On Friday, July 29, the Twin Cities Osprey Project hired a professional climber to scale a light pole at Irondale High School's track and field in order to band two osprey chicks living in a nest atop the pole. Osprey are federally protected, large raptors that nest in open areas near fishable water. It's not uncommon for ospreys to build nests on tall, man-made structures like water towers and light poles.

The Irondale ospreys have been visually monitored by wildlife technician Vanessa Greene from the Twin Cities Osprey Project, a division of the Three Rivers Park District. Greene concluded that the three ospreys who inhabit the nest, a female and two chicks, are healthy and have adapted to the track and field construction work going on below them. The Osprey Project has approved construction to continue until completion later this summer.

In 1984, efforts were made to restore a nesting osprey population to the Twin Cities. The project has been very successful, with the osprey population growing to 47 nests in 20 years. Every known nest in monitored and attempts are made to band every chick. Osprey commonly produce two-three chicks per year, which hatch in late May. Chicks are ready to fly around eight weeks of age, usually in late July. The young cspreys remain near the nest for several weeks after fledging.

To find out more information about these ospreys or to report activity at the Irondale nest, contact Vanessa Greene at 763-694-7840 or osprey.mn@att.net. To see photos or watch a video of the osprey banding, go to www.moundsviewschools.org/irondale/osprey/.