General

Osprey and falcon chicks thriving

It’s been another successful year for three of the raptor pairs that nest on OPPD properties in the spring and summer. 

At Fort Calhoun Station, one chick hatched in mid-June and appears to be doing well.  

“That chick is getting plenty to eat and is thriving,” said James Thiele, OPPD’s Wildlife and Natural Resources Program manager.  

You can watch the chick grow and eventually fledge on the ospreys’ livestream on YouTube. 

The osprey parents had to fend off an interloper in the spring. The pair had one egg in the nest in mid-April, but that egg was destroyed during a fight between one of the resident ospreys and the intruder osprey. To observers’ relief, the the resident pair eventually chased the third bird away, and the female osprey laid two more eggs, leading to this year’s surviving chick.

The second egg in the nest broke open at the end of June and blew away in pieces. The ospreys raised three chicks last year and two in 2024; one egg didn’t hatch that year. 

Osprey and falcon chicks

The osprey pair at North Omaha Station appears to have at least a couple chicks this year. That nest doesn’t have a webcam and it can be difficult to get a full view, but OPPD employees are keeping an eye on the nest to track developments. 

Ospreys first built a nest at North Omaha in 2024; last year they successfully raised a couple chicks.

Meanwhile, Yin and Yang, the peregrine falcon chicks at North Omaha, fledged in mid-June. They’re spending much of their time away from the nest now, but they occasionally stop by for a visit or to rest. Their parents also show up from time to time; you can try to catch them coming and going on their livestream. 

This year’s chicks bring Lewis and Clark’s offspring count to an even dozen.

‘Still hopeful’

This spring, observers were excited to learn that Storm, a female falcon hatched at North Omaha Station in 2020, had been spotted at Nebraska City Station.    

On a recent visit to the station, Thiele found one egg in the nest that’s not likely to hatch. 

“There was no sign of other chicks hatching,” he said. “But I’m still hopeful we’ll have some success down there next year.”