Ospreys making a comeback

Posted 8/21/12

On the day before I started writing this column, I had a conversation with a National Park Service ranger on the subject of ospreys after one was sighted near one of the many bald eagle nests along …

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Ospreys making a comeback

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On the day before I started writing this column, I had a conversation with a National Park Service ranger on the subject of ospreys after one was sighted near one of the many bald eagle nests along the Delaware River. There was agreement that osprey sightings are a lot less numerous than bald eagles along the river. Ospreys are piscivores, or fish eaters, so a person would think that ospreys would be at least as numerous as eagles. That doesn’t seem to be the case.

Like eagles, ospreys suffered from the effects of DDT while it was being used. A myriad of other factors such as illegal shootings and habitat loss also contributed to the population decline of the osprey. In 1979, before a reintroduction effort, the PA Game Commission listed the osprey as extirpated, and as recently as 1986 there was only one breeding pair in the state.

Ospreys are almost as large as eagles, with a wingspan approaching six feet, and from a distance, they may be confused with eagles. When an osprey flies, it has a little bit more bend at the wrist; the characteristic “crook” in its wings. They have white heads, but with a black band around the eye area sweeping back to the rear of the head. Ospreys have a largely white belly while their back is brown. If you hear an osprey vocalize, it will be short, staccato “tweets,” about three to four tweets per second.

Due to reintroduction efforts beginning in 1980, there are over 100 osprey nests in PA. They are still listed as threatened in the state and, unfortunately, problems still arise. On May 4, an osprey was found with a bullet wound near Forksville, PA, and it had to be euthanized. The PA Game Commission is searching for the person responsible for the shooting.

As with the eagle, habitat loss is of great concern as well. Ospreys nest near lakes and rivers, also prime real estate for land developers.

Ospreys can be spotted on the rivers and lakes of the region; two good spots are Shohola Lake in Pike County, PA and the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area in Sullivan County, NY to see a breeding pair. In addition the Bashakill Association usually has volunteers who man a spotting scope at the east Department of Environmental Conservation boat launch. An osprey nestcam, maintained by the Chesapeake Conservancy, can be found at www.chesapeakeconservancy.org/osprey-cam.

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