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Young birds are second set hatched by ospreys at North Reservoir
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal
Published on Friday, Jul 11, 2008
COVENTRY TWP.: Three baby ospreys got some jewelry on Thursday — a silver-colored federal band on one leg and a blue state band on the other.
The 31/2- to 4-week-old birds, from a stick-filled platform on a small island in North Reservoir, were docile during the banding by the Ohio Division of Wildlife, although their not-so-happy parents flew overhead screeching and squawking.
Adult ospreys, fish-eating hawks with wing spans of up to 5 feet, will make noise but generally won't attack, said Damon Greer, assistant wildlife management supervisor.
The mother osprey, who's larger than her mate and browner, was more agitated during the banding and repeatedly flew close to the nest. Her mate, which was grayer, tended to circle farther away.
The chicks, still unable to fly, are tiny fluff-balls of feathers. They have brown eyes, long droopy wings that seem too big for their bodies and oversized talons. They have racing stripes of distinctive feathers down their backs.
One onlooker, 10-year-old Tyler Emmert of Spencer Township in Medina County, who was at the lake with his father, Jeff Emmert, was impressed with the sight.
''They're pretty neat,'' said Tyler, who had never before seen an osprey. He said he was surprised by how big the young birds' talons were.
For the banding, wildlife technician Laura Graber climbed a ladder to the nesting platform mounted on a pole 38 feet above the ground. She put the first chick into a cloth bag and brought it to the ground for banding and weighing. While that young bird was being tagged, the other two were retrieved from the nest.
At one point, the parent ospreys were making such a commotion that another osprey from Long Lake flew over to investigate. That led to a brief aerial skirmish between the North Reservoir male and the Long Lake bird.
At the conclusion of the banding, the youngsters were returned to the nest.
The three chicks are the second set produced by the ospreys at North Reservoir.
The aluminum bands will remain on the birds. Greer said the state bands with one letter and two numbers are visible through high-powered binoculars or a spotting scope from 100 yards away. The federal band with nine characters is smaller and harder to read.
There are about 50 osprey nests in Northeast Ohio and the number continues to grow, Greer said.
In addition to the North Reservoir and Long Lake nests, there are nests at Nimisila Reservoir in Green and at Lake Dorothy in Norton, said Tom Henry, a retired state biologist who assisted with the banding.
Ospreys returned to Ohio in 1995, with two birds building a nest in Jefferson County. That was the first nest in the state since 1913.
In 1996, the Division of Wildlife started releasing young birds acquired from other states in the Portage Lakes and at other Ohio locations. Summit County hatched its first osprey chick in 2001.
The osprey is the fourth-largest bird in Ohio, behind the bald eagle, trumpeter swan and great blue heron.
Its numbers had declined because of extensive use of pesticides, including DDT.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
COVENTRY TWP.: Three baby ospreys got some jewelry on Thursday — a silver-colored federal band on one leg and a blue state band on the other.
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