The Osprey Festival is sponsored by the Friends of Heron and El Vado Lakes, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the staff of Heron and El Vado Lakes State Parks and the New Mexico State Parks Division create and maintain educational and recreational opportunities for the communities they serve.
Join Us This Summer in Cool Northern New Mexico and Watch the Ospreys Soar!
Ospreys are plentiful in many areas of the United States, but their return to the rivers and lakes of northern New Mexico, after a long absence, has been exciting for both local residents and birders from around the country. OspreyFest2008 at Heron Lake State Park celebrates their return and is designed to surprise and delight birders and wildlife enthusiasts of all ages. Whether you visit for a day, a long weekend, or plan to stay awhile, the beautiful Chama River valley has something for everyone.
Friday, July 11
- A wine and cheese benefit reception - benefit for Wild Life Center, New Mexico Raptors, Hawks Aloft, and Santa Fe Raptors- Tickets $25.00 per person.
Saturday, July 12
- Guided small boat trips run throughout the day [reservations at the Heron Lake Visitor Center]
- Self-guided viewing of four active Osprey nests visible from the park road
- Live raptor and wildlife exhibits featuring birds, reptiles, and mammals indigenous to the American southwest
- Bluebird house-building workshop
- Wildlife photography workshops
- Evening star party
- Evening raptor specialist talk
- Continental Divide Trail presenter
Sunday, July 13
- A four-hour run up to the top of breathtaking Cumbres Pass and return with a state park naturalist on board to describe the flora and fauna as the train travels through the stunning mountain valley. Tickets are limited and include a hearty lunch and beverage. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Wildlife Center in Espanola, the only wildlife rehabilitation hospital in New Mexico. For information and reservations go to www.cumbrestoltec.com or call 1-888-286-2737.
At an altitude of 7300 feet, Heron Lake State Park, and nearby El Vado Lake State Park, are home to bald eagles, blue heron, and the stars of our annual show - 13 pair of nesting Ospreys whose annual fledge occurs in conjunction with the festival. Four of the most active nests are visible from easily-accessed land-based viewing stations staffed by knowledgeable volunteers. The highlight for many visitors is the availability of guided small-boat excursions providing a unique angle for viewing less-accessible nests and other lush scenery and wildlife in the park.
The Chama River valley is a wildlife viewing paradise on the Colorado border in far northern New Mexico. Mild sunny days and clear crisp nights are a hallmark of this unique area of northern New Mexico. The nearby Village of Chama features comfortable overnight accommodations suitable for any pocketbook in a wide array of motels, trailer and RV parks, and at the Heron and El Vado Lakes State Parks where special areas are set aside for Audubon Society visitors and OspreyFest pre-registrants. A supermarket, restaurants, gift shops, and art and craft galleries make Chama the perfect hub for one-stop shopping, a weekend stay, or longer. Additional specialty shops offer a full range of models and paraphernalia honoring Chama's very own steam train, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.
Come see why it's called The Land of Enchantment!
Osprey - Pandion haliaetus
Osprey are large, eagle like, fish eating birds that live near water and build large nests on the tops of trees, power poles, and other high places. Sometimes called fish hawks, sea hawks, or fish eagles, ospreys are in the same scientific order as hawks and eagles. Osprey can be found on every continent except Antarctica and their fossil remains date back 13 million years.
Standing two feet tall and weighing up to four and a half pounds with a wingspan of six feet the osprey is often mistaken for an eagle, but an osprey’s wing is narrower and curves backward at its wrist, like the wing of a gull. The osprey also sports a smooth forehead unlike its cousin the eagle and the dark carpal patch on the underside of each wing is an easy to spot identifying trait. There is very little difference in the dress of the male and female osprey. A female is slightly larger and usually wears a darker necklace of speckles across her white chest.
Identification Tips: | |
| Length: 22 inches Wingspan: 72 inches | White chin, throat, breast and belly |
| Large, narrow-winged hawk | Brown tail has a number of white bands |
| Flies on flat wings with distinct kink at elbow | Hovers and then plunges into water after fish |
| Wings taper to a rounded tip | Short hooked beak |
| White cap | Dark brown eyeliner broadening behind eye |
| Dark brown nape, back and upper wings | Wings from below: flight feathers white barred with black, under secondary coverts white and under primary coverts black producing rectangular black mark at wrist |
Adult male:Under parts entirely white | Adult female:Dark necklace of streaks on throat |
Immature:White tips to dark back feathers | |
