SCOPE OUT THIS FESTIVAL AT KENSINGTON METROPARK

Celebrate southern Michigan’s growing osprey population at “Osprey Fest” on Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and July 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kensington Metropark Nature Center, near Milford/Brighton.

Visitors will have the chance to view majestic ospreys through spotting scopes set up at two observation areas, one on Wildwing Lake, and the other close to the northern entrance to the park. Maps will be available to the sites, one of which is handicap accessible, where the ospreys can be viewed flying and hovering over the water to catch fish. This year’s chicks preparing to take their first flight may also be seen.

At the Nature Center, “An Osprey Homecoming,” an Emmy Award winning, feature-length documentary on the osprey reintroduction program in southern Michigan will be shown at noon Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The documentary, produced by local film makers Christi Vedejs and Jacques Mercereau is a stunning tribute to the love and determination of the people committed to restoring osprey in southern Michigan, with spectacular footage of ospreys and wildlife at Kensington Metropark. Admission is free. Information on the documentary is available at www.anospreyhomecoming.com.

Members of Osprey Watch of Southeast Michigan monitor osprey nests in and around Kensington Metropark. Information on their activities and the chicks hatched this year can be found at www.owsem.org.

Osprey, a fish-eating bird of prey, once lived throughout Michigan. Known as the “fish hawk,” they use their keen eyesight, superb flying skills and sharp talons to catch fish. Loss of habitat and the use of DDT and other pesticides are two major factors that led to their decline in the southern region of the Lower Peninsula.

For more information, contact Kensington Metropark 1-800-477-3178 or
248-685-1561.