ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Wednesday, March 27, 1996              TAG: 9603270027
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C-2  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: NORFOLK

NAVY OFFERS NEW OSPREY HOMES

The Norfolk Naval Base has asked the state for permission to erect four osprey nesting poles around the huge base.

The Navy erected one pole last year, but no osprey has shown an interest in nesting there.

``It might take them another year to find it,'' said Melissa Pease, the base's natural resources manager.

Ospreys are federally protected birds of prey with 5-foot wingspans and sharp talons. They live near rivers, lakes or bays where they catch fish for food.

The poles would be far enough away from the Navy's planes and helicopters that the birds won't be a problem, Pease said.

Each pole would rise 12 feet above the water and be topped by a 3-foot-square platform of wood and chicken wire. While ospreys naturally nest in tall, dead trees near water, they often find ready substitutes, including power-line towers and light poles.

- Associated Press

LENGTH: Short :   30 lines