Goose Doesn’t Abandon Nest in Time for Osprey

(Information in the following story is from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com)

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A pair of Canada geese that claimed squatter's rights to an osprey nest just outside a Missoula baseball stadium didn't clear out in time for the osprey to assume their traditional nesting spot.

University of Montana biologist Erick Greene told the Missoulian (http://bit.ly/133cgkx ) on Tuesday that the geese left the nest in mid-May, not soon enough for the osprey.

Greene says NorthWestern Energy allowed an osprey pair to build a home on an electrical pole about 500 yards south of the nesting site. The female osprey laid her eggs in late April and the chicks should hatch by mid-June.

Osprey had nested on a platform just outside the home of the rookie league Missoula Osprey for the past seven years. Next year, city parks officials plan to protect the nesting site until the osprey return.