Osprey Release

Aug 12, 2008

An Osprey Restoration Project is underway on Lake Yankton, just below Gavins Point Dam. Young ospreys from Idaho have been brought here for release. The hope is that they'll call Yankton home for many years to come.

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Jane Fink-Cantwell, the chief biologist, asks everyone to keep a watch for the osprey.
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Headquarters for the osprey is this 15-foot high tree house, erected on the south shore of Lake Yankton with the help of the local GF&P, Corps of Engineers and the Idaho-based Birds of Prey Northwest.
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The lake shore looks like a big outdoor day care center, as volunteers rush about to rescue the birds when they land on roads or in the open water.
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This young osprey sat on a steel girder near a road. His guardians worried that he might fly into the path of a passing vehicle, so they "swooshed" him back toward the lake.
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Another young osprey landed on a cottonwood branch, and then hung upside down like a bat. It's not easy being an osprey without mom and dad around to show you how to act.
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Heading the project is well-known raptor biologist Jane Fink-Cantwell. She is the founder of Birds of Prey Northwest. Several of her friends and fellow biologists from Idaho join with South Dakotans at the riverside project.
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Before the birds are released to the wild, they go through an extensive physical exam, including a blood test (above) And what's an exam without a weigh-in. Most tip the scales at two to three pounds.
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The birds are hooded while being handled. The leather hood calms them. If you find an osprey in trouble, perhaps on the roadway, just drape your shirt or jacket over it and you'll be able to move it if necessary.
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If anyone suspects they've found a troubled bird, call her at 208-582-0797. The birds will likely depart from Lake Yankton in early September and winter in Central America. Hopefully they'll return in the spring.