Though they might not inspire the same romantic feeling as the swallows returning to Capistrano, ospreys have begun to spread their wings — and domain — in Orange County.
A female osprey reared on a man-made platform in Upper Newport Bay recently hatched a chick at another specialized platform a few miles away in Irvine.
Experts say this is a positive sign for a species that for decades had no known nests in Southern California. The ospreys, birds of prey once threatened by hunters and the pesticide DDT, have been watched over locally by a group of dedicated conservationists who are just now understanding the species' breeding patterns.
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