2nd year of Illinois osprey project wraps up

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois biologists are finishing the second phase of an eight-year project to strengthen the osprey population in the state.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources hopes to re-establish the fish-eating hawks as a nesting species by releasing them at Anderson Lake in Fulton County and Lake Shelbyville in Moultrie County. "The young birds are loyal to the place where they grow up and often return to nest," biologist Patrick McDonald said. "Similar programs carried out in other states have been successful in boosting the number of nesting birds, and we hope to have the same result here in Illinois."

The osprey were taken from a Virginia military base where they posed a threat to flying aircraft and brought to the Illinois Raptor Center in Decatur. The birds received checkups and were cared for by students and field technicians from the University of Illinois Springfield. Before they were released this summer, they were equipped with satellite transmitters that track their movement.

The osprey is listed as a state-endangered species in Illinois, which means it is at risk of disappearing as a breeding species.