Ospreys Along Clear Creek

Many times driving along Highway 14/16 between Buffalo and Clearmont people see square platforms o tall poles, with untidy nests of sticks on top.  Sitting in the nests are medium-sized, brown and white raptors, that is, ospreys,  a fairly common bird in Wyoming.  Also called ‘fish eagles,’ ospreys feed mainly on fish, so they nest and live close to water sources.  The osprey female hatches between two and four chicks each year, and the male helps to raise the chicks to adulthood.

         I talked to Tim Thomas, game and fish biologist, about the nests.  He said they were built to keep the birds from nesting on power poles, which can create problems with the power lines, and can electrocute the birds.  To protect the power and the birds, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department set up poles with platforms on the top, and then often installed plastic horned owls to power poles to scare the ospreys away from the power poles.        

       Ospreys use the same nest year after year, and most of the platforms along 14/16 are in use.  Thomas said that osprey’s are fairly abundant in Wyoming, and nest usually within a mile or less from water.  Most of the next boxes here in Sheridan and Johnson County are within a few hundred yards of a steam or body of water.   In many places, especially along Piney Creek, the osprey’s nest in the trees along the water.

       So, when driving along  Highway 14/16, watch for ospreys, fishing along the waterways.

Submitted by Cythnia Vannoy