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PREECEVILLE — The return of ospreys to the Preeceville area is a welcome and reassuring sign of spring’s arrival. These striking birds of prey depend on the region’s many fish-bearing lakes and rivers, including nearby Lady Lake and the Assiniboine watershed, that provide the steady food supply the species requires, stated Suzanne Joyce.
The presence of ospreys is an indicator of healthy aquatic ecosystems that people are fortunate to live, work and play alongside.
Also known as fish hawks, ospreys are large, distinctively shaped raptors. Flying with a bend in their wings, they often appear to make an M-shape when seen overhead. Brown above and white below, ospreys have a prominent dark patch at the “wrists” and a broad brown stripe through the eye.
By far, the most exciting characteristic of ospreys is their fishing tactic. Hovering above the water, once a fish is spotted, the osprey folds its wings into its body and descends in cannonball form. Just as spectacular is watching the bird emerge again — victorious — with its prey in its talons.
Over the years, local conservation efforts have played a role in supporting area osprey populations. In the late 1990s, an important osprey nest site on the Hinchcliffe elevator was in danger when the elevator was slated for demolition. Kelsey Ecological Society (KES) volunteers leapt into action and, with the input of provincial experts, worked to relocate the existing nest to an elevated nesting platform constructed nearby. The following season, and for years after, an osprey pair was seen to make use of this provided nest site.
KES members worked to install three additional nest platforms in the area around the same time. There was some urgency to the installation in the hamlet of Lady Lake, as an osprey pair had built a nest among the power lines. SaskPower crews worked to remove the imminent threat of electrocution, and volunteers installed a nesting platform in a safer location. The osprey pair took to it the following season and decades later, as of July 2025, an active nest remains in Lady Lake.
A similar situation occurred in Endeavour around 2020, when ospreys established a nest on a SaskTel telecommunications tower. To reduce potential risks to both birds and infrastructure, the nest was moved to a new nesting platform installed nearby. The pair used the platform for a time before eventually moving to a natural nest site in a tree along the Lilian River. This past winter, however, high winds brought down the tree and/or nest. This spring, ospreys have once again returned to the platform in town.
Indeed, for ospreys in the area and elsewhere, increasingly frequent and intense high-wind events pose a threat to nesting success. Anecdotally, a number of area osprey nests have blown down in recent years, resulting in the demise of eggs and nestlings. Even loss of nests outside the breeding season — like for the Endeavour pair — requires valuable time and energy spent on nest refurbishment in spring and can impact reproductive success.
Despite these challenges, the continued presence of ospreys in the area reflects the importance and impact of local stewardship efforts.
Last summer, several members of KES had the opportunity to tour parts of the five quarter sections of habitat land Edgar and Doreen Thorson donated to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF). While they stood on the banks of the Assiniboine River, they were treated to the kee-kee-kee of an osprey flying by. Shortly after and along a separate stretch of this important waterway, they spied a second osprey perched in an overhanging tree.
Thanks to local efforts to provide safe nest sites and safeguard essential feeding and nesting areas, the community continues to play an important role in sustaining this charismatic bird's populations. Today, the annual return of ospreys is not only a sign of spring but also a testament to what can be achieved with a little care, concern and a lasting commitment to conservation.
Interested in taking action for nature in the Preeceville area? Become a member of Kelsey Ecological Society. In addition to advocacy and habitat projects, the society hosts several presentations and field trips each year. Learn more by emailing kelseyecological@gmail.com or check out its Facebook page.
