General

Osprey chicks take to the skies

Two new osprey chicks born at OPPD’s Fort Calhoun Station are learning to fly.

The chicks have taken short aerial trips away from their home nest and soon will learn to catch fish and survive in nature. They still rely on their parents for food but appear to be progressing well.

“From everything I can see, it looks like they’re doing absolutely fantastic,” said James Thiele, OPPD’s Wildlife and Natural Resources program manager. “They’re pretty much right on schedule.”

Thiele said the chicks eventually will follow their parents on fishing trips along the Missouri River and other water spots where food is plentiful.

Osprey chicks traditionally fledge – develop wing feathers large enough for flight – and leave the nest around 7 to 8 weeks old. They continue to roost at and around the nest for another month, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. They often catch their first fish two to eight weeks after fledging.

Recent Missouri River flooding may have helped as well. When the floodwater receded, some fish in the river may have gotten stuck in low-lying, landlocked areas where they become easy prey for the ospreys. The ospreys have fed a lot on gar lately, along with bluegills and even goldfish.

“They’ve got everything they need right there,” Thiele said.

When the osprey migration season starts later this year, the young birds will be ready to venture out on their own. You can watch the ospreys on their YouTube channel.

Other OPPD raptors

The news wasn’t quite as good for the longtime peregrine falcons who make a home at OPPD’s North Omaha Station.

Clark, the resident peregrine falcon, lost a clutch of chicks last year and another clutch this spring. Three of her four eggs hatched in early May, but none of the chicks survived more than a day.

Then Clark laid a second clutch about three weeks after this year’s first clutch died, but none of the eggs were considered viable. Thiele speculated that the eggs were infertile, possibly due to Clark’s age.

Clark and her mate/brother, Lewis, have produced and raised at least nine surviving chicks since 2020: Storm, Flicker, Flash, Volta, Watt, Ohm, Ampere, Thunder and Lightning. Last year, Clark’s four eggs hatched, but those chicks all died shortly afterward. The cause of those deaths was not determined.

Thiele said a another, unofficial osprey nest at North Omaha Station appears to have fallen down after recent big storms in the area.

Falcons also made a home this year in a box at OPPD’s Nebraska City Station, but none of the eggs laid there survived either. Observers believe at least one of the falcons that nested at the plant is one of Clark’s offspring.

Thiele said he plans to work in the coming months to create a nice, habitable environment for raptors at that location. The falcons provide a valuable service at OPPD plants by hunting pigeons in the area to keep their population in check. The pigeons have created a safety hazard in the past, leaving large amounts of poop in certain areas and creating a slipping hazard for OPPD workers.