CAUTION: Osprey Construction Zone
Ospreys Love Westport! And Westport Loves Our Ospreys!
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The Osprey platform located in the parking lot of Fresh Market next to Terrain on the Post Rd. has had a nesting pair for many years. This year is no exception and the pair was preparing the "nursery" last month. Osprey generally return to the same nest each year with the male arriving in March to begin rebuilding the nest from the prior year with the female to follow.
Ospreys migrate south for the winter to find ice-free water and abundant fish. Depending on where they breed, North American ospreys travel thousands of miles to warmer climates in Central America, the Caribbean, and South America (as far south as Brazil and Argentina), while some western populations overwinter in Mexico.
Coming in for a landing at the Terrain platform, this beauty displays the 5’ to 6’ wingspan which makes it so striking.
The Terrain Osprey as they are commonly referred to are a fixture in town with many admirers among both Terrain customers and staff who enjoy seeing these magnificent raptors and love to watch as they bring fish to feed their hungry hatchlings which should soon be visible if past years are any indication.
When we took these photos the male was delivering construction materials to his mate which will do the actual construction. They work together, each with its own role in the process.
The Male's Role: The male is the gatherer. He collects almost all of the nesting materials, which include sticks, sod, vines, and algae. He will break dead branches off trees while flying or snatch them up from the ground.
The Female's Role: The female is the architect. She takes all the materials the male brings back and arranges, shapes, and distributes them into a sturdy, bowl-shaped structure.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
In past years, Westport utility crews have had to carefully relocate nests from active power lines to safer platforms to prevent outages and protect the birds. This platform was erected several years ago when crew discover Osprey were building a nest on a utility pole across the Post Rd.
Across Connecticut, the osprey population has seen a massive rebound, growing from just nine active nests in 1974 to over 726 recently. Westport currently hosts roughly 20 active nests monitored by citizen scientists through The Osprey Nation Project. This CT Audubon site has great info and photos on these spectacular raptors.
The Interactive Nest Map on the site shows the locations of nests and reports by volunteers who monitor them.
Fishing the Saugatuck at low tide. This pair might be from the Terrain nest before the female laid her eggs.
This platform near Lot F at Longshore park also has a nesting pair. Below, the male surveys Grey’s creek from a tall tree on the golf course.
CT Audubon, thanks to donations, has installed an Osprey Cam at their Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford Point.
This live camera shows the Osprey family live, 24/7. It is well worth the visit and with a little luck you may see the male bring his family a fresh fish
Westport Pride: Prouder Than Ever!
Sixth Annual Celebration Featured Broadway Performer, Community Entertainers, and Remarks from State and Local Officials
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Westport's annual Pride Day reached a milestone this weekend, drawing more participants than any previous year to Jesup Green for its sixth consecutive celebration of the LGBTQAI+ community. Ideal weather and a packed program of performances and speakers contributed to what many in attendance described as the event's most memorable edition.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal joined 1st Selectman Kevin Christie and other state and local elected officials on stage to affirm Westport's commitment to welcoming all residents. Their remarks struck themes of love, belonging, and the strength that comes from an inclusive community.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Among the day's highlights was a performance and personal reflection by Jamie Martin Mann, a Westport native who has gone on to a career on Broadway. Mann spoke about his formative years growing up in town, paying tribute to several local educators and arts mentors. Students from Staples Players (all wearing Players Pride tees) contributed a rousing number from the musical Les Misérables, while dancer Van Goldberg captivated onlookers with an energetic solo routine.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Cassandra Fiore gave a powerful speech about a friend who had recently passed, followed by a call to action for the community to provide safe spaces for our queer youth. And then, of course, there was a fantastic performance from the celebrated drag performer. Ending the program, there was an energetic performance from the band “The Splits”, preceded by some playful crowd banter.
Beyond the entertainment, Jesup Green hosted a wide array of community organizations — nonprofits, religious congregations, and civic groups among them — reflecting the depth of support the event has built across Westport over the years. There were therapy pups, including one called Oakley, who entranced attendees. Another highlight included the freshly made (and complimentary) rainbow challah bread offered by Temple Israel.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Westport Pride would like to express warm gratitude to all of the sponsors, vendors and food trucks who contributed to the celebration.
Next up for Westport Pride: The community is invited to continue the festivities at Westport Pride's next Happy Hour, July 2nd at Yuzu Restaurant on Main Street.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Sustainable Westport Launches UNplastic Westport
The organization takes another step in the effort to protect our environment in Westport with this new program.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com.
Johanna Martell of Sustainable Westport fills one of the organization's branded refillable water bottles at the new water bottle refilling stations at the Compo Beach basketball courts Users simply place their refillable bottle in the dispenser and press the button to fill. There are also two traditional drinking fountains.
Sustainable Westport’s goal is to increase the number of publically available water bottle filling stations for people to fill up their reusable water bottles to stay hydrated rather than buying plastic water bottles.
Led by Co-directors Gately Ross and Johanna Martell, Sustainable Westport is working closely with town leadership and the Department of Parks & Recreation to identify water bottle-filling locations based on viability, visibility and impact. They unveiled their first water bottle-filling station at Compo Basketball courts in conjunction with the Kickoff to Summer event on June 13th. A second station, which includes a pet fountain, at Winslow Dog Park has also now opened. The next locations on their list include Grace Salmon Park, Burying Hill Beach, Old Mill Beach and Town Farms Ball Complex – all high traffic recreational areas. These water bottle filling stations will eliminate the need for tens of thousands of single-use plastic water bottles a year.
Sustainable Westport is partnering with other civic organizations in town to fund and install these stations and is actively seeking corporate sponsors, grants and individual donors to help expand the refill network across town. Organizations or individuals interested in supporting this initiative or learning more about sponsorship opportunities are encouraged to reach out to Sustainable Westport.
Sustainable Westport is thrilled to build a network of refill stations that will benefit our entire community - residents and visitors of all ages, as well as future generations! To learn more visit Sustainable Westport and follow Sustainable Westport on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com.
Sustainable Westport’s mission is to lead the way as they inspire and equip the community to act now on sustainability. In addition to educating our community, Sustainable Westport leads by example by implementing real solutions that make our community healthier and address the urgent issue of climate change.
This year, in addition to their ongoing work to reduce waste, protect clean air and promote programs that make sustainable choices easier every day, Sustainable Westport has launched UnPlastic Westport — a bold new initiative focused on reducing single-use plastic and expanding public water bottle-filling stations throughout town. Sustainable Westport’s goal is to turn shared intention into measurable, community-wide change and help people break their single-use plastic habits.
In the U.S., single-use plastic water bottle consumption has grown from about 3 billion bottles in 1997 to 86 billion in 2021. Convenience comes at a cost to human and environmental health, from the microplastics directly ingested into our bodies, to plastic waste polluting oceans and waterways, clogging landfills, and leaching toxins into our air, soil and water. Not to mention the fossil fuels needed to produce the plastic bottles in the first place.
Planning ahead and bringing a reusable water bottle to drink from is a healthier, cost-effective way to stay hydrated and avoid single-use plastic water bottles, especially when engaging in sports or recreational activities in our amazing town. A strong network of refill stations is needed to fully instill a "refill culture" and see broader impact.
The water stream fills user’s bottles in seconds.
Cruisin' In Style
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge.
This adorable Pomeranian was cruising through town on Sunday, being driven by her chauffeur James Pileggi in her Mercedes SL500 convertible. Her name is Pepita and she is 6 years old is turning 7 years old this month.
James manages CT's only Polestar dealership located in New Canaan. Polestar is a luxury EV brand now owned by Volvo Cars. To see these vehicles visit: Polestar.com.