Osprey Make Comeback In Michigan, Tracked With GPS Devices

In the 1950s and 60s, the majestic osprey bird was nearly nonexistent in southeast Michigan. Mostly due to chemical pesticides and DDT, these birds of prey were almost killed off entirely. However, in 1998, Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources, along with the Osprey Watch of Southeast Michigan, started a program to reintroduce and protect these birds in the area.

“We brought young birds from other parts of the state here, and fed them and raised them, and released them out in the parks,” Holly Vaughn said, a DNR wildlife outreach technician. Now that the population is thriving a little bit, some of the birds are being monitored with GPS tracking bands. “We put those on just to see where exactly our males are going, to track their movements. The band data is a little harder to get a hold of because the band can usually only be read from a distance with a high-powered scope, and they’re really hard to read.” 

The tracking devices are funded by DTE Energy and American Tower, because osprey have a habit of building nests on top of cell phone towers, which cause power outages and sometimes fires. The latest osprey to receive a GPS tracker is a baby bird, named Jason Jr.. “It went great; it was perfect weather for banding. The bird wasn’t under any stress, DTE was there with their bucket truck, which made it convenient. They brought the chick down, and we banded it within a few minutes,” explained Julie Oakes, a DNR wildlife biologist.

“What made this one special was that it was in a nest that DTE had moved. … The ospreys originally built a nest on top of a utility pole on private property. IT was confirmed that this could cause power outages or fire. When the bucket truck moved the nest from its original location, there was charring underneath,” Randi Berris explained, spokesperson for DTE. Jason Jr.’s parents watched the entire banding ordeal while circling above the team. When the baby bird was returned to his nest, the parent birds greeted him with a fish.

Osprey Make Comeback In Michigan, Tracked With GPS Devices