Osprey, Osprey Everywhere, And More On the Way!
Osprey nesting in Westport has flourished for many years now. Currently, There are active nests at the Terrain/Fresh Market parking lot, where the pair pictured above have nested for several years. The female at left had just returned to the nest when 2 minutes later the male arrived. In previous years they have had two or even 3 chicks, and it looks like they are planning for a family again this year.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge.
Longshore has two active nests, one is at the parking lot near the Longshore Sailing School where the pair has taken up residence on the tall platform erected a few years ago for them. A second nest, shown above was built entirely by another Osprey pair on the little island in the lagoon which borders the Longshore complex exit road.
The bird in the two photos above had perched on the top of a dead tree at the lagoon and was carefully surveying the water looking for lunch.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge.
It was not long before he found that lunch and after circling the lagoon and perching in a couple of trees, trying to evade another osprey who may have considered stealing his or her catch, a safe spot overlooking the golf course was finally found and lunch could be eaten in peace.
About Osprey In Connecticut:
In Connecticut, the osprey population has experienced a steady increase since 1974, when there was an all-time low of nine active nests. In the 1940s, the coastal zone between New York City and Boston supported an estimated 1,000 active osprey nests. However, development pressures and eggshell thinning caused by DDT contamination reduced this number to 150 nests by 1969. The banning of DDT in the 1970s and restrictions on the use of other organochlorine pesticides have prompted a steady recovery of osprey populations.
Their breeding months range from January through May. Osprey pairs are generally monogamous and often mate for life. The male selects a nesting site in a dead tree, on a cliff, or on a man-made structure near the water. Within 30 days of hatching, the young birds will be 70-75% of their adult weight. The chicks will fledge about 55 days after hatching but will use the nest as home base until they migrate in September. Young ospreys will stay dependent on their parents until the young are able to fish for themselves, which these two seemed to in no big hurry to learn.
To learn more about Osprey visit: CT DEEP Osprey Facts
Or: Connecticut Audubon’s Osprey Nation Project which has kept track of 726 active Osprey nests this year. Those nests produced 1,077 fledglings.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge.