La Conner's westside channel bird family

Our local seahawks (aka ospreys) return annually to nest on this pole on the westside of the Swinomish Channel near the Swinomish offices and raise their young. Once endangered due to the impact of pesticides, ospreys are a comeback success story and have rebounded enough since their population plummeted in the '70s to now be a bird of low concern for conservation. Their nests are usually found near shallow water with abundant fish as they eat fish almost exclusively. In addition to the ospreys on the Swinomish Channel, there are nests visible in Anacortes, Wiley Slough and on the Samish flats. These migratory birds will be heading south in the fall, so get a look now or you will have to wait until they return next spring.