Osprey at Moraine survives owl attack
Those watching the “osprey cam” livestream from Moraine State Park on Tuesday night, May 14, were in for a surprise, as they witnessed a female osprey get body-slammed by a great horned owl.
According to Michelle Huff of the Moraine Preservation Fund, the osprey was not hurt in the attack, and the three eggs in the nest were undamaged.
The attack took place shortly after 10:15 p.m., when a great horned owl flew in at high speed and knocked the female osprey out of her nest. Huff said the owl spent the next six minutes burrowing around inside the osprey nest, but did no damage to the three eggs.
“The hatchlings should not suffer any ill effects,” Huff said.
The osprey cam has been active since mid-March, and focuses on a spot at Moraine State Park where a pair of ospreys typically sets up a nest for the spring and summer months.
Huff said the male osprey was not hurt in the attack, as he was perching above the nest at the time.
According to the Facebook page for PixCams, the company which maintains the livestream, the female returned to the nest by Wednesday morning.
This marks the second year in a row the osprey nest suffered an attack from a predator in front of a worldwide audience. Last June, a great horned owl infiltrated the nest and devoured all three of the chicks that had been recently hatched.
A video of the incident is available on the PixCams Facebook page. The “osprey cam” livestream is available on the PixCams website and is expected to last until the ospreys migrate south toward the end of the summer.
