assistant Manager 

When birds pass thought the Wildlife Care Center we rarely learn their life story.  Identifying them as breeding adults and sometime their gender would normally be the extent of what we learn.  This summer however, we received a special bird with a history we were able to uncover. 

July 28th the WCC received an Osprey that was hit by a car on Marine Drive. We knew right away that this Osprey had been in human hands before. She had leg bands on both legs: a standard federal band and color band that allows her to be identified from a distance. The bird's injuries included paralysis in both legs.  After treating her for shock and trauma we confirmed her diagnoses with x-rays: a fractured spine.  Because she was unable to ever be released back into the wild she was euthanized.  

That would usually be the end of the story but in this case it was the beginning.  While reporting her federal band number we learned that this Osprey was banded in 1997 and was therefore at least 12 years old. 

About a week later we received a call from Chuck Henny, Ph.D with the US Geological Survey, who actually banded our bird.  We learned from Mr. Henny that this Osprey was apart of a large national study on fall migration routes, times, and wintering sites of Osprey.  

At the time of her banding she had a nest and three chicks on Government Island (approx. 1.5 miles from where she was hit by the car).  Not only was she banded but also fitted with a satellite radio backpack. The following paragraph documents here travels during 1997:

 
7/16/97 she was banded
9/6/97 she was in lower Oregon
9/13/97 she stopped in El Fuerte, Mexico
9/15/97 She arrived in Culiacan, Mexico and spent several days
11/24/97 She settled for the winter in Novojoa, Mexico 

March 1998 she started back up to her nesting grounds in the Pacific North West. She traveled 11 days then took a rest in Las Vegas, NV before her last leg to the Columbia River.
We suspect this was her usual routine year after year. 

Chuck Henny commented also that this osprey was an adult when banded and that would make her at least 15 years at her death possibly older.  Osprey in the wild can live up to 30 years.

The study that she participated in was published in The Condor July 2001 by Mark S. Martell.  The study identified the migration routes of Osprey from the west coast (Columbia River), Minnesota, New York and New Jersey.  In all cases the females left nesting grounds before juveniles and males.  The females traveled further south then males.  West coast birds remained in breeding grounds longer than the east coast birds.  They then took the quick route directly to Mexico traveling up to 230 miles a day.  Some east coast birds would go much slower but travel farther south, some as far as Brazil.

In the case of this osprey we can be sure where she breed, traveled and wintered.  She unknowingly aided biologists in learning about the fascinating migratory patterns of Osprey and gave us a wonderful life story to share!

**Audubon is currently working on a project to install a webcam at an osprey nest at South Waterfront. We hope that part of this project will include fitting a bird at this site with a satellite transmitter so that people can track birds that fledge from this nest online throughout their first year of life.