Osprey Spotted Settling In at Erickson Woods

Friends of the Chicago River is thrilled to share that this past weekend our staff spotted a pair of osprey building a nest atop an osprey pole we installed at Erickson Woods in Winnetka. Like so many other wild creatures, they are responding to our work for clean water and instream and upland habitat creation all along the 156-miles Chicago-Calumet River system.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) are majestic, fish-eating birds that are a conservation success nationally but are remain endangered in Illinois. Since 2014, Friends has been working with scientists from the Forest Preserves of Cook County to increase nesting sites available to osprey along the river system. In addition to Erickson Woods, Friends has installed nesting platforms at the Skokie Lagoons, the Botanic Garden, Beaubien Woods on Chicago’s South Side, and at Whistler Woods in south suburban Riverdale. The nesting platforms provide these birds with great access to the healthy and growing fish populations in the river system, and allow a 360° view which osprey prefer to protect their young chicks from predators like the bald eagle.

Learn more about osprey by listening to our interview with Chris Anchor, senior wildlife biologist at the Cook County Forest Preserve District, on our Inside, Out & About podcast.