| Written by Membership Chair & Osprey Enthusiast Lori Benson
I might be just a little obsessed with ospreys. My ring tone is an osprey chirp, my Gmail address is ospreychick and my idea of a perfect day is to hang out with binoculars at various osprey nests, observing their activity. Late March is the start of osprey season on the South Coast of MA (Finally, cause I’ve really missed those birds!!), so it’s an exciting time for osprey enthusiasts who have eagerly been awaiting their return. All these birds share the same goal of raising chicks and teaching them to fly and fish before they migrate in the fall. Their first order of business is to build up or “feather” their nests. Ospreys are repeat nesters, meaning they return to the same nest every year. It’s fascinating to watch them carrying large sticks and grabbing clumps of seaweed wrack from the beach in their talons to bring to their nests. Quite a few nests are visible when hiking in the various conservation properties in Wareham such as Bryant Farm Preserve, Red Brook Trail Network, Great Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, Great Neck Conservation Area and North Water Street Beach. Whether you’re walking on trails or the beach, biking, or even driving around town, you’ll soon see them circling and chirping in the sky and diving for fish. I know of at least 6 nests in Wareham and Onset visible from the road that you might drive by every day. Osprey season also offers great community science opportunities through observing and tracking data on local arrivals and nests. One easy way to participate is by joining the OspreyWatch online site that describes itself as “a global community of observers focused on breeding osprey“. Their website osprey-watch.org and the observation data extends across the U.S. This data is used to monitor the osprey population especially in relation to the challenges from climate change, decreasing fish stocks, and environmental contamination.  An osprey perches at its nest. (Photo Credit: Helen Lozoraitis) Here in Massachusetts, osprey nesting data from the South Coast is pulled in with other regional data by a working group of environmental professionals from multiple organizations. With over 200 known active nests along Buzzards Bay, the southeastern coast of Massachusetts is known as a hot spot for osprey activity with many existing nests that need to be observed and recorded. Plus, new nests are being discovered every year. To see the nest locations already mapped in your area, you can go to osprey-watch.org and click on the Explore button in the top menu. You may know of a nest or nests that haven’t yet been included and citizen participation is the best way to find and keep track of the nests in our area. We would love to add you to the OspreyWatch site to help us collect local data. Please contact me at the email address below for a set of simple instructions to get you started. Thanks and happy osprey-watching! By Lori Benson |
