Good evening Tweets,

I was going eastbound on I-90 through Mercer Slough today, when an osprey flew over the freeway carrying sticks. I glanced to my right (as safely as I could while driving) and was shocked to see the osprey building a nest right on top of a freeway sign, just 20 feet above the road. The nest and sign are on the interchange from Bellevue Way to I-90/I-405, right where it splits between the two interstates.

The pros of this nest placement are that drivers will get an amazing up close look at nature! The cons are that drivers will get an amazing up close look at nature... and be distracted. Osprey poop may corrode the metal, and the nest's weight may press into the structure! And of course it would be terribly tragic if a parent or fledgling osprey got struck by a car.

I don't know what can be done besides watching the nest and waiting to see what happens, but perhaps someone with WSDOT might help figure out the best solution in such a case? I know that back in 2015 when I posted on Tweeters about a heron rookery along the same stretch of I-90, a WSDOT employee actually reached out for more info! I'm hoping that maybe that same person sees this.

Either way, I know I'm glad to know that ospreys are still nesting in the Slough.

Good birding, Joshua Glant
Mercer Island, WA