One of the more popular areas to observe osprey in Lake County is Lakeside County Park in Kelseyville. There has been an osprey nest near the picnic area for years and it has drawn hundreds of wildlife photographers as well as bird watchers. The nest is atop an old tree and on Monday park personnel cut down that tree because they feared it would fall and injure someone.
The cutting of the tree had no immediate impact on the ospreys because they had already hatched, raised their young and migrated out of the area. The tree will be replaced with a large pole complete with a platform and nest attached to the top. The Redbud Audubon Society is helping with the funding of the project. Next spring when the osprey pair returned to the area it is hoped they will nest atop the platform.
Osprey are unique in that they can be found throughout most of the world. They are located on every continent except Antarctica. The worldwide population is estimated at more than 400,000 birds. They are common at Clear Lake where at least a dozen pair of birds are living around the lake. They can be easily identified in flight by their white belly and long, black-tipped narrow wings. The head is mostly white with a dark brown stripe that extends from the eye. Their beak is hooked at the end, which allows them to tear a fish into small bits. Their feet have two toes pointing backward and the bottom of their feet have short and sharp spines that help them clutch fish. Their feathers also have an oil coating that keeps them dry when they dive into the water.
Fish make up 99 percent of the osprey’s diet. At Clear Lake, their diet consists of hitch, small carp, catfish, threadfin shad and small bass. They locate their prey by flying low over the water. When they spot a fish near the surface they climb and then dive with their talons outstretched. Once they grab a fish they turn it so the head faces forward. The osprey then returns to its nest with its catch. At some lakes the osprey have learned that bass fishermen mean food and will follow the bass fishermen and grab the small bass the fishermen release. Some fishermen even throw a bass high into the air just to watch the osprey dive on the fish. I have had ospreys follow my boat at Indian Valley Reservoir hoping I would release a bass.
Ospreys mate for life and their nests can be huge. They return to the same nest year after year and continually add to it with dead sticks and grass. The nests can weigh as much as 700 pounds. They build their nests near the tops of trees (preferably dead ones) and sometimes even on power poles. Since their diet consists entirely of fish, the nests are nearly always located near water.
The female lays from three to four eggs and then incubates them for approximately 35 days. Both the male and female rear the young. It takes from three to four fish per day to feed an osprey family. They have a unique way of feeding their young. The adults often eat the head and tail of the fish and leave the more nutritious center for their young. The parents also vigorously guard their young.
Another excellent place to observe the osprey is Indian Valley Reservoir. There are several pairs at the lake and they have built their nests in old and dead trees that are standing in the lake. When you approach the nests by boat they will fly in circles around you screeching. Lake Pillsbury also has osprey along with bald eagles. The osprey is another good example of the abundance of wildlife at Clear Lake and in Lake County, and why we have to protect and preserve our environment.
