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The ospreys have returned to Guelph (4 photos)

'Once they’ve settled in a place, they’re likely to continue year after year'

Residents are keeping an eye out for two feathery tenants who have moved into Eastview Community Park. 

A pair of ospreys have been spotted building a nest on a nesting platform built by the park's sports fields. 

Found across Southern Ontario, ospreys are one of the earliest returning nesting birds. After returning from South America, they typically build their nests and lay their eggs in April.

Being creatures of habit, Val Wyatt, coordinator for the Bird Wing of Nature Guelph, explains ospreys prefer to build on top of previous nests. 

“The nests are reused year after year, so they build upon them," says Wyatt, "So it’s not a good idea to take them down."

She adds the nests can grow to be about three to six feet in diameter."So once they’ve settled in a place, they’re likely to continue year after year.”

Ospreys can lay between one to four eggs, but it’s more common to see a nest with two or three. Once their eggs have hatched, the young stay in the nest for 50 to 55 days.

“They’ll certainly be around for all of April, May and June,” she says.

Located a kilometre away from Guelph Lake, the park is an ideal place for nesting ospreys as they are the only birds within the hawk family to eat fish. 

Wyatt said she is aware of four nesting platforms built around Guelph Lake for the birds to use.

“There are these special platforms that people purposely erect for them,” she says.

With their nest high above the ground, the birds don’t appear to be bothered by people visiting the park.

“I remember watching an entire soccer game, and the adult ospreys kept coming and going, and there were babies in the nest, and we were sitting almost right underneath it,” says Wyatt. “Even the activity with people and dogs don’t seem to be that much of a concern.”

However, Wyatt points out that the lights could disrupt their sleeping and eating schedules.

“Light at night would be a concern,” she says, “It gets their day and night a little bit mixed up.

“We do recommend for birds whenever lights go in next to a natural area, that the light should be pointing downwards as much as possible so that it doesn’t confuse the birds.”

She adds pollution is also another concern for ospreys, especially fishing lines and hooks.

“That can be quite detrimental to them if they get tangled in line, because they fish, so they can certainly get tangled in lines that aren’t properly disposed of.”

The return of the ospreys also comes at a time when more people are becoming interested in bird watching during the pandemic.

“With our bird wing in Nature Guelph there, we’re certainly seen a lot of interest growing in the outdoors,” says Wyatt.

Being a local coordinator for Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas, Wyatt explains the organization is currently conducting a breeding survey between 2021 and 2025 to determine the population numbers of around 300 breeding birds in the province, including ospreys. 

Wyatt adds ospreys, and other predatory bird populations, are steadily growing following the ban of the pesticide DDVP.

“I’m looking forward to the results of this survey, because looking at the difference between 1985 to 2005, there was a significant increase, ” she says, “I’m excited about it.”


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Ariel Deutschmann

About the Author: Ariel Deutschmann

Ariel Deutschmann is a feature writer and reporter who covers community events, businesses, social initiatives, human interest stories and more involving Guelph and Wellington County
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