What is "osprey hacking"?

"Hacking" is a procedure developed by falconers hundreds of years ago. "Falconry" is the art of training hawks to hunt in cooperation with a person. By raising young falcons in artificial aeries (nests), feeding them before and after fledging and controlling their release, falconers discovered that the birds were easier to train.

The technique was adopted for use in reintroduction programs because it is an effective way to raise and release birds, particularly raptors, into the wild. With slight variations the method works quite well for many species, including ospreys.

A full listing of all osprey chicks hacked and released in Michigan since 1998 is available as a .PDF file. Click on the icon below to open a new window with the file expanded to full size.

Why are ospreys being hacked in Michigan?

Ospreys were once found throughout the state of Michigan, primarily in northern regions. But loss of wetland habitat, persecution and the heavy use of the pesticide DDT after WWII and into the 1960s decimated osprey populations. This occurred throughout North America and Europe, not just in Michigan. By the late 1960s biologists knew of only 75 osprey pairs in the entire state of Michigan.

The use of DDT was banned in the United States in 1972.

What is being done to restore ospreys to southern Michigan?

In 1998 a program was started by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to reintroduce ospreys into southern Michigan. "The Osprey Reintroduction Program of Southern Michigan" is a joint venture between the MDNR and two other agencies: the Detroit Zoological Institute and The Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, with additional support from DTE Energy. It is funded by the Michigan Nongame Fish and Wildlife Fund.

The goal of the Program is to establish a self-sustaining osprey population in southern Michigan, with the specific objective of thirty nesting pairs by the year 2020. Kensington Metropark was chosen as a trial site because of its location and natural features. Male osprey chicks were raised and released at Kensington for five years, between 1998 and 2002. Also, osprey chicks were hacked at the Maple River Wildlife Refuge which is north of Lansing. Starting in 2003 chicks will be hacked at two new locations, one on private land near the Barry State Game Area in western Michigan and the other at Stony Creek Metropark near Rochester. The hope is that enough of the hacked birds from all of the Program locations will survive to return and reproduce, and once again we will enjoy seeing this magnificent bird of prey in southern Michigan.

Learn all about the Osprey Reintroduction Program of Southern Michigan

How does an osprey reintroduction program work? Is the program a success?

"An Osprey Homecoming" is a feature length documentary about the Osprey Reintroduction Program of Southern Michigan. The documentary will be broadcast in Michigan starting in March 2005. Tune in to learn all about ospreys and what is being done to bring them back to southern Michigan. For more information about the documentary, broadcast dates and times and DVD availability please visit www.anospreyhomecoming.com.