He's Baaaaack! One Half Of Westport’s Favorite Osprey Family Has Returned
The male Osprey returns from his southern wintering residence first, then awaits the return of his mate who follows later.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery
The platform adjoining Terrain has been a favorite for our Osprey fans as it has great visibility and shoppers at Terrain and Fresh Market will often see them flying in and out of the nest as they do a little remodeling of their nest in spring and bring fresh fish to their hungry chicks after they hatch at the end of spring or beginning of summer.
The fact that they are beloved by Westporters became clear in 2019 when their nest and platform were removed by a construction company working for the owners of the Fresh Market, Regency Centers, resulted an a massive outcry as reported by 06880 (https://06880danwoog.com/2019/03/31/ospreys-and-regency-centers-very-interesting-sunday-afternoon-report/) which received more than 50 comments expressing outrage at the destruction of their nest at the beginning of breeding season.
Westport’s favorite Ospreys, which have been nesting on the platform built for them in the parking lot alongside Terrain from 2015 or earlier have returned to their nest, or at least the male has returned. After raising their young during the summer they head south for the winter but fly to different locations from each other, reuniting in spring at their previous nesting site to raise another family.
There are multiple other nests built on platforms in town, with three at Longshore Park, one by the first and second hole, another near the ER Strait Marina and the fourth on the exit road by the twelfth green. There are two others on properties owned by the Aspetuck Land Trust on Sherwood Mill Pond, on the Allen Salt Marsh Preserve and another behind the Sherwood Island State Park Nature Center. There is a another located in the marsh area of the Saugatuck just south of the King's Highway North Bridge which did not have a nesting pair last year.
About Osprey
The Osprey Is also known as the river hawk, fish hawk, or sea hawk and they are unique among raptors as they feed almost exclusively on live fish and have the ability to dive into the water to catch their meals. These beautiful raptors are well adapted for fishing. The birds have long legs and large feet with specialized barbs on the pads, hooked talons, and a reversible outer toe. This allows them to easily grasp fish with two toes pointing to the front and two pointing to the rear. Osprey have an oily waterproof coating on their wings and can close their nostrils when they plunge into the water. They also have slender bodies and long wings that are bent at the "wrist." Their strong wings give them extra lift to fly up and out of the water with a heavy fish. Once they catch a fish, they consume it using a black bill with a sharp hook.
Ospreys are brown on the back and white on the chest. The undersides of their wings are white with a dark patch at the wrists. Ospreys have yellow eyes and white heads with a distinctive black eye stripe that sets them apart from eagles, for which they are commonly mistaken. The female differs from the male in having a more defined "necklace" of brown feathers across her throat.
One of the larger birds of prey, but smaller than a bald eagle, ospreys have an average wingspan of five feet (1.5 meters). They are 21 to 23 inches (53 to 58 centimeters) long and usually weigh between three to four pounds (1.3 to 1.8 kilograms). The female is larger than the male.
In Connecticut, the osprey population has experienced a steady increase since 1974, when there was an all-time low of nine active nests. Today, there are more than 100 nests in the state. To keep tabs on these beautiful raptors you can visit https://www.ctaudubon.org/osprey-nation-osprey-cam/ which should soon have live Osprey Cams.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery