Welcome to Friends of the Osprey
We are a volunteer organization for the Kawartha Lakes Region that focuses on the Osprey, which is an indicator species for the health of the Kawartha Lakes environment.
What do we do? The work we do involves osprey nest building, workshops and visits to elementary schools to teach young people about the importance of the Osprey.
AGM Declaired a Success
This year's AGM was held at Sir Sandford Fleming College at the Auk Lodge on Saturday May 7th..
It was a different format from usual,a nd we would like to thank all of you who came out on one of the first sunny Saturdays we have had to attend. We would also like to thank our Guest Speaker, Lorraine Norris, from the Ministry of Natural Resources gave a talk about the rules of rescuing wildlife, and the steps if you want to become a Authorized wildlife custodian. Also what to do if you find a sick or injured wild animal.
Thank you to all who came to our AGM as well as all of our members, and volunteers who helped make it a success.
NEWS! Fall 2011 Newsletter now available
To download the newsletter, please click here.
We now take Paypal!
If you want to pay for your membership, you can visit our membership page, and click on the button there to add your membership fee to your account.
Osprey in Distress
Please visit our contact page for more information.
Kawartha Lakes and Osprey
A hundred years ago, long before cottagers started developing the lakefront areas of the Kawartha Lakes Region, the Osprey had lots of places to nest in tall or dead trees. With the development around our lakes, trees were cut down to make room for housing, and old dead trees were removed and destroyed. The osprey has had to adapt and now nests at times in hazardous locations; such as power poles, TV towers or antennas.
What can we do to help?
If any cottager sees an Osprey nest in a dangerous situation it is best to report this right away to Hydro One (Ontario Hydro).
- The Friends of the Osprey do not want any Osprey to be killed or injured.
- We do not wish any community to lose their electric power
- We don't wish to see a fire started by Osprey activity.
Osprey have in the past chosen some TV towers as nest sites. This isn't as much of an issue as there are less people with antennas. However, if you still have a structure like this, the bird sees a high, flat structure and does not know that the tower is not safe to nest upon.
- The weight of the nest will collapse the antenna or tower.
- Your TV reception will become much poorer.
- The birds will make a mess of the surrounding area-whitewash!
What you can do?
- Install an inverted "V" structure above the antenna itself. This makes it very hard for the osprey to place the nesting sticks on the antenna.
- Attach fishing poles to the mast and antenna so the poles stick above the antenna by about one meter. This discourages the osprey from landing
- Remove the TV tower and purchase a satellite receiver system. It is illegal to destroy an osprey nest during nesting season.
- Become a member by downloading the form in pdf format. Print, fill it out, and mail it to Friends of the Osprey at:
P.O. Box 25
Lindsay, Ontario K9V 4R8
Read our Summer 2010 Newsletter online
We have our newest newsletter ready now. Read it (in pdf format) on our news page.