Denise Membreno

Denise writes about the people and places of Smith Mountain Lake in "Shorelines," published bi-weekly.

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Rangers are working feverishly to get ready for warm-weather visitors to Smith Mountain Lake State Park. As March goes out, patrons and summer dwellers will begin to return to the area. One of those warm-weather returnees to the park is the osprey. These big beautiful birds of prey live at the lake spring through fall.

The "fish hawks," as they sometimes are called, were brought to the lake in 2004 as a part of a preservation program. Ospreys, like many other birds, were nearly killed off in the 1960s and 1970s because of the widespread use of DDT and other dangerous pesticides. The use of DDT was banned in 1972, and thanks to programs such as the one at Smith Mountain Lake State Park, the population of ospreys and other birds is rebounding.

"They usually show up at the end of March," said Chief Ranger Nate Clark. "Last year we first saw them on March 24. Typically, the male will come first and scout things out."

Ospreys will reuse old nests, sometimes returning to the same spot for 10 years. Two years ago, rangers moved the nesting post, a 30-foot platform, from its initial location just off shore of the Smith Mountain Lake State Park Visitor Center to its land location on the point near the center.

While in the water, the nest was disturbed by boaters and fishermen. When the post was erected on land, signs were posted warning visitors that bothering the birds is a state and federal offense.

While visitors can't get physically close to the birds, they can watch happenings in the nest via a closed-circuit camera which pipes pictures back to a monitor at the visitors center. Rangers are in the process of installing a new camera at the site. The park also is planning to add a second monitor on the outside wall of the center so visitors to the park can watch the birds when the center is closed.

You also can log onto the Internet, www.smithmountainlakestateparkfriends.com, to watch the birds.

Ospreys are impressive. They are 22- to 25-inches long with wingspans of up to 6 feet. Weighing in at approximately 4 pounds, the osprey has a dark brown back, a white belly and a white head, which features a dark stripe running from its yellow eyes to the back of the head.

The large birds mostly eat fish, hunting their prey by circling the water at altitudes of 50 to 200 feet.

"They are fascinating to watch," said Clark. "They are one of the only birds that will fully submerge to catch fish. There are also very few birds of prey that once they catch the fish, they will actually rotate it in line with their bodies so they will be more aerodynamic when they are flying."

Ospreys 3 years or older usually mate for life. In April, the female lays two to four eggs. During the next five months, both parents raise the young. A month after hatching, the young will be 70 to 75 percent of their adult weight. Sometimes the parents will withhold food from the fledglings to encourage them to leave the nest. Opportunistic fledglings will sometimes move to nearby nests where they are fed by other parents.

Chemicals are not the only threat to these birds.

"I believe it was two years ago we had a fledgling die," said Clark. "When the parents were adding things to the nest, they put in a strip of landscaping fabric. The young bird actually got that caught around its leg and wasn't able to fly away. That's just another example of how trash is detrimental to wildlife."

Clark said he is hoping this spring will be similar to 2007.

"Last year we had the first egg hatch, and it was raised and left at the end of the season. So last year was the first year we had a successful fledgling."