![]() ![]() Bierregaard, a research associate at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. “We got them sort of addicted to man-made structures,” said Mr. Up to 95 percent of nests now rest in man-made structures, Mr. Suffolk County was a leader in that effort decades ago.Īs humans began building more structures that ospreys could use for nesting, they no longer sought out the trees that they had always used. The biggest reason for that is the elimination of DDT, a synthetic organic compound long used as an insecticide. While ospreys face challenges living in areas dominated by man, he said the overall population is growing. Ospreys caught fish “on at least one in every four dives, with success rates sometimes as high as 70 percent,” according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.įew people know ospreys better than ornithologist Rob Bierregaard, who tracked the osprey known as North Fork Bob. O’Reilly said watching the ospreys return to Marion Lake by her home is a “sign of spring for sure.” The ospreys frequently fish in the lake, always putting on show with their incredible ability to scoop up prey. “Maybe we can educate people and spread the word,” she said, to make residents conscious of the environment and how everyday items that turn into litter can threaten the birds. O’Reilly, a painter and teacher, said she felt awful to see the osprey behind her home struggle and face an unnecessary end after surviving such a long journey northward. Unhappy residents threatened to march in protest, but before that could happen, PSEG quickly erected a new osprey-friendly pole. The contractors had alerted the state Department of Environmental Conservation that the nest was inactive and could potentially catch fire from the wires. Just last week, Riverside residents were upset when an osprey nest was removed from a utility pole by PSEG-Long Island subcontractors. ![]() It’s an annual tradition many people look forward to, as these majestic birds of prey soar above the shoreline and build their homes in our neighborhoods.īut as we’ve seen, life for the ospreys can be challenging in an area that’s only increased in density in recent decades. Over the last month, ospreys have completed their long migration, returning from South America to the North Fork and, for many, to previously established nests. “We could hear the final moments, I guess,” Ms. As the osprey attempted to fly away, it became trapped, and hung upside down from the tree, where it died. At some point, it appeared, the bird had picked up some rope that caused it to become stuck in the tree. But as she looked closer, she could see it was an osprey. She walked back on her deck, with a few neighbors, and looked up toward a tree, where she spotted something that looked at first like a plastic bag. A strange wailing noise startled Elizabeth O’Reilly at her East Marion home late Saturday afternoon. ![]()
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