Coley The Osprey Freed From Warrentless Government Tracking

The privacy of Coley, the majestic Osprey, has finally been restored after months of intense and warrentless  government tracking. Coley’s release was seen as a calculated move by the Obama administration in their overall effort to quiet critical response to the revelations that the Justice Department had secretly subpoenaed the Associated Press’s phone records. Park rangers tracking Coley removed the GPS tracker attached to his leg, according to scientists updating the status of the bird.

Outside of being caught in the middle of a brewing Washington scandal, Coley has had an eventful year. Highlights included his winter migration to sunny Colombia, his dramatic flight back to Jamaica Bay, the discovery of his loose GPS tracker that if left unchecked could have endangered him and his mating habits, which has produced a new family of little ospreys.

Lately, the priority set by Coley’s trackers was the removal of his GPS tracker, which they successfully managed after weeks of difficulty in catching him. It took several attempts, but once park rangers finally nabbed him, they were able to safely remove the tracker, which hadn’t hurt him, and set him free.

With Coley set loose, the scientists now plan to track a new osprey to help complete their research. Whether or not the government researchers get direct permission from the future osprey in question remains to be seen.