Photo of the New Osprey Nest

I was finally able to get a picture of the new osprey nest! Click on the picture to see a larger version that you can zoom in on.

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Nest is Under (Re) Construction

As I was driving home last night, I noticed that the Osprey nest on top of the cell tower at Highway 400 and Kirby is being rebuilt. I was driving so I couldn't get a picture, but it's great to see the resilience these birds have and know that they'll be around for at least another year.

Osprey is Still There

Nest is gone, but the osprey was circling high above the tower last night on my way home. If you click on the photo, you will go to the full version of the photo and be able to see the distinctive wings that helped me identify this as an osprey.

Trouble for the Osprey?

The osprey nest on top of the cell tower at Kirby Rd and the 400 disappeared over the weekend. I'm not sure whether the high winds we had over the weekend might have knocked the nest off, or if utility crews might have done some cleaning/maintenance on the tower. When I drove by on Tuesday morning, there was still an osprey sitting on top of the tower. I'll keep my eyes on it and see if they rebuild with updates to appear here.

Geese in Odd Places

Have you seen a goose where it doesn't belong? Mrs. Martino-Porretta saw a goose nesting in a flower pot at the Vaughan Public Library on the weekend, and I saw a goose on top of our school early this morning.

Look Way Up...

On my commute to Teston Village PS in the mornings, I often look for signs of interesting wildlife. I often see deer and wild turkeys, but last year I noticed that there was an osprey nest not too far from Teston Village PS. The green bird icon on the map below shows the location of an osprey nest at the top of a cell tower. I've seen osprey in the nest and flying around the area several times over the past couple of weeks. It's interesting to see such a large bird of prey in this area, because usually they make their next close to large bodies of water where they dive into the water to catch fish.

The red bird icon shows the location of the cell tower across from Peace Village where I suspect there may be a second nest. I'll need to bring binoculars to confirm it, but there's definitely something at the top of that cell tower.

There's construction on Kirby Rd right now (and the road is closed except for local traffic) and that prevents you from getting too close to the cell tower to get a better look at the nest or the birds, but driving up Jane St. and coming back down the 400 can give you a look at the next and if you're lucky you'll see the osprey on the nest or flying around.

For more information about osprey, or to listen to their calls, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's page on osprey by clicking here. You can also visit the DK FindOut page about osprey by clicking here.

Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons. [Source: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds]