COEUR d'ALENE - An osprey cruise is almost ready to spread its wings and, well, depart.

The 14th annual Osprey Cruise sets sail Saturday, July 13, where spectators will be able to view the majestic birds from the waters of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Hosted by the Natural Resource Committee of the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce, the annual event on Lake Coeur d'Alene focuses on osprey families nesting where you will be able to view them on their nests as the two-story cruise boat tours nearby Cougar Bay.

The tour also gets up close with the birds, as Dr. Wayne Melquist, Ph.D., retired Idaho Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist, will be banding baby osprey chicks while leading a discussion on the osprey. He also will answer questions from those onboard.

Melquist is one of the top experts on fishhawks - or osprey - in the country. He has been doing banding, transfer programs and research for more than 30 years, much of it on Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Spokane and St. Joe rivers.

Presenters will also include Phil Cooper, public information specialist with the IDFG, and Kris Buchler bird identification specialist, Janna Paronto, BLM resource manager, and Sandy Emerson representing the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Boarding begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Independence Point docks and the cruise will depart promptly at 9 a.m. and return at 11 a.m. Free parking is available beside Memorial Field on the graded lots north of City Park. Tickets: $15 per adult and children 12 and younger are free; family rate of $35 for two adults and all children. Seniors and students are $10.

Info: 664-3194. The cruise is limited to the first 150 people.