Kindergarten group watches osprey pair overhead

Walking along North Cove Trail you never know what you are going to hear or see, and yesterday was no exception.

As I led a small group of kindergarten kids, I heard the high-pitched call of an osprey (Pandion haliaetus). We were treated to two ospreys calling incessantly as they displayed directly over our heads. This lasted for several minutes, and we were all frozen on the trail staring straight up in the sky.

This is nesting season for ospreys, and I have already seen a pair sitting on eggs.

Ospreys build their nests near water on platforms put up by people, in the tops of trees or on any high flat surface. I’m not sure where this pair is nesting, but there is a platform on the end of the Dickinson Island where the Knoxville Downtown Island Airport is located across the channel from Ijams.

A convenient nest to see is on the railroad bridge next to the now closed for repair Henley Street Bridge. It is easily seen from Neyland Drive and the female is incubating now.

Because Ijams is so close to the river, you may hear and see ospreys on any of our trails. We consistently see them even flying over the Visitor Center.

- By Emily Boves