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SE U.S.A. Osprey nest in cell tower (1 Viewer)

Answer:
TVA=very helpful.
If anyone wants to observe breeding pair of osprey in Huntsville/Guntersville area, feel free to PM me.
 
Irony was not lost on me....I'm watching them right now and typing on pda...via same cell tower.
Good to see win win ecology at work.
--Dad returns every hour and a half...mom's not leaving 'the living room' for anything but nature calls right now. This family drama is vaguely familiar...good stuff.
 
Just an update....
The birds are still around but not on nest. The female will land on the tower but not on the nest. The male just circles. Looks like April is a cruel month for ospreys in Guntersville also...
http://www.sandmountainreporter.com/story.lasso?ewcd=a8dc9926db7c23ae
Prior to that, they dodged this:
http://photos.al.com/huntsville-times/2009/04/storm_damage_14.html
Surviving a water spout and a gravity wave (I didn't even know what one was) three days later is a little tough at 200 feet above the ground. Good luck to these birds.
 
Gosh I hate that. Our area has been really hit by the weather lately. North of us near Murfreesboro, TN was hit hard too. Then I saw where Atlanta, GA had a lot of wind damage Monday.
 
Feel free any time. If you walk the perimeter of the cell tower fence, keep looking up...she will let you know quickly that she is a 'dead aim' with her droppings. I would have been covered but had a 3 second head start as I was watching the nest while walking. Hmm...3 seconds fall time makes the tower how tall?
I may have been wrong on the female's nesting during the storm last week...she may have stuck it out the whole time. The male was flying with another female osprey, and I didn't get a chance to closely check it, assuming it was his mate. Now, I'm thinking it was another osprey and she was 'hanging out' up there the whole time. This area is full of updrafts from the hills to the west and the water to the east....so every buzzard, eagle, heron and hawk seems to glide right next to the nest. These birds picked the busiest intersection, both on the ground and in the air. By June, it should be obvious whether the eggs were just laid or from original clutch.
The tower itself is owned by SBA Communications, but contracted out to a local provider, and supposedly are somewhat eco-friendly according to the website. I had never really thought of whether cell towers right next to a river/lake system were a good idea, but now wholly support them despite the eyesore. Nice to have cell service on the water too.
 
So, here's a pic of the tower taken yesterday:



Unlike some of the other osprey threads, I'm not afraid of anyone getting too close to them....if the height isn't a deterent, the 8' razor wired fence and the electromagnet emissions might seal the deal. Anyone know of any studies on EME's effects on ospreys/raptors?
I'm also curious about inland vs. coastal ospreys and feeding. Any good web sources on exactly which fish they eat inland?

I got to watch the female for about an hour yesterday, despite the mosquitoes. She was getting harassed by 3 turkey vultures (we call them turkey buzzards here) circling her. She was obviously irritated and calling her mate, who wasn't around for the short time I was there. After all the flooding, he's probably working overtime finding food. Unfortunately there's no way to really know what's in the nest for the time being.
 

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Alabama's version of bird of paradise

Yesterday, I was treated to an odd sight...an osprey carrying a 4 to 5 foot branch with thin vines hanging down from it. From a distance it looked like a giant bird of paradise (or ungraceful peacock). There were several people fishing on the bank obviously confused with what the 'odd bird' was. Amusing.
The chick(s) have hatched, but I have no idea how many and how long ago. Wish I could see up there....
 
Update- 1 is out of nest and 'hanging around' (sometimes literally off the tower) while the second seems to have some issues....not sure what's going on up there. Interesting drama, but Guntersville in general had a banner year as far as osprey go....ALBIRDS reports at least 17 birds in 5 about mile radius from where these birds are (Henryville) and that's not counting inland birds. If interested, you can see them on US431 around mile marker 302...just look up at the cell phone tower. Please use caution if you approach Henry Hill road (off 431) as the birds will know you are approaching as soon as you turn on to the road....and I've asked several of the locals who have ancestors at the cemetary to watch for agressive birders and/or obnoxious teenagers on the road. With any luck, birds will be rolling through Florida and Venezuela in months to come.
 
An update to the cell tower nest: it's gone! A cell tower cleaning crew appeared yesterday to remove all traces of the osprey nest. Actually, this is a good thing, as it allows a blank slate for whomever can win the spot in the spring. Lightning fires are apparently a problem in the winter, when the birds are not present anyway. Removing the nest material, which partially filled a small dump truck in volume (and was waist-high), keeps the cell company willing to allow nesting in spring and summer. Apparently they have tried removal during late summer once, and 1 employee got around 40 stitches due to an angry parent, even after the fledglings left. Man, those talons have got to hurt. I'm curious to see when the 2011 competition for the cell tower begins.
 
Ospreys

lashinala said:
An update to the cell tower nest: it's gone! A cell tower cleaning crew appeared yesterday to remove all traces of the osprey nest. Actually, this is a good thing, as it allows a blank slate for whomever can win the spot in the spring. Lightning fires are apparently a problem in the winter, when the birds are not present anyway. Removing the nest material, which partially filled a small dump truck in volume (and was waist-high), keeps the cell company willing to allow nesting in spring and summer. Apparently they have tried removal during late summer once, and 1 employee got around 40 stitches due to an angry parent, even after the fledglings left. Man, those talons have got to hurt. I'm curious to see when the 2011 competition for the cell tower begins.
Click to expand...

I am wondering if you have seen any Osprey activity yet. There has been an Osprey circling the tower on Bishop Mountain, but we did not see it today. Perhaps it has moved on?
 
I am wondering if you have seen any Osprey activity yet. There has been an Osprey circling the tower on Bishop Mountain, but we did not see it today. Perhaps it has moved on?
 
Yes, an new nest was completed 'almost overnight' but much smaller than the original that had built up over 2 years. I don't get over there as much this year to watch, but the male and female are a lot more skiddish than the ones that were there last year. I tried to find nest evidence in the cell tower on Bishop. There's sticks but no birds when I checked....but only for 10 minutes or so. Please keep me posted if you see anything.
 
Ospreys

There are ospreys at the tower on top of Bishop Mountain. One sometimes sits in a dead tree to eat his catch and we have found headless fish remains on the ground underneath the tower. They are very interesting -- working we don't get to watch them as much.
 
Here in Montana the osprey are nesting after a very cold winter. They move in and occupy platforms custom built for them(after the nest is built) and the ice is gone.One particular nest is 75 feet from a very busy highway. But the water and fish are close by and brood after brood are raised each year. Osprey have great adaptability as long as food and shelter are available, and they are left alone. We see them with every kind of fish that gets near the surface, trout, carp, suckers, perch, etc. Montanans love to see them and of course they are highly protected. John
 
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