The osprey is now the official bird of the City of Kawartha Lakes.
During its regular council meeting Tuesday (November 19), city council approved naming the osprey — also known as a sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk — as the municipality’s official bird.
The decision followed a report received by council meeting as committee of the whole earlier this month from Mark Jull, supervisor of policy planning for Kawartha Lakes, and a recommendation from the City of Kawartha Lakes Environmental Advisory Committee (CKLEAC).
The report recommended the osprey be adopted as the official bird for the City of Kawartha Lakes for a few reasons.
“Declaring the osprey the city’s official bird supports the strategic plan’s priority for a healthy environment as it highlights the natural beauty and rich biodiversity of the city,” Jull noted in his report. “Supporting the interconnectedness of nature helps develop an exceptional quality of life.”
In addition, the osprey is central to the City of Kawartha Lakes brand, having appeared in the city’s logo since at least 2001 as well as in marketing materials. As well, a recent online poll to determine a “bird of the year” concluded the osprey was, “by a large margin,” the favourite choice to represent Kawartha Lakes.
A number of other Ontario cities have chosen an official city bird, including the great blue heron for Peterborough, peregrine falcon for Hamilton, the belted kingfisher for Barrie, and the tufted titmouse for Windsor.
Having an official bird makes sense in Kawartha Lakes as well, given it became certified earlier this year as “A Bird Friendly City.”
A bird friendly city is described as a community where threats to birds are reduced, nature is restored so native bird populations can thrive, residents are actively engaged in admiring and monitoring local bird populations, and organizations host events to protect birds.
“When a city is certified as bird friendly, it means they’ve met important standards to keep birds safe,” Jull noted. “Certification is a badge of honour and a source of community pride. It tells the world that our city helps birds and is doing its part to stop them from disappearing.”
Bird Friendly Kawartha Lakes (BFKL) worked with Nature Canada and the City of Kawartha Lakes to become a certified bird friendly city. The BFKL group consists of representatives from the CKLEAC, Kawartha Conservation, Kawartha Land Trust, Fleming College, Kawartha Field Naturalists, Kawartha Wildlife Centre, and Kawartha Bird Control.
In April 2024, BFKL launched an online poll to determine which favourite species of bird should be declared the official “2024 Kawartha Lakes Bird of the Year.”
More than 500 participants took part in two rounds of online voting, with the first round of voting narrowing 11 species down to five finalists. The osprey flew into the lead and finished on top in the contest.
According to Jull, it’s common to spot ospreys in the Kawartha Lakes, with the hawks’ nests visible in trees and on hydro poles throughout the municipality, “a sign of efforts made by the community decades ago to ensure the ospreys made a comeback from dangerously low numbers.”
The osprey is always near water, such as the shorelines of large lakes, rivers, and ponds.
“Graceful in flight, powerful and resilient by nature, the osprey is a fitting symbol of Kawartha Lakes,” read the city’s brand book.
