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‘Osprey Acres’ is the place to be for Tennessee River raptors

Staff Photo by John Rawlston An osprey flies near a newly-constructed nest platform Tuesday, July 14, 2015, next the the new Highway 41 bridge over the Tennessee River at Haletown, Tenn. An osprey pair had been trying to build a nest in a crane being used in the demolition of the old bridge, so workers built two platforms nearby, one of which was put into immediate use by the nesting pair.
Staff Photo by John Rawlston An osprey flies near a newly-constructed nest platform Tuesday, July 14, 2015, next the the new Highway 41 bridge over the Tennessee River at Haletown, Tenn. An osprey pair had been trying to build a nest in a crane being used in the demolition of the old bridge, so workers built two platforms nearby, one of which was put into immediate use by the nesting pair. Staff Photo by John Rawlston An osprey flies near a newly-constructed nest platform Tuesday, July 14, 2015, next the the new Highway 41 bridge over the Tennessee River at Haletown, Tenn. An osprey pair had been trying to build a nest in a crane being used in the demolition of the old bridge, so workers built two platforms nearby, one of which was put into immediate use by the nesting pair.

By Ben Benton 4 min read

Ospreys nesting on the steel trusses of the old U.S. Highway 41 bridge over the Tennessee River were displaced when their longtime home was torn down and a smooth new bridge opened earlier this year.

So state officials decided one more little project was still needed.

photo Staff Photo by John Rawlston An osprey flies past a newly-constructed nest platform Tuesday, July 14, 2015, next the the new Highway 41 bridge over the Tennessee River at Haletown, Tenn. An osprey pair had been trying to build a nest in a crane being used in the demolition of the old bridge, so workers built two platforms nearby, one of which was put into immediate use by the nesting pair.

What is an osprey?

According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the osprey was a rare breeder in Tennessee before the development of large reservoirs in the 1900s. The bird lives on fish and has a slender body, long wings and long legs with dark brown above, white below, and with a white head that has a prominent dark stripe through the eye. The osprey spends the day perched near water and can be seen gliding 30 to 100 feet over the water to hunt. When a fish is sighted, it hovers, before diving with feet outstretched and eyes sighting straight along its talons. It was listed as a federally endangered species in 1975 but after the pesticide DDT was banned, populations rebounded and the bird was taken off the endangered list in 2000.

photo Staff Photo by John Rawlston An osprey flies near a newly-constructed nest platform Tuesday, July 14, 2015, next the the new Highway 41 bridge over the Tennessee River at Haletown, Tenn. An osprey pair had been trying to build a nest in a crane being used in the demolition of the old bridge, so workers built two platforms nearby, one of which was put into immediate use by the nesting pair.

“Osprey Acres” – a pair of platforms installed atop two 50-foot poles – is the brainstorm of Ray Rucker, the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Region 2 director.

“We had to tear the old bridge down and people got upset,” Rucker said. “‘Hey, you’re going to tear down the osprey nest. We like ospreys,'” Rucker said.