Birds forced to build new home after storm destroys McClugage Bridge nest

PEORIA (25News Now) – While people are still cleaning up debris from Monday’s storm, a pair of Central Illinois osprey are doing their own clean-up.

What was once an established bird nest on top of the eastbound McClugage Bridge is now a small pile of twigs. The nest could have easily been spotted driving into Peoria at the beginning of the bridge on the far left beam.

Ospreys choose to build nests near bodies of water as they almost exclusively feed on fish, according to Bradley University Biology Professor Dr. Anant Deshwal.

“They like to build their nests in areas that are close to water and pretty high up so that animals like raccoons can’t get to them,” said Deshwal.

However, Monday night’s storm was no match against the birds’ nest with 60 to 80-mile-per-hour winds.

25 News First Alert Chief Meteorologist Chuck Collins said winds get stronger the higher up from the surface; in this case, there’s nothing to break or deflect the wind on top of the bridge.

“Those types of winds can take out siding, roofs, big trees, and blow out windows, so yeah, that wouldn’t be much of a foe for those winds to deal with,” Collins said.

Ospreys are considered a threatened species in Illinois after they almost went extinct in the state in the 1950s, said Deshwal. Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) is a pesticide used then that decreased the Osprey population by affecting the thickness of freshly laid eggs.

Deshwal said because of work done by the University of Illinois at Springfield and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, ospreys returned and are nesting and breeding again in Illinois. He says for a bird that Illinois almost lost, it’s a beautiful success story.

Unfortunately, some observers said they had seen baby birds in the nest before the storm hit, but they could not be seen Wednesday afternoon. Deshwal noted the loss of any fledglings is a big blow to the osprey population.

Ospreys usually return to the same nest year after year. Deshwal estimates that the nest was no more than two years old because of its size. Osprey nests start at 27 inches but can grow up to 13 feet wide and about two- or three-feet deep.

Although this one is gone, Deshwal said they will rebuild.

“The birds are quite resilient in general. They prefer both manmade and natural structures. Since it’s not a very old nest, the birds will go ahead and find another suitable nesting site and build,” said Deshwal.

Like most birds, ospreys migrate in the winter, which is when the Illinois Department of Transportation expects the demolition of the old McClugage Bridge to start.

With no indication of salvaging a possible new nest, an IDOT spokesperson said, “Demolition of the old McClugage Bridge should time-out after the migration of the ospreys.”

The good news is that Deshwal expects the ospreys will have no problem finding another nesting location once they return north. In fact, he says it’s better to demolish the nest with the bridge instead of attempting to relocate it.

“I can’t think like an osprey, only an osprey can think like an osprey,” Deshwal said. “What are the cues that they’re picking up on for selecting a nesting site over here rather than here? Individual to individual, like us, they have their behavior, they have their likes and dislikes.”

An osprey’s wingspan is about five feet. Deshwal said they’re a tad smaller than a bald eagle.

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