Nesting osprey pair captures attention of Longboat drivers

Drivers passing by the intersection of Gulf of Mexico Road and Longboat Club Road may have spotted a peculiar sight in recent weeks, or perhaps heard the occasional high-pitched chirping. Those who peered a bit closer at the right time may have discovered that a pair of nesting ospreys have made the busiest highway on Longboat Key its newest home.

Amber Paffenroth, avian curator at Save Our Seabirds, said this meeting of wildlife and urban living comes down to the raptor’s preferred habitat.

“Typically, ospreys live in really tall, dead trees,” she said. “A lot of the time, people cut those down because of the risk of them falling on things, especially with hurricanes. But then they don’t have places to nest, so those tall fixtures kind of mimic those tall, dead trees where they nest.”

Photo by Dana Kampa

The Key does have several human-made nesting platforms, which builders hoped would deter the birds from nesting on cranes and other necessary infrastructure. Paffenroth said the birds do appear to be using the one located across the street from the center. But that doesn’t mean they won’t make use of other structures.

As with any wild animal, Paffenroth advised that community members observe the ospreys from a safe distance and make sure not to feed wildlife.

“Ospreys’ primary diet is fish, so you’ll frequently get to see them by water. They won’t typically be coming down toward people,” she said. “But we do see so many on the Key.”

Osprey were delisted from Florida’s endangered species list in 2018, but their management is included in the state’s Imperiled Species Management Plan.

Photo by Dana Kampa

Community members may want to keep a close eye on the nest, as the nesting period ends in late February in Florida.

The International Osprey Foundation, based out of Sanibel, said it is especially important to monitor the health of osprey populations considering they are a “sentinel species,” one that signals changes in local environmental conditions. The organization offers training on how to volunteer with its efforts to monitor osprey nests in the area.