Updated September 14th, 2022
Osprey cleared for landing at Eastwood MetroPark
Heads up! This article was last updated 2 years ago.
@fiveriversmetroparks Much, like the bald eagle, osprey have seen a population decline and local student Alex Weed wanted to help as part of his Eagle Scout project. He brainstormed with our conservation team to create an osprey landing that the amazing folks at Carey Electric put up on a 35-foot pole they donated. With their expertise and Alex’s passion for conservation, Eastwood MetroPark now has an osprey landing. Go team! #conservation #osprey #birding #nature #ohio #dayton
It takes a village of those committed to conservation to help MetroParks protect the region’s natural heritage and Alex Weed is part of that village.
Weed, a junior at Carroll High School, is no stranger to the outdoors. He’s always spent a lot of time in the natural world with his family in your MetroParks and as a scout. When it came time to work on a project to achieve his Eagle Scout rank, he came to MetroParks with a desire to do something good for birds at Eastwood MetroPark.
Just before the pandemic, Weed met with MetroParks’ parks and conservation team to see if and how an osprey nest platform could be created to help these raptors find a safe place to nest. The ball was rolling – then the project was put into a holding pattern because of the pandemic.
Weed had to option to switch up projects and focus on something different, but he persisted and last Thursday, Aug. 11, Weed and his parents Jerry and Theresa, finally got to see his project come to life.
New heights
Local company, Carey Electric, donated their time, expertise and materials to see this project through. They joined MetroParks’ parks and conservation team to find an appropriate area near the lake at Eastwood MetroPark. The pole they donated to support the landing is over 35 feet tall and requires a hole that is six feet in depth.
Workers from Carey Electric dug a hole with a huge auger and then fastened the landing that Weed constructed with brackets, as the landing needed to support up to 400 pounds of nesting materials to support an osprey nest. Weed and his father tied branches to the landing to give the osprey a start in hopes of attracting the raptors.
After the landing was prepped and ready, Carey Electric used their trucks to erect the pole and move the perch. After filing the hole, the landing was ready to go – in fact the group saw an osprey fly by just before the project was completed.
What are osprey?
Osprey are large raptors that feed on other vertebrates. Much like the bald eagle, osprey had seen a decline in their populations but are now making a comeback across the United States, breeding in portions of Ohio and other states.
Because osprey mainly eat fish, their nests need to be close to a source of water, which is why the landing was placed near Eastwood Lake. It’s not uncommon for osprey to build their nests on manmade structures, such as telephone poles, which is why electric companies and other contractors can play a big role in reestablishing osprey populations.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the nests that are created are typically big enough or a human to sit in. Osprey will lay up to four eggs each spring, of which have an incubation period up to 42 days.
Learn more about osprey here.
