Audubon members dedicate prime real estate for ospreys

Published 11:33 pm Thursday, July 16, 2009

EVERETT — Nesting pilings installed last winter for the Snohomish River osprey colony now bear the stamp of a dedication ceremony.

Members of the Pilchuck Audubon Society cut a ribbon at Everett’s Legion Park on Thursday to dedicate the five steel pilings in the river and a new educational sign at the park.

The pilings were installed in January at several points around the mouth of the river to replace some of the wooden pilings where raptors now build their nests. Many of those wooden pilings are rotting and falling down, Audubon members say. The birds historically nested in trees, but began nesting on pilings in the river after their shoreline habitat was logged.

The estuary is home to the largest saltwater colony of nesting osprey on the West Coast, according to Mike Blackbird, president of the Pilchuck Audubon Society.

Eighteen pairs nest in the river in the spring and summer. The birds spend the fall and winter in Mexico.

The Pilchuck Audubon Society received permission from the Tulalip Tribes, Cedar Grove Composting and Kimberly-Clark to install the steel pilings on their property on tideflats in the mouth of the river. The sign at the park was designed by graphic artist Owen Caddy of Edmonds. The sign is about 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide and was installed on a concrete pad for free by the city of Everett parks department.

The sign overlooks an osprey nest that can easily be seen from the park, atop a piling fixed with lights that are no longer in use. The sign shows the locations of the three new pilings within view of the park and explains the history of the osprey colony, including photos.

The ospreys aren’t using the new pilings yet, said Bill Lider of Pilchuck Audubon. That’s common, though, he said, as the birds tend to stay with their old nests until they feel a need to move.

Lider said the group will add some sticks to the top of the new pilings this winter to help entice the birds to the poles.

“When you put up a birdhouse, you don’t always get the bird you planned for the first year or second year, but the opportunities are there,” he said.

Ospreys by the numbers

5: New pilings installed in the river for bird nests

18: Nesting osprey pairs in the Snohomish River estuary

$2,000: Cost of educational sign at Legion Park

$8,000: Amount put toward steel pilings by Pilchuck Audubon Society and the Snohomish County Marine Resources Council

$10,000: Amount donated by Boeing