A feathered fish thief has become the most entertaining outlaw in Estes Park.
Visitors casting lines into the stocked pond at Trout Haven on Moraine Avenue have found themselves sharing the water with an expert angler — an osprey that has been swooping down, snatching trout from the pond and flying off with its catch.
The bird’s fishing skills have become such a regular attraction that the property’s new owner, Pat Murphy, decided to have a little fun with the situation.
Murphy called the Estes Valley Voice to report what he jokingly described as a “robbery in broad daylight.” Not long afterward, employees at the Trout Haven bait house created an old-fashioned “Wanted” poster featuring the feathered suspect.
Fortunately for Murphy, the culprit isn’t interested in wallets or tackle boxes — only trout.
The osprey is one of North America’s most accomplished fishing birds. Roughly the size of a mallard duck or herring gull, it has a white underside, dark brown back and long, narrow wings that form a distinctive M-shape in flight. Unlike many other raptors, ospreys feed almost exclusively on fish, making stocked ponds, reservoirs, lakes and rivers ideal hunting grounds.
Colorado’s breeding ospreys arrive from South America in late March and early April, nesting near waterways throughout the state before beginning their migration south in September. Their spectacular fishing technique often includes hovering briefly before plunging feet-first into the water to seize a fish with specially adapted talons.
At Trout Haven, those aerial dives have become nearly as entertaining as the fishing itself.
Murphy recently purchased the Trout Haven property, expanding his Estes Park hospitality portfolio that already includes Murphy’s Resort and Murphy’s River Lodge.
The property includes the popular fishing pond, Trout Haven Lodge, which can accommodate groups of up to 30 people, and the 2,000-square-foot Trout Haven Event Center.
Peterson purchased the Trout Haven property in October 1980 and transformed it into a Norwegian-inspired destination. The lodge was designed by developer Edward Peterson and built in 1982 by Pete Ohlsson, a fourth-generation Scandinavian designer and builder known for his custom wood homes and mountain resorts.
Over the years, he added sod-covered pedestrian bridges, a second waterwheel, a new fishing shack, and other Scandinavian design elements that gave the property its distinctive character.
The Moraine Avenue property continues a Trout Haven tradition that dates back decades. An earlier Trout Haven operated for 36 years on East Elkhorn Avenue, on the site now occupied by Kind Coffee, before closing in 1966.
Murphy plans to make improvements to the property, beginning with new flooring in the event center, while positioning it as a destination for weddings, reunions and other gatherings. A new name is also under consideration.
His reasoning?
“What bride wants to get married at a place with trout in its name?” Murphy said. Until then, the osprey appears content to keep enjoying the menu — no reservation required.