Neslting Osprey Snatched by Eagle

By Deb Sheaffer, WCC Operations Manager

Every animal in the Wildlife Care Center comes with a story, some heartbreaking, some uplifting. But the story of the cold, wet nestling osprey brought in on an early summer morning is an amazing one.

Nestling Osprey being fed fish by mother - Jim Cruce

Jim Cruce had been watching and photographing an osprey nest on the Columbia River for about 6 weeks. He learned from other observers that there had been two nestlings in the nest, but one had gotten caught on a fishing line, pulled into the river and drowned. Jim watched the adult male bring in fish so the adult female could feed the remaining nestling.  When he arrived early in the morning on July 22, Jim noticed the female osprey wasn’t on the nest as usual. Just then he watched as a male bald eagle snatched the youngster from the nest. In his words, “the eagle came in like a bullet. He went straight for the nest and jerked the baby out in one motion.” The mother osprey saw what was happening and went after the eagle, who dropped the nestling into the river but continued to watch it. The youngster was swept out into the current and was thrashing around as the parents circled helplessly overhead. Jim flagged down a passing boater who was able to net the bird and bring it to shore. Jim ran to his car to find something to put the youngster in while his wife, Laura, watched over it. Meanwhile, the bald eagle perched above them on a snag, continuing to watch the nestling osprey.

Young Osprey fighting current in Columbia River after being snatched from nest by Bald Eagle, which then dropped it. Jim Cruce

The Cruces transported the osprey to the WCC, all the while trying to warm it up with the car’s heater. Molly McAllister, one of the Wildlife Care Center veterinarians, examined the water-logged bird and found puncture wounds where the eagle talons had grabbed it over the chest and back, but no other major injuries. After stabilizing the bird with warmth and fluids, she cleaned the wounds and started the bird on antibiotics. An xray showed that, incredibly, there was no internal damage from the eagle talons or the fall. The wounds were treated daily and the bird was force fed with fish pieces. It was placed in a small flight cage so it could practice flying and after about 12 days it was ready to go back to the wild.

On the release day, Molly and Bob Sallinger( Portland Audubon’s Conservation Director), his son Peter, and Molly McAllister,  transported the young osprey by canoe to the site where it had first been seen  Several pilings in the river and trees on a nearby island housed numerous Osprey nests and a pair of adult Osprey were perched near the release site on a piling.  The fledgling was placed up on a tall piling where it perched strongly and proceeded to start flapping its wings and calling.  Shortly after the youngster was left on its own, an adult  osprey from the nearby pair circled closely overhead and then landed just above it, while the juvenile’s “return crew” canoed back to shore.