Osprey cruise

COEUR d'ALENE - For the 12th straight year, kids and adults will have a chance to see one of the Inland Northwest's most beautiful birds.

On Saturday, July 9, guests will climb aboard a cruise boat on Lake Coeur d'Alene. They will witness the striking birds up close and personal, along with many of the osprey's nesting sites.

"It really is a one-of-a-kind special happening our community has to offer," said Sandy Emerson, former board member and past president of the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce.

This year, though, some of the pilings have been removed from the Spokane River and part of Cougar Bay, along with the log storage and spots where the osprey nest.

Emerson said she is interested to see what this might mean for the osprey.

Spectators might also watch the osprey get banded. Dr. Wayne Melquist, retired Idaho Fish and Game biologist, has done the banding for many years.

Melquist bands the birds from a boat tied up to the pilings under the nest.

"When it isn't too hot or windy, and the chicks are big enough, he (Melquist) has brought them over to the boat so kids can see them up close and actually hold them sometimes," Emerson said.

Melquist said the Idaho Panhandle has been home to more than 200 nesting pairs for the past 40 years, making it the largest breeding population in the western U.S.

Cougar Bay contains the largest concentration of ospreys on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Hagadone Cruises is a major sponsor, with Captain Carl Fus donating the boat for the half-day cruise.

Representatives from the Raptor Chapter, Idaho Fish & Game and the Nature Conservancy will provide commentary.

Tickets are $15 for adults and free for kids. The cruise embarks at 9 a.m. and returns at 11 a.m., with boarding beginning at 8:30.