Smith: Osprey comeback gets assist from nesting platforms, clear waters and thriving fish populations

Osprey recovery in Wisconsin is tied to nesting platforms, clearer waters and healthy fish populations, as described in a field report from Big Muskego Lake. On July 6, observers near Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport airspace saw American white pelicans and, close to the lake’s western flank, ospreys performing around a wooden nesting platform. A group traveled by three jon boats to the Big Muskego Lake State Wildlife Area with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the City of Muskego having erected platforms decades earlier. Raptors researcher Bill Stout aimed to band two young ospreys and fit one with a solar-powered GPS transmitter, with club members and Zagar donating $2,000 each to support the transmitters. The report notes ospreys’ near-total dependence on fish and highlights the habitat changes that enable repeated use of the platforms.