POULSBO — The osprey at Strawberry Field have garnered quite a bit of attention after making a home on top of a light pole. And it seems that the young birds don’t want to share any of that attention.

The nest remains on top of the lights that brighten evening games for North Kitsap High School and club sports — something that local bird enthusiasts want to change as the combination of lights and nests pose a fire hazard. In the meantime, the osprey parents are raising juveniles there, feeding them from catches at a nearby pond and Liberty Bay.

Their cozy home seemed attractive to the West Sound Wildlife Shelter on Bainbridge Island as home for a young orphaned osprey. The shelter has been raising it since it was found in Gig Harbor.

“The orphan was stolen from his nest by an eagle in Gig Harbor,” said Lynne Weber, operations manager at the shelter. “He was dropped in someone’s back yard. They saw the eagle flying with something in its talons, with another bird in hot pursuit. It was probably the parent.”

Shelter staff searched the area for the orphan’s original nest, but were unsuccessful. They bandaged the bird’s wounds and have been raising it since then. Staff estimates that the young osprey is about 3 months old.

On Sept. 10, shelter staff attempted to introduce the orphan to the nest at Strawberry Field.

“Ospreys are known for being adoptive parents,” said Lisa Horn, executive director of the West Sound Wildlife Shelter. “It was the sibling part — the hatchling in the nest was the one not happy to have a new friend.”

The orphan stayed in the nest for about an hour before a parent dropped off some fresh fish. The hatchling didn’t like the idea of sharing and eventually pushed the orphan to the edge of the nest. The orphan then glided out of the nest and landed near Poulsbo Elementary School.

Shelter staff are now pursuing another plan for the orphan. It will continue to gather strength at the shelter and learn to fly better. It will then be placed at a manmade platform near Strawberry Field where it can watch other ospreys hunt and, in turn, learn. Staff members will still provide the orphan food.

Horn noted that walkers and other neighbors passing by the orphan should not interfere, and allow it to learn. Horn said to not feed the orphan, and for dog walkers to keep an extra tight grip on their leashes.

If anyone notices a problem with the platform or the orphan when it is placed there, shelter staff members ask to be notified by calling 206-855-9057.