In the winter and spring, Sanibel Island becomes a giant osprey mating point, maternity ward and nursery as these very distinctive birds build huge, conspicuous nests on every conceivable stand-alone structure, be it a telephone pole, dish antenna, channel marker, tree or specially built platform, where they will raise their young. If you are visiting Sanibel in the late winter and early spring, you can spend hours watching and photographing them.

The osprey is one of the largest birds of prey in North America, found around the world, except on Antarctica. Also known as a sea hawk or fish eagle, the osprey like to be near shallow water or coastal areas where there is a readily available source of food — fish. Watching an osprey hunt for its food is a fascinating experience. The bird flies over the water, sometimes at a great height. It then hovers for a few seconds before swooping down and diving talons-first into the water to catch the unsuspecting fish which has swum too close to the surface.  Having grabbed its catch, the osprey strenuously flaps its wings and takes off, the fish tightly clutched in its talons. It takes the food to its nest, often fighting off other birds with designs on its prize.

Osprey lay their eggs between early January and February, returning to their same nest year after year. The nests are built of sticks and lined with softer material like seaweed or grass. The eggs hatch over the space of a few days, and the osprey is then fully engaged in feeding and protecting the young chicks which usually leave the nest in late March or early April.

According to the Visitors Center, there are over 300 ospreys that make Sanibel Island their home in the winter months. You can see them just about anywhere and, if you can’t actually see them, you can often hear the young birds calling to the parents

IF YOU GO
Sanibel Island is one of the barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida. It is reached over a causeway from Ft. Myers. Three are multiple osprey nests along the Sanibel-Captiva road, in the J. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Reserve and by the lighthouse.

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