Lightning struck a residential osprey nest on Kirby Lane early Wednesday morning, killing one of the two “beloved” neighborhood birds, police said.
Rye police responded to a call at 5:30 a.m. that two ospreys on Kirby Lane had been struck by lightning during Tuesday night’s thunderstorms. Police were assisted by Jim Horton, a Westchester-based wildlife removal specialist, who safely collected the injured one.
“Unfortunately, one osprey did not survive the strike,” Rye police posted on Instagram.
“This is sooo sad,” one comment read. “I would always see the pair on my walks and their babies ☹️ they nested there for years.”
“Oh no! That’s awful. So sorry to hear,” another person posted online.
The surviving bird was transported to Green Chimneys Farm & Wildlife Center in Brewster, where it is now being treated, the police post added.
Ospreys — very large birds of prey known as sea hawks — have become a household name around Rye.
The distinctively shaped hawks that measure wingspans of 4 to 6 feet made headlines locally last year after building two nests atop a gondola on the Playland ferris wheel, prompting the ride to shut down ahead of the park’s season opener in May. Weeks later, the US Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services got rid of the nests after Playland obtained a permit to allow for its removal.
Osprey nests are protected from disturbance during their breeding season, which runs from March 15 to Sept. 1, under state Department of Environmental Conservation and federal regulations.
Horton and Green Chimneys could not be reached for comment.
