Do You See That? Osprey Chicks

Finally being able to see the osprey chicks is another exciting moment in the ongoing efforts by Friends and our partners at the Forest Preserves of Cook County to improve the reproductive success of native wildlife. It was determined in early June that the pair of osprey who had been seen regularly on and in the vicinity of the nesting platform, were nesting --two years after the first osprey was seen checking out the platform.

Friends installed the nesting platform two years ago along the banks of the Little Calumet River where it provides the osprey easy access to fish in the nearby river system. Osprey eat fish caught in the nearby river in a spectacular hunt that features the birds diving into the water at speeds of nearly 80 miles per hour and snagging prey with their talons.

The nesting pole weighs approximately 5,200 lbs. and is 80' long with 10' below grade. The nest is six sided and is 40" across. The osprey young are protected from ground predators by a stainless steel predator guard which starts 8' off the ground. The pole and nest are expected to last more than 30 years.

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