The Journey of a Rescued Osprey Egg

At Tamarack Wildlife Center, we never know what each day will bring for our team. In June, we received a unique call involving an Osprey nest in a challenging location and possible eggs that required assistance.

A Nest in the Wrong Place

The Pennsylvania Game Commission contacted us regarding a nest constructed in a hazardous location. An Osprey pair had constructed their home atop a railroad signal tower — a critical piece of infrastructure that helps keep train operations safe. The nest’s placement posed a serious risk as it was interfering with train signals for “stop” and “go.” A solution was needed, and quickly.

Permission to Protect

In the United States, native bird nests are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918. This federal law prohibits harming, harassing, or destroying the nests of most native bird species, particularly those with eggs or young birds. Because the nest was active and potentially contained eggs, the situation required careful coordination with several agencies. A Pennsylvania Game Commission Warden oversaw the process. Due to the dangers the nest posed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) granted special permission to remove any eggs and have them incubated by a licensed rehabilitator. Tamarack would oversee that process. It was unknown if the nest was empty, contained eggs, or had nestlings until a crew could go up and take a closer look.

A Delicate Rescue

Jess Schombert, Tamarack’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Manager, was designated as the TWC team member to be present the day the nest was to be removed. Jess has experience incubating eggs and raising hatchlings from her prior work in the zoo field. She prepared materials to gently carry any eggs found. With the help of a bucket truck, Jess was able to reach the high nest and carefully retrieve two Osprey eggs. Upon examination, it was determined that one of the eggs was not viable, a natural occurrence. But the second egg held promise.

A Hatchling Emerges

After roughly 40 days of incubation, a small crack formed in the shell. This process, called “pipping,” is when a chick begins to break through its shell using a small egg tooth at the tip of its beak. It’s a slow and exhausting effort, but one that marks the beginning of life outside the egg.

Soon, the Osprey nestling emerged — tiny, down-covered, and completely dependent on TWC for care. Interestingly, though, this species hatches with its unique dark head stripe already visible.

Changing Course

Initially, our team planned to ensure the nestling bird was healthy and stable before joining it with a foster family in the wild. Upon observing local nests, we concluded that our Osprey had hatched late, as there were no nests in the area with nestlings the same age. A new plan was developed where the Osprey would be carefully raised at Tamarack until ready for release.

Raising an Osprey the Right Way

Raising a bird like this is a delicate task that must be done by professionals to give the bird its best chance at life in the wild. Osprey, like many wild species, are highly impressionable. If they associate humans with food, they can become imprinted — a condition that makes successful release and survival in the wild nearly impossible.

To prevent this, our staff fed the young Osprey using an image of an adult Osprey, so that it appears an adult bird is giving the food. No one spoke during feedings. Every effort was made to ensure the bird never makes a connection between food and people.

At several weeks old, the Osprey was placed where he could view and enjoy the company of a juvenile Osprey in care. Young Osprey also need a good dose of sunlight to create vitamin D in order to grow up healthy, so he is given daily sunning time.

Growing Fast

This Osprey, now nicknamed “Egg,” is growing very quickly — as they’re built to do. Like all birds of prey, nestlings gain weight at an astonishing rate, adding up to 25% of their body weight each day. To fuel this growth, the Osprey consumes about 40% of its body weight daily in fish, which we carefully prepare and serve.

A Promising Future

Though “Egg” still has many milestones ahead, this young bird is growing and developing well.  In the coming months, as “Egg” gets closer to fledging, he will not be ready to migrate this fall like his species typically would. We are exploring options for his continued care, including possibly a transfer to a center in Florida where the winter months would be much more comfortable. We are committed to doing what is best for this special patient and look forward to sharing updates on Egg’s story as it unfolds.