(Published Monday, January 29, 2007 11:52:04 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Catherine W. Idzerda Gazette staff
Available immediately: Home in the country with stunning views of Lake Koshkonong and surrounding prairies.
Offers plenty of opportunities for fishing and hunting.
House only partially built, finish to your own specifications.
Starter materials included.
Sounds like a dream home, but it's for the birds.
Literally.
On Sunday morning, a crew of volunteers from Alliant Energy installed a 68-foot osprey pole on Tallgrass Restorations' land near Newville.
A crew from Alliant Energy raises the 68-foot pole and osprey nest on Tallgrass Restoration land near Lake Koshkonong on Sunday. The environmental group is hopeful a pair of the raptors will make the nest their home.
Dan Lassiter/Gazette Staff
Tallgrass, a company specializing in prairie and other ecological restorations, owns the 220 acres of land that used to be the Kidder game farm. The company transformed the farm fields back to their natural states, with prairies, wetlands and small woodland areas.
The land is now home to plenty of native species, and Tallgrass hopes that a pair of ospreys will make their home there, too.
Ospreys are large raptors with white underbodies and heads. Their wings are dark brown and brown masks cover their eye areas.
"Ospreys are a threatened species because of use of DDT; it caused their eggshells to deteriorate," explained Stacy Rowe, office assistant at Tallgrass Restorations.
The fish-eating birds are slowly making a comeback but need encouragement.
It turns out that the birds are fussy about where they live.
Dennis Halla of Alliant Energy uses a plumb line to make sure the newly installed osprey pole is straight.
Dan Lassiter/Gazette Staff
Tallgrass staffers consulted with local raptor experts, including Dianne Moller of Woo's Woods raptor rehabilitation center.
Here's what they learned: Ospreys want a platform that towers above all other structures, both natural and man-made. Next, it has to be close to water. Finally, it's a good idea to give the nest some starter sticks, so the birds think it's already been used as a nest.
On Sunday morning, however, there wasn't a bird of any kind in sight. Temperatures dipped into single digits, and the wind blew across the prairie in gusts.
A crew of seven volunteers from Alliant Energy were bundled in insulated coveralls and thick hooded jackets.
The first task of the day was to lift the pole off the ground a few feet so Jordan Rowe and Chris Kaplan of Tallgrass, along with the help from Alliant workers, could bolt the aluminum platform to the pole.
The 3-foot square platform, donated by the Lake Koshkonong Wetland Association, was covered with twigs held in place with twine.
Alliant workers used a massive auger to drill through the frozen ground and wet clay until they had an 8-foot hole.
Jordan Rowe of Tallgrass Restoration, right, and Alliant Energy workers Mike Gonzales, left, and Tom Lewis, middle, bolt the osprey nest to the top of the pole before it is raised Sunday. Another nest and pole was raised last week at a different site near Lake Koshkonong. Osprey are endangered, and Tallgrass Restorations hopes to spark nesting in the area by placing the two poles near habitat ospreys favor.
Dan Lassiter/Gazette Staff
The pole was raised using a metal grabber attached to boom that usually holds the cherry picker. Adjustments were made.
Gravel was poured around the base, and then workers gratefully piled into their warm trucks and headed out.
The whole operation took about 45 minutes.
Jim Nicholson, Alliant construction manager, said the crew put in an osprey pole at a different location last weekend, on the other side of Lake Koshkonong.
Along with helping out with osprey poles, the crew has also volunteered its time to help clean up the Sugar River in Albany and put up athletic field lights.
It's unknown when a pair of osprey's will move in, but Tallgrass staffers plan to keep their eyes on the dream home soaring 60 feet above the ground.
To learn more
The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland has an osprey cam where visitors can see live video of an osprey nest.
Since the ospreys have gone south for the winter, the nest is now empty. However, the site also includes photos of the birds and chicks in the nest from last season's osprey cam.
During the off season, eagles sometimes land on the nest and lucky viewers might catch a glimpse of the majestic birds.
