Tweeters,

It is evident that, on rare occasions, the occasional Osprey will show
up in western Washington or southwestern BC as early as the last week
of February. The bird seen at Tradition Lake by Rachel Lawson on
Sunday and by Hugh Jennings et al. on Monday is clear evidence of
that. However, my best information is still that Osprey sightings any
time prior to mid-March are very rare and unusual.

In the Vancouver, BC area, I have Osprey spring arrival dates for 22
years. The average (mean) arrival date is March 30, although most of
the arrival dates were in early April. There are four exceptionally
early arrival dates: Feb. 21, 1971; Feb. 27, 1980; March 5, 1992; and
March 6, 1988. Other than these 4 years, the earliest arrival date I
have for Vancouver (where several pairs nest) is March 23.

In "Birding in Seattle and King County" by Eugene Hunn (1982), the
bar-graph for Osprey shows records into late December, but no January
or February records, and no spring records earlier than mid-March. The
text comments that Ospreys arrive "each March" at the Carnatian Marsh.

It may be that quite a few early arrival dates for Ospreys-- prior to
mid-March-- have been recorded for King County or elsewhere in western
Washington since 1982. (Gene or anyone else-- do you have details of
any such records?) However, all the information that I have suggests
that Osprey records in February are very unusual in Washington or B.C.
That is why I questioned the 7 Ospreys reported in Washington on the
Great Backyard Bird Count.

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops, BC
contopus at home.com