A shrill scream in the sky. A sudden splash in the lake.

Rising from the waves on slender six-foot wings, an osprey clutches a large, wriggling fish in its talons, carrying its morning meal to the top of an old willow along the shore.

The osprey, sometimes called the fish hawk or the fish eagle, is a unique bird of prey. Neither hawk nor eagle, the osprey belongs to a family all its own, the sole member of its tribe. For whatever reason, the osprey has been garnering a great deal of well- deserved attention in our area this spring as the birds return north to nest.

A nest in Cedarburg, just north of Milwaukee, was just confirmed to be the first in Ozaukee County in more than 100 years.

New nesting platforms, man-made nest sites perched high upon poles, have recently been installed near New London at Mosquito Hill and along the Embarrass River. Nesting pairs have just returned to nesting sites near Omro and Winneconne. Brillion Nature Center boasts two breeding pairs of osprey this spring.

Additionally, the osprey has been spotted at several locations along Lake Winnebago since ice-out, and for several days, a bird was seen patrolling the vast flooded fields and wetlands at Rat River Wildlife Area just to the west of the Fox Cities.

Anyone who has seen an osprey in action knows what the excitement is all about.

A huge, powerful bird of prey, nearly the size of a bald eagle, the osprey is essentially a fish eater. Brilliant white below and dark brown above, both sexes are marked with a striking dark eyestripe across the face. The osprey's legs are long and sleek, with wide-open talons. Unlike any other bird of prey, the osprey boasts a reversible outer "toe," allowing the birds to grasp their writhing, slippery prey with two toes in front and two toes behind for a secure grip.

Living on the shore of Lake Winnebago north of Oshkosh for many years, I was fortunate to watch ospreys feeding during summer and fall quite regularly. Often, their shrill, plaintive whistle is the first sign of their presence.

Large trees along the shore serve as favored perches or fishing sites that the birds often return to year after year.

Expert fishermen, the bird will circle high above the lake, 50 feet or more, scanning the water with its keen eyesight. Hovering momentarily as it spots a large fish near the surface, the osprey suddenly closes its wings and plunges headfirst toward the water.

As the bird streaks toward the lake, it reaches out with its long talons, wide open to snag its prey. Like a bolt of feathered lightning, the osprey hits the water feet-first, so hard that it goes completely under. More often than not, it comes up with its target clamped firmly in its talons. It rests on the water for a few seconds, an odd sight indeed to see a bird of prey "swimming," then erupts from the water with a violent spray, to wing away to its favorite feeding perch, or to the nest to feed its family.

In Wisconsin, the osprey is officially listed as a threatened species. An upgrade from endangered status, threatened status still offers the bird protection, and the Bureau of Endangered Resources, with the State Department of Natural Resources, runs several programs involved in habitat preservation, public education and nest platform construction.

It is estimated that two-thirds of the state's osprey population has adapted to using man-made nest sites, for the simple fact that they do not blow down.

Research before the nest platform program evolved showed that about 10 percent of osprey nests in the wild blew down during storms during the breeding season each year. Construction of nest platforms, both metal and wood, has offered the birds a sturdy, dependable alternative nest site, often in prime waterfront territory.

Many companies and organizations in our area have contributed to the construction and installation of nest platforms locally. ATC Transmission Company, Great Lakes Line Builders, WE Energies and Michael's Power have all recently collaborated with New London's The Feather Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and volunteer Pat Fisher to plan and install nesting platforms for osprey throughout the New London area.

The osprey is doing quite well in other areas of the country and the world. The osprey is one of few birds of prey that can boast a world-wide range, found on every continent except Antarctica. In some parts of the world, the osprey may nest on the ground on remote islands or atop giant cactuses in desert areas. Along the eastern coast, ospreys formerly nested in large colonies, known as eyries. They may nest atop fishing shacks and lighthouses or abandoned smokestacks.

The Fox Cities area is right at the very southernmost edge of the breeding range of the osprey in the mid-continent area. Many of the birds spotted in spring and fall are just migrating through. Osprey from our area typically winter along the southern coast as far as Central and South America.

The recent confirmation of nesting in Ozaukee County and other sightings from the state's southern third show a trend that the bird may be pushing its breeding range south. Speculation by the Department of Natural Resources is that the growing population of bald eagles in the northwoods, which compete with osprey for fishing territories, may be a natural factor pushing the osprey south to breed along less competitive waterways.

That's great news for those who are fortunate to spot these magnificent birds of prey.

Robert Zimmer is a freelance outdoors writer based in Appleton and a longtime volunteer at Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve. He can be reached at robzeeee@yahoo.com.