Osprey in southern Michigan will wear backpacks this season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2013

Contact: Holly Vaughn, 248-359-9062; Julie Oakes, 248-328-8113; or Ed Golder, 517-335-3014

 

Osprey in southern Michigan will wear backpacks this season 

 

Once nearly absent from much of Michigan due to the effects of DDT and other pesticide use, Michigan’s osprey population continues to rebound. In southern Michigan, monitoring efforts track the revitalization of this species. 

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to place GPS tracking units on several osprey this year,” said Julie Oakes, DNR wildlife biologist. “This will provide the DNR with information on what migration routes the birds take, and also give us insight into what perils they must endure on their migration.”
 
Historically, osprey chicks had been simply banded with aluminum leg bands as part of a national effort to monitor the species. Banding continues this year as a cooperative venture of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Huron Clinton Metroparks, Detroit Zoological Society and Osprey Watch of Southeast Michigan. This year, in addition to banding, three osprey chicks from area nests will be outfitted with “backpack” satellite telemetry units. Funded by grants from DTE Energy and American Tower Corporation, these units will help scientists track the young birds’ daily movements and seasonal migration patterns.
 
Because osprey often nest on cell phone towers, staff from American Tower Corporation, Verizon Wireless, McFarlin Tower, Skyline Services LLC, Earthcom, Hydaker-Wheatlake Inc., Clearlink Wireless Solutions and Crown Castle International are invaluable partners in osprey monitoring. The cell phone companies alert the DNR to osprey nests, assist with the retrieval of chicks during the banding process and delay tower repair projects until after the nesting season.

The most exciting part of the new GPS tracking project is that anyone can follow along and find out where the birds are at any time just by looking on a website. The DNR is preparing information on the project so that schools can use this website for educating youth and bringing wildlife into the classroom.

"This is a true wildlife management success story," said Oakes. "Each year there are new nests. We have already exceeded our original goal of 30 active nests by 2020. We have been able to remove osprey from the threatened species list and sustain their population in Michigan."

In 1998, DNR began to relocate hatchling osprey to southern Michigan from nests in the northern part of the state. The program, supported by donations to Michigan's Nongame Wildlife Fund, involved rearing the birds on man-made towers in southern Michigan, a process called “hacking.” Relocation efforts occurred over a span of 10 years. In 2013, the DNR identified at least 56 active nests in southern Michigan - a substantial increase from the single active nest reported in 2002.

Anyone who observes a nesting pair of osprey is asked to contact Osprey Watch of Southeast Michigan (OWSEM) on the Web at www.owsem.org or by email at osprey@owsem.org.

Other partners in this monitoring project include the Huron Valley Audubon Society, Newkirk Electric, volunteers from Osprey Watch and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services.

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