Date: 7/31/26 9:06 am From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Osprey Nesting in Mountains
Please check the *Birds of North Carolina* website, which is hosted by the
Carolina Bird Club.
Harry LeGrand
author/editor of the Birds of North Carolina website
On Fri, Jul 31, 2026 at 11:59 AM <badgerboy...> wrote:
> Tim and all, this is a great question. I was curious about it myself as
> there has been a request to install Osprey nesting platforms in the
> mountains of NW NC. Although the NC Bird Atlas data, which is publicly
> available on the web, shows several confirmed nesting reports in the
> mountains, it appears that most of them are probably incorrect, with
> pictures showing what appear to be squirrels nests with Ospreys near them,
> reports of Osprey carrying food, with no further comments, which obviously
> Ospreys do every time they catch a fish whether or not they are nesting in
> the area, and other sorts of behaviors unlikely indicative of true nesting.
>
>
> However, there was one place, Lake Santeetla near Robbinsville at about
> 2000 feet elevation, that had several reports from 2021 thru 2025 of
> Ospreys on nest in April, and one report with a good description but
> unfortunately no photo, of Ospreys on the nest with nestlings in June. See
> ebird checklist here <https://ebird.org/atlasnc/checklist/S90708315>.
> Coincidentally, the Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas 2 which finished up
> earlier this decade, also had what I consider likely correct reports from
> Claytor Lake near Blacksburg at 2000 feet elevation, with pictures, of
> Ospreys nesting.
>
>
> So Yes, probably, if you consider 2000' elevation lakes to be "Mountains".
>
>
> Guy (McGrane, Boone NC)
>
>
> On 7/31/2026 10:10 AM, Tim Lewis (via carolinabirds Mailing List) wrote:
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> Are there records of Osprey nesting in the mountains. Where/when and are
> there photos?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tim Lewis
> Jackson Co. NC
>
>
>
