Species Spotlight

Ospreys & Baling Twine

Osprey are common along our rivers and lakes—anywhere there is water and fish. Unlike most other birds, they make little attempt to hide their nests, making it easy to follow a nest from egg laying right through the young leaving the nest to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, the manner in which ospreys build their nests clashes with our propensity to litter. In the wild, ospreys often line their nests with lichens, mosses and grasses. However, they will readily use substitute materials, which, sadly, often means baling twine and fishing line. The problem is it can kill them. All too often, they become entangled in the line, suffering gruesome deaths by strangulation or starvation. Researchers at the University of Montana estimate that as much as 10 to 30 percent of osprey chicks and adults in some areas are killed by this baling twine, fish nets, or fishing line. Every year, we’re called to rescue an entangled osprey, but we often arrive too late, or don’t have the resources to pull off a rescue. Many utility companies, such as the Benton REA, have been wonderful partners in helping us rescue ospreys, but we really need your help. When you’re outside, pick up any twine, rope, fishing line, etc.—you may just be saving one of these magnificent birds from a cruel death.

About the Complex

Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex

The Mid-Columbia River Refuges are eight refuges within the Columbia Basin.

McNary is managed as part of the Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

About the NWRS

National Wildlife Refuge System

The National Wildlife Refuge System, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, manages a national network of lands and waters set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife, and plants.

Of Special Interest

• International Migratory Bird Day

  May 13, 2017

  In 2017, International Migratory Bird Day will focus on the importance of stopover sites. When birds migrate between nesting and wintering sites, they don’t just stop anywhere; they rely on a handful of resource-rich and strategically located stopover sites where they may double their body weight as they acquire the energy-rich fat stores needed to fly thousands of kilometers across continents and oceans. Protecting these stopover sites and their habitats isn’t about us being benevolent to birds; their importance to us cannot be overstated. Some bird species provide practical solutions to problems, such as the need for insect and rodent control. Others disperse seeds, helping to revegetate disturbed areas. Others help with pollination, ensuring that we are graced with flowering plants, trees and shrubs. And beyond the utilitarian, birds are inspirations for the arts. For example, Amadeus Mozart had a pet starling that motivated the opening theme of the Third Movement of his Piano Concerto No. 17 in G. Join us at Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge on May 13, 8:00 to 1:00, to celebrate the life of birds. See flyer below for more information.

  International Migratory Bird Day 2017

• Watching Wildlife

  

  Want to see more animals on your trip to McNary National Wildlife Refuge? Here are some tips from the "experts."

  Watching Wildlife