This post was written by Ryan Price, 2013 Birding Intern.
Those of you who have been to Mono Lake, or know a little bit about it, know there are absolutely no fish in its salty, alkaline waters. Then what in the world are ten Osprey nests doing on Mono Lake? This is a bird whose diet is 99% fish!
These birds commute from their safe nesting locations on exposed tufa towers in Mono Lake to the freshwater lakes and streams nearby for great fishing. Seeing these birds with their six-foot wingspans hover over a fresh lake looking for fish is quite a sight. Also, Osprey hold fish with their specially adapted talons face-forward to reduce drag on the fish as they fly.
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) have nested at Mono Lake since 1985, and the first confirmed nesting success was in 1987 with two young. Regular monitoring of Osprey at Mono Lake began in 2004, and banded Osprey chicks have dispersed wide and far over North America since these raptors are migratory.
This year at Mono Lake, I’m proud to announce that out of the ten Osprey nests, 20 chicks have been observed and banded by researcher Dan Shaw. Out of that 20, nine came from the South Tufa/Navy Beach area, and one nest boasts a whopping four chicks! That’s a rare event and this is only the second time that a nest at Mono Lake has had four chicks.
These birds are quite common at Mono Lake, so be sure to observe the buffer zone of 200 yards when boating on the lake to give the nesting birds plenty of space to go about their life cycle and raise their young.
This is very interesting information. I volunteer with an Osprey Project in Rutland, England. Please look at our website http://www.ospreys.org.uk/category/osprey-team-blog/ to see our story of translocating osprey from Scotland and the subsequent success of the project. We are now fund raising for our Osprey Migration Foundation. The key aims of the foundation are to link schools along Osprey migration flyways and to provide wildlife education opportunities for schools in the key over-wintering areas.
Last weekend the nature Reserve at Rutland Water hosted 22,000 people from over 70 different countries for the 25th Birdfair. Over the course of a quarter of a century this incredible event has raised in excess of £3 million for conservation projects worldwide. To find out more look at http://www.birdfair.org.uk
I have had the privilege of visiting Mono Lake and the Eastern Seirras on a number of occasions, hopefully I shall return in autumn 2014, but little did I realise that Ospreys were a common sight in both my home countryside and in an area I love to visit.
Regards
Kathy Reynolds
Thanks for article and pixs. I love Ospreys. Have a lot of sightings recorded. Thought I’d share my 2004 note. “20 Jul 04. 2 nesting pairs Navy Beach,nests built on top of tufa out in lake. 3 young in one nest, close to fledging. ”
Have notes just about every yr including Jul this year when I introduced my 5 yr old grand daughter to my favorite place in the world. saw the nests again.
See you in Sep or Oct
Four chicks?!? Busy parents!! When they were close to fledging, how did they all fit? But that’s a great sign that the conditions are good.
As usual, loved the report, especially about the ospreys.
Isn’t it time to go to LA’s new mayor Garcetti and tell them of the illegal activities of “their” water department, DWP? I think he might be a valuable aide in getting DWP to do the right thing for a change. Isn’t the City of LA somehow liable for what the DWP does or doesn’T do?
I was sorry to report the death of the fledgling off the eastern Tufa tower, Band A019. I have reported it to the government and the banding authorities. I appreciated the certificate of recognition.