The osprey chick has a broken metatarsus, aka a broken toe, and will be operated on by top notch wildlife veterinarians at Busch Gardens on Thursday. Friday he'll go to Save Our Seabirds in Sarasota to be placed with a surrogate mother. Otherwise he is a very healthy chick and a very good eater. He was fed tilapia, flounder and catfish purchased from Brooker Creek Publix.
As a correction, he actually fell 70 feet which is the correct height of the poles. The poles were double checked today. One can usually find the height stamped directly on the poles which are in this case concrete. The lights are protected by lightning rods but are also threats to ospreys. Clearwater Audubon Society, which covers all of North Pinellas, hopes to partner with the managers of the field to place inexpensive caps on the rods to prevent impalements. Two impalements occurred last year, one in Safety Harbor on New Year's Eve and another at WTOG. Since then protective caps and modifications have been made to keep the areas safe for osprey.