A Tale of Three Ospreys
Bald Eagles being our national bird, and July 4th. go together, but for the last two years it's been
Osprey that demands our attention on Independence day
July 4th. we got a call about two Ospreys in trouble at Lake Tulloch. A boater had watched two fully
feathered young Ospreys in a nest in the top of a dead pine tree exercising their wings getting
ready for their first flight. The very next day the pine tree had fallen into the lake and the nest was
underwater. One baby was on the shore 20 yards away and the other was on the remains of the tree
trunk amid the branches above the waterline. After evaluating the situation over the phone, we
decided the Osprey were probably safe where they were for the night. The next morning, with
kennels, nets and towels, the boater took us across the lake. The shoreline was rather inaccessable
which meant the Osprey were fairly safe from us as well as predators. They looked in good
condition and when we got close, they cried for their parents which showed up immediately to
protect them. That was another good sign. If the parents were still responding to them, they would
also be feeding them. The Osprey kids were probably just days away from flying and since it was in
their best interest to have their parents teach them how to fish ( and provide food when they
missed) we decided to leave them there and continue monitoring the situation. With the help of
boaters to keep an eye on them and us going out every other day, we watched as first one and then
the other took to the trees and finally to the skies to follow their parents. It was the best possible
outcome, since in a captive environment: it is very difficult to get Osprey to self-feed and even
harder, if not impossible, to teach them to fish. We were very happy to be able to leave that job to
the parents
Last year we weren't quite so lucky. Sharon South was given an Osprey that was found on the
ground at New Malones Lake. Knowing the difficulties with feeding it, we hoped to take it back the
next morning but examination showed the Osprey to be a fully feathered youngster that was thin
and dehydrated. We tubed him fluids and set him up in a hospital cage with a bowl of slivered
salmon on the hopes that he would deny the typical Osprey behavior and eat for himself. And he
did! Not always of course, but we worked out a happy medium where if he didn't eat out of the dish,
he would at least swallow what we got in his mouth. And he gained weight. We moved him to the
20' flight cage to see if he could get off the ground but there he stayed. We gave him three different
exams trying to find broken bones in his wings that would keep him from flight but couldn't find
anything. We made arrangements to get an x-ray and in the meantime, moved him into the 50' flight
cage. Finally he flew, only a foot off the ground, but he went 30'. Ideally, we wanted him to be able to
get back into the nest but at a minimum, he needed to be able to get into a tree to be safe from
predators. After nine days in care, he had gained over three quarters of a pound and we decided it
was time. We didn't want to keep too long and risk his parents not accepting him back. A dozen
volunteers came to watch as we opened the kennel and set him free. He considered the situation
for a minute, then he took off for the trees and flew in an arc that brought him almost full circle until
he landed on the lake's edge below us and the nest. The campers near the nest said the parents
had been bringing food all morning and they promised to let us know if there was any problems.
There never was. By the way, I think the trick to getting Osprey to eat in captivity is to have
wonderful volunteers like Mike and Cynthia Woiciki who went fishing for fresh salmon whenever
the Osprey needed it.
A sad P.S. to this story involves a fourth Osprey, not so lucky. People up at Pinecrest lake had been
seeing an Osprey flying with a big tangle of fishing line hanging outside it's beak. Eventually he
ended up in the water where boaters were able to catch him and take him to the ranger station. He
had finally swallowed all the fishing line but his breathing was labored and he died before we could
do much to help him.
Bald Eagles being our national bird, and July 4th. go together, but for the last two years it's been
Osprey that demands our attention on Independence day
July 4th. we got a call about two Ospreys in trouble at Lake Tulloch. A boater had watched two fully
feathered young Ospreys in a nest in the top of a dead pine tree exercising their wings getting
ready for their first flight. The very next day the pine tree had fallen into the lake and the nest was
underwater. One baby was on the shore 20 yards away and the other was on the remains of the tree
trunk amid the branches above the waterline. After evaluating the situation over the phone, we
decided the Osprey were probably safe where they were for the night. The next morning, with
kennels, nets and towels, the boater took us across the lake. The shoreline was rather inaccessable
which meant the Osprey were fairly safe from us as well as predators. They looked in good
condition and when we got close, they cried for their parents which showed up immediately to
protect them. That was another good sign. If the parents were still responding to them, they would
also be feeding them. The Osprey kids were probably just days away from flying and since it was in
their best interest to have their parents teach them how to fish ( and provide food when they
missed) we decided to leave them there and continue monitoring the situation. With the help of
boaters to keep an eye on them and us going out every other day, we watched as first one and then
the other took to the trees and finally to the skies to follow their parents. It was the best possible
outcome, since in a captive environment: it is very difficult to get Osprey to self-feed and even
harder, if not impossible, to teach them to fish. We were very happy to be able to leave that job to
the parents
Last year we weren't quite so lucky. Sharon South was given an Osprey that was found on the
ground at New Malones Lake. Knowing the difficulties with feeding it, we hoped to take it back the
next morning but examination showed the Osprey to be a fully feathered youngster that was thin
and dehydrated. We tubed him fluids and set him up in a hospital cage with a bowl of slivered
salmon on the hopes that he would deny the typical Osprey behavior and eat for himself. And he
did! Not always of course, but we worked out a happy medium where if he didn't eat out of the dish,
he would at least swallow what we got in his mouth. And he gained weight. We moved him to the
20' flight cage to see if he could get off the ground but there he stayed. We gave him three different
exams trying to find broken bones in his wings that would keep him from flight but couldn't find
anything. We made arrangements to get an x-ray and in the meantime, moved him into the 50' flight
cage. Finally he flew, only a foot off the ground, but he went 30'. Ideally, we wanted him to be able to
get back into the nest but at a minimum, he needed to be able to get into a tree to be safe from
predators. After nine days in care, he had gained over three quarters of a pound and we decided it
was time. We didn't want to keep too long and risk his parents not accepting him back. A dozen
volunteers came to watch as we opened the kennel and set him free. He considered the situation
for a minute, then he took off for the trees and flew in an arc that brought him almost full circle until
he landed on the lake's edge below us and the nest. The campers near the nest said the parents
had been bringing food all morning and they promised to let us know if there was any problems.
There never was. By the way, I think the trick to getting Osprey to eat in captivity is to have
wonderful volunteers like Mike and Cynthia Woiciki who went fishing for fresh salmon whenever
the Osprey needed it.
A sad P.S. to this story involves a fourth Osprey, not so lucky. People up at Pinecrest lake had been
seeing an Osprey flying with a big tangle of fishing line hanging outside it's beak. Eventually he
ended up in the water where boaters were able to catch him and take him to the ranger station. He
had finally swallowed all the fishing line but his breathing was labored and he died before we could
do much to help him.
ROSE WOLF WILDLIFE
RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTER, INC.
RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTER, INC.
Copyright © 2006 - Rose Wolf Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Center, Inc.
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A Great Gray Owl, an endangered
species, was brought in from the
Groveland area. We stabilized him
and sent him on to UC Davis but he
did not survive
species, was brought in from the
Groveland area. We stabilized him
and sent him on to UC Davis but he
did not survive
Great Gray Owl
Common Loon
A Common Loon, usually a resident along the coast, was
brought in from Twain Harte. She was found to be thin and
with scraped hocks from landing on the roadway but
otherwise in good condition. She went from bathtub to
playpen to small pool repeatedly, trying to keep her
waterproofing in good shape. We fed her every large
minnow and most of the mediums we could find and she still
lost a little weight, but we transferred her to International
Bird Rescue and Rehabilitation in Cordelia where they
fattened her up. She was released into the Pacific a few days
later. She made the most enchanting call! A very cool bird!
A Common Loon, usually a resident along the coast, was
brought in from Twain Harte. She was found to be thin and
with scraped hocks from landing on the roadway but
otherwise in good condition. She went from bathtub to
playpen to small pool repeatedly, trying to keep her
waterproofing in good shape. We fed her every large
minnow and most of the mediums we could find and she still
lost a little weight, but we transferred her to International
Bird Rescue and Rehabilitation in Cordelia where they
fattened her up. She was released into the Pacific a few days
later. She made the most enchanting call! A very cool bird!
Loon After Capture
After Release
Can you find BOTH owls in this photo? Hint:
look in opposite corners.These are 2 baby
Great Horned Owls noticed while removing a
downed dead tree. All work stopped as soon
as the owls were noticed. We will keep an
eye on them to make sure they stay safe and
fed by their parents.
look in opposite corners.These are 2 baby
Great Horned Owls noticed while removing a
downed dead tree. All work stopped as soon
as the owls were noticed. We will keep an
eye on them to make sure they stay safe and
fed by their parents.
