O Osprey, Where Art Thou?

Squeaky Oar Lock from Headhunters announced on the HH blog that osprey made it back to the Missouri River about 2 weeks ago.  After that, I spotted one on the Bitterroot that looked like he was still on the move.  Then on Tuesday, the Missoulian ran an article about the osprey couple that nest in the outfield at the Missoula Osprey's baseball stadium.  Last year, the pair was in the news and people were all upset because some geese claimed the nest before the osprey got there.  I see this happen around here every spring.  The geese, perched high up in the in the nest, just stand their ground and honk as the osprey dive bomb them over and over again.

This year, Dr. Greene from the Montana Osprey Project installed a "goose excluder" (otherwise known as a cone made out of chicken wire) on the nest at the baseball field.  It proved successful and those osprey are on that nest.

 

Osprey nest at Allegiance Field (baseball stadium) RBM 2008

So, while there are some osprey back in Montana, where the hell are the rest of them?  On his Facebook feed, Dr. Greene says, "...well over 90% of the osprey nests in Missoula still have no one there."  And most importantly, where are Iris and Stanley, our Hellgate Osprey Cam superstars?

MPG Ranch Montana

They are still on winter vacation!

The dots are satellite tagged osprey that summer in Western Montana.  If you visit the interactive map at MPG Ranch website, you can zoom into each point to get a closer view of exactly where they are and follow their voyage all the way to Montana.

If you just can't wait to see a western Montana osprey, in its nest, while you drink coffee, or whatever, check this out.




This nest is on the Dunrovin Ranch in Lolo, Montana near the Bitterroot River.  Meet Ozzey and Harriet, and what sounds like a billion other birds.  If you are stuck in a shitty place right now, turn up the speakers!

Stay tuned for updates on the Hellgate osprey etc.