Milestone in osprey program as birds migrate

Osprey that are part of an initiative to reintroduce the fish-eating hawks in Illinois have flown south for the winter.
The milestone marks the end of the second year of an eight-year initiative from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Osprey are on the state's endangered species list.
IDNR project manager Patrick McDonald says the birds that migrated this winter aren't expected to return to Illinois for a couple of years. He says certain birds will be banded with satellite transmitters to keep track of their movements.
The osprey arrived in the Decatur area in July. They were checked at the Illinois Raptor Center and sent to two sites near Anderson Lake and Lake Shelbyville. The birds matured enough to migrate by early fall.