Kansas lake records state’s second successful osprey nesting three years after the first

Prior to 2023, Kansas had never recorded a successful osprey nesting and fledging. As more of these predatory birds were seen in the state, it was just a matter of time before history was made. Perry Lake, located in northeast Kansas, did just that when it recorded the first successful osprey nesting in the state’s history.

Beginning in 2019, and over the next few years, state and federal officials at Perry Lake worked together to protect an active osprey nest from storms, rising water levels and other environmental threats. After years of trial and error, the ospreys were finally successful, and the summer of 2023 marked the state’s first-ever recorded osprey nesting and fledging.

“In 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its partners worked together to protect and relocate an active osprey nest from rising lake elevations,” said Kyle Ruona, conservation biologist with the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

According to Wesley Henson, natural resource specialist with the Kansas City District at Perry Lake, the team, which included staff from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, first attempted to protect and relocate an active osprey nest in 2019 and then again in 2022, but ultimately the osprey nesting was unsuccessful. Then, in 2023, the nest was once again relocated, and the team was able to observe the historic first nesting and fledging.

Three years later, the lake has recorded the state’s second successful osprey nesting. Despite the three-year gap, the team never stopped working to protect the osprey nest. Although they can’t be certain, the team hopes their efforts have helped the pair of ospreys succeed in their nesting and fledging endeavors at the lake.

“Since 2023, the osprey built a separate nest … but have been unsuccessful until now. We cleared the area of the standing trees near the nest platform and that may have helped make the current nesting area more desirable,” said Ruona. “The location seems to meet much of the ideal osprey nesting habitat criteria.”

In addition to their normal day-to-day responsibilities, the team continues to ensure the immediate area near the nest remains clear and continuously monitors the osprey pair for activity. However, a proper nesting area – one that is elevated and unobstructed – is not the only factor that contributes to successful osprey nesting and fledging. Ruona also credits the abundant fish supply at Perry Lake in making it an ideal location for osprey to call home.

“It’s fair to say the fishery at Perry Lake provides plenty of fish to support an osprey’s diet,” he said. “The size of the lake also helps disperse any competing osprey limiting competition for resources.”

Despite years of effort, and some disappointment, the team is happy to help protect the osprey pair in hopes they can continue to nest and reproduce at Perry Lake. The most recent nesting further proves the district’s lake projects are vital water resources and critical for its environmental stewardship mission in the nation’s heartland.

“It’s exciting to see a second successful nesting,” said Henson. “We take a lot of pride in the fact the only two documented successful osprey nests in Kansas were here at Perry Lake.”