US EditionOspreys Nesting on Stadium Light Pole Disrupts Minnesota High School’s Fall Sports Season
Apple Valley High School postponed night games due to a large osprey nest on a light pole, monitoring four chicks and planning nest relocation after fledging, officials said.
- Apple Valley High School discovered an osprey nest around June that disrupted the fall sports season, prompting coordination with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
- Ospreys prefer high places like utility poles and towers, and state and federal protections for migratory birds prevented disturbing the stadium light pole nest while young remain.
- The school has been sending up a drone twice a week to monitor the chicks, with Cory Hanson spotting as many as four, while nests can grow up to 10 feet deep and 6 feet wide.
- School officials rearranged football and soccer schedules to daytime to avoid using stadium floodlights, as turning them on risked cooking the birds and starting a fire; other schools helped by finding alternate sites and times.
- Once the chicks fly off for good, Hanson said officials plan to relocate the nest to a new platform on school grounds, following DNR's yearly removal permits and successful osprey restoration efforts.
61 Articles
61 Articles
Federally protected birds force Minnesota high school football team to rearrange schedule
Ospreys are a federally and state protected species, and because of their nesting location, the Apple Valley High School Eagles football team must rearrange their schedule.
Federally protected birds force high school football team to rearrange schedule
Ospreys nesting on the Apple Valley High School Eagles' football team's stadium lights in Minnesota force the team to reschedule games due to federal protection laws for the birds.
Ospreys Have Officially Gone Too Far: Birds Mess Up High School Football Season
Alright, it's time someone had the stones to say it: something is going on with ospreys.The birds of prey known for swooping from the sky and plucking fish out of bodies of water have been in the news way more than I ever remember.Pack your bags, football fans! OutKick is sending one lucky winner and a friend to Athens for Georgia vs. Alabama. Travel’s on us, VIP tickets in hand, and bragging rights for life. Enter Now!First, there was the ospre…
'OK, this is not your average bird': Minnesota high school football team's season delayed by nesting Osprey in floodlights
Turn off the lights. The Nesting Ospreys have defeated the Apple Valley Eagles in Minnesota high school football. They haven’t actually played each other, but the ospreys took charge when they built a huge nest to raise their chicks, high up on a light pole at the Apple Valley High School football field. Because of it, the migratory raptors that are protected under state and federal law forced the school, known as the Eagles, to rearrange their …
Associated Press News
Ospreys nesting on stadium light pole disrupts Minnesota high school's fall sports season
A pair of ospreys have disrupted the fall sports season at a Minnesota high school by nesting on a light pole on the football field.
Federally protected birds force high school football team to rearrange schedule – Democratic Accent
Move over Eagles, another raptor is taking over the gridiron. Ospreys who chose to raise their chicks in a nest on top of a light pole at a high school football stadium in Minnesota now have the whole field to themselves. Ospreys are a federally and state protected species, and because of their nesting location, the Apple Valley High School Eagles football team must rearrange their schedule. “When you tell someone this story of ‘Wow, we have …
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