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Move over Eagles, another raptor takes over Gridiron.
Ospreys, who chose to raise their chickens in a nest at the top of a light rod at a football stadium in high school in Minnesota, now has the whole field for themselves.
Ospreys are a federal and state -protected species, and due to their witchplacing, the Apple Valley High School Eagles football team has to rearrange their schedule.
“When you tell someone this story about ‘Wow, we have to replace because there is an Osprey -Reden in our stadium,’ They’re like ‘you can’t make this type of thing, right?'” Cory Hanson, athletic director at the school whose mascot is eagles, told Associated Press.
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An Osprey sits on a flagpole near its nest in the Apple Valley High School Football Stadium on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
The Eagles now have to play all their home matches during the day because turning on the light throws where the birds have their nest could hurt them.
Heidi Cyr from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said the school can remove the nest when the Osprey chickens are able to fly away, which should not take too long.
“Fortunately for the Apple Valley, they should be able to remove the nest within probably a week because the birds have already taken some of their first flights,” Cyr explained.
The school, which became aware of the nest in June, has sent a drone up every few days to control the chickens.
Apple Valley High School Football Stadium. It is the home to Eagles, and now a family of federal fisherman protected. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
School officials plan to move the nest to another platform on the school’s land and build deterrent to the stadium lights when the chickens leave, hoping Ospreys will return next year.
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“So if someone sees it happen, don’t worry,” Cyr said. “The birds are safe. They have successfully left the nest and they are on their way to becoming adults themselves.”
Ospreys are a large bird of prey with a wing buckle of up to six meters, and they like to build nests in high places with clear views.
“When you see these big birds flying over your field with these humonous sticks, you start asking questions like ‘What’s going on here?'” Said Hanson. “And you see a look at the nest, right? And you’re like, ‘OK, this isn’t your average bird.'”
He said other schools have been useful in finding alternative locations and times for games.
A Psprey -Reden at the Apple Valley High School Football Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
The department sometimes releases nest -removing nests when Ospreys make the nest on critical infrastructure such as tool bars and mobile phone tower, but they are usually denied if chickens remain.
Ospreys were removed from the Minnesota species of special concern list in 2015 following the effort to rebuild their population.
