Help observe osprey nests – built in surprising spots!
May 6, 2026DNR contact: Kara Colton, 248-634-0240
Michigan Natural Features Inventory contact: David Cuthrell
Volunteer sign-up: mnfi@msu.edu
Once you know where ospreys like to build their giant nests, you won’t be able to stop looking for them.Ospreys are long-lived birds (averaging 15-20 years), and pairs usually return to the same nest and add to it each year.
Made of sticks and lined with grasses, mud and soft materials, nests can reach 10-13 feet deep and 3-6 feet in diameter after years of building.Historically, ospreys nested only on cliffs, at the tops of tall trees or on “snags” – dead trees that are still standing. But due to humans removing or disturbing these important habitat elements, ospreys have adapted to build nests on human-built structures like utility poles, towers and platforms.
Volunteer to observe nests near you. The Osprey Adopt-A-Nest program was started by MI Birds, a partnership between Audubon Great Lakes and the DNR. In 2022, the Michigan Natural Features Inventory stepped in to help support this important data collection effort long-term. This work is only possible with the help of Adopt-A-Nest volunteers who monitor osprey nests and track the reproductive success of nesting pairs throughout Michigan.
To sign up to volunteer, contact MNFI at mnfi@msu.edu and indicate the county where you would like to observe. Volunteers need to visit a nest three times, for 30 minutes each visit, in spring through late summer. A pair of binoculars is the only tool needed for most observations, though a spotting scope is helpful for monitoring cell tower nests.Volunteers use an online form to report observations, including location information, whether a nest is occupied by a nesting pair of ospreys and, if so, whether they are successfully raising chicks.
In southern Michigan, May through July is the most active period for osprey nesting; in northern Michigan, it’s June through August. By late summer, young ospreys develop feathers (called “fledging”) that are large enough for flight. The birds then migrate south in the fall.To learn more, check out the Michigan Natural Features Inventory’s Osprey Adopt-A-Nest Program StoryMap. Read more
