10/09/08

Osprey nesting sites rescued

Thanks to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), eco-friendly landowners, the Tulalip Tribes and a lot of community support, five pairs of nesting osprey will soon have new homes in which to raise their broods next spring.

Ospreys are some of our largest birds of prey and commute in annual migration patterns, nesting in the north in the spring and summer, then journeying to warmer climates in Latin America for fall and winter. Everett and the Port Gardner Bay area of Snohomish County host the largest colony of saltwater nesting ospreys on the west coast.

Dedicated fish eaters, ospreys most often nest on structures next to the water, such as pilings and utility poles. But many of the nest piles are being lost to deterioration from saltwater and marine borer attack. Without urgent replacement, the local nesting colony would have been forced to find new homes.

Fortunately the ospreys had a champion in Ed Schulz, a local enthusiast and osprey researcher who has worked with the U.S. Geological Society. Captivated by his first encounter with ospreys, Schulz found them unusually charismatic and has committed himself to studying and advocating for ospreys for the past 15 years. His dedication has extended from simply watching and photographing them to building nesting platforms, to catching and banding ospreys. Three years ago he encouraged the Pilchuck Audubon Society to undertake a demonstration project to replace five of the most seriously deteriorated sites with solid new nest pillars and platforms.

As the project got underway, support poured in from the community. Five concrete piles to house the nesting platforms were donated by Concrete Technology Corporation of Tacoma. 65 feet long and weighing 15 tons each, these were granted free storage by Ed Rubatino at Shadow Development Corporation in Everett, while the rest of the project came on line. A $10,000 grant from the Boeing Corporation, an $8,000 grant from Snohomish County and $5,000 from Audubon membership donations in 2006 came in to help cover actual installation costs. Permit and construction documents were prepared, pro bono, by Parsons Brinckerhoff.

However, due to the high cost of mobilizing pile-driving equipment, bids for the actual installation came in higher than anticipated. Additional grants necessary to complete the project were not available, and the Osprey Project appeared doomed.

“Being persistent can sometimes pay off,” said Bill Lider, Pilchuck Audubon member and Osprey Project manager. “The Tulalip Tribes came to the project’s rescue. They happily agreed to have nesting piles placed on their Port Gardner Bay property.”

With specific sites lined up, the DNR staff went to work on the financial feasibility end. They came up with a way to incorporate the installation of the osprey nest piles with its project to remove creosote-treated timber pilings in Port Gardner Bay and Tulalip Bay, thereby amortizing the overall mobilization costs charged by Cedar Grove Compost over both projects.

Four piles will be installed on mudflats owned by the Tulalip Tribes and one pile will be installed on mudflats owned by Cedar Grove Compost. The Pilchuck Audubon Society will contribute $23,000 toward the piling installation. The project should be completed by mid-February, 2009.

“Our ospreys will soon be on their annual fall migration, returning to Mexico and Central America for the winter,” said project manager Lider. “When they return to Snohomish County in early March, at least five pairs will find brand new platforms on which to build their nests.”

“With the successful completion of this demonstration project, we hope other property owners in the Port Gardner Bay area will allow future replacement of existing osprey nest piles on their property, and that we’re able to garner additional funds and in-kind donations to give our local osprey colony a more substantial and sustainable home in Snohomish County.”

Top photo: A pair of ospreys perched their piling-top nest. Photo courtesy of Jane Wright, Pilchuck Audubon Society

Bottom photo: A male osprey brings his catch home to his mate; the photo giving some evidence of the charisma found in them by osprey advocate Ed Schulz. Photo courtesy of Annette Colombini, Pilchuck Audubon Society.

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