Environment

They’re back, but now osprey nests are endangered

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By EVAN KREAGER
Capital News Service
LANSING — The osprey, a species of special concern that has rebounded in Michigan over the past half-century, now faces a new threat. A demand for easy communication and power distribution increased the need for cellular and utility towers. Ospreys nest on tall objects and will nest in these towers anytime they can, said Sergej Postupalsky, a Wisconsin-based ornithologist who has specialized in osprey research for 50 years. But the nests obstruct access to towers and lines. The nests also weigh down towers and lines, and in some instances even cause fires So utility workers often move them so that they can work.

Environment

Osprey rebound in Southeast Michigan as researchers track migration

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By EVAN KREAGER
Capital News Service
LANSING — There are at least 50 breeding osprey pairs in southern Michigan, up from a single nest some two decades ago. That’s seven years ahead of a goal to have 30 pairs in the area. Nests are spread across counties in the southern part of the state. And the birds are on the move. One of them named Monroe Spark recently reached Cuba.