The Lewis River Hydroelectric Projects - PacifiCorp

Speelyai Park—Interpretive sign #2 (Natural History)
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Speelyai Park
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The Eagle and the Osprey
If you spend a while watching Speelyai Bay, you stand a good chance of
spotting an osprey. These large, white-breasted birds perch at the tops of
trees around the bay, or dive to snatch fish from the water. And if you
spot a big bird of prey that’s darker than an osprey, with a flatter-winged
style of flight, take a closer look—it might be a bald eagle.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, it was rare to see an osprey or an eagle along
the Lewis River. Decades of pesticide poisoning and habitat loss had
reduced the populations of these magnificent fish-eating raptors to
almost nothing throughout the continental US. By 1986, when PacifiCorp
flew the first aerial surveys for eagles and ospreys along the Lewis, there
were only seven osprey nests found between Woodland and upper Swift
Reservoir—and there were no eagle nests at all.
Today, however, the great birds are back. In a given summer, as many as
30 osprey nests may be active along the river, and there may be as many
as 11 active eagle territories.
What has changed America’s increasing awareness of the dangers of
certain pesticides led to much stricter regulations, and fewer of the most
noxious chemicals entering the birds’ food. This led to the birds’ recovery
around the country. Here at the Lewis River, increased fish populations,
partly due to enhancement programs, have provided better forage for the
big birds. And PacifiCorp wildlife managers have worked to provide
enhanced roosting, nesting, and perching sites.
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A bald eagle nest may be as big across as a king-size bed, and weigh as
much as a car.
Ospreys and eagles in flight can be distinguished by their silhouettes.
Ospreys fly with their wings bent in a slight crook, while eagles usually
soar on flatter wings.
Sidebar:
How do you attract an osprey Build it some furniture! One of
PacifiCorp’s most visible and successful habitat enhancement programs is
the creation of snags and the protection of roosting trees for bird habitat.
Ospreys prefer to build their large nests on high places overlooking the
water. They like dead-topped trees with commanding views. To provide
ospreys with more suitable nest sites, foresters on PacifiCorp lands
selectively top some tall trees, creating standing dead trees called
Appendix 1: panel profiles Lewis River Draft I&E Plan page 19