Here in Olympia, there's a new osprey nest atop one of the light standards of a baseball field at Yauger
Park. I haven't paid too much attention to it but I've seen adults there in the past several months.
The Parks Department is concerned about the risk of fire from the sticks touching the hot reflectors
that surround the lights. So, I need to find out what's going on with the birds.

One woman who lives in apartments right next to the park says that the pair of osprey have already reared
their single youngster and she's seen it flying around. It's the same size as the adults but a little
different color. So, other than a really early fledge date, she sounds kind of credible. A different woman
I ran into at the park today says she walks her dog there every day and hasn't seen any osprey for two
weeks. While I was there today, there was no sign of the birds.

I just called the woman who reported seeing the fledged youngster and I talked to her son. He says he's seen
the birds in the last several days and that the young bird was out of the nest, flying about, two weeks
ago.

All of my past experience suggests that osprey in western Washington fledge in late July or August. Fledging
in June is not part of my experience. Fledging around June 15 is really hard for me to believe.

This has been an odd year from the standpoint of biological chronologies. I know of a couple of butterfly
species (Taylor's Checkerspots and Mardon Skippers)that were flying three weeks and two weeks earlier than
the earliest recorded first flight dates. I haven't seen much to indicate that birds have been so
dramatically shifted this year. Does anyone have anything to offer with regard to osprey fledging dates
or evidence that things might be different this year?

Kelly McAllister
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Olympia, Washington
Reply to: mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov