The ospreys are back!

The Garden’s osprey nesting platform, established with partners Friends of the Chicago River () and Forest Preserves of Cook County (), has hosted an osprey pair since 2024: Oakley & Onyx.

These creative platforms have helped boost osprey populations after decades of declines due to DDT insecticide use and habitat loss. The osprey is listed as a threatened species in Illinois, which means it’s at risk of disappearing as a breeding species. Fish-eating raptors that migrate south and winter from the southern United States to South America, ospreys are often seen during their migrations—yet few remain in Illinois to nest.

Males attract their mates to their strategically chosen nesting location in the spring. In order for a nest to be successful, it must be located near water (their diet consists exclusively of fish, with large mouth bass and perch among their favorites), the nest must be higher than any other nearby structure, and it must be resistant to predators (think raccoons) climbing the nest pole and attacking the young. Ospreys generally mate for life, though they’re together only during the breeding and rearing seasons.

While Oakley & Onyx have settled into their new home nicely, platforms alone won’t sustain these birds. Ospreys depend on healthy habitats—like the more than 175 acres of natural areas we manage at the Garden—to help them raise the next generation.

Please give the ospreys space when visiting the Garden this spring. Discover birding at the Garden and find our full bird list online at chicagobotanic.org/birds.