Osprey Monitoring Stories

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We spoke with one of Operation Osprey’s dedicated Osprey Stewards, Stephanie, about what inspired her to begin monitoring an Osprey nest, the remarkable behaviors she has observed over the years, and why engaging the public is so critical to protecting Ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

A number of years ago in late July while we were traveling via boat along the Severn River, we passed a channel marker with a nest on top. Looking up, I noticed a bird just barely visible over the sides of the nest. It was hovering there almost like a helicopter, moving ever so slightly up and down. It appeared to be moving in slow motion. Then I saw another. They were two ospreys about to fledge, and I was immediately captivated by their piercing, deep amber eyes and look of absolute determination. Ever since I witnessed that, I was waiting for an opportunity to install a platform of my own to observe. That opportunity came a couple of years ago when we purchased a home with a suitable place to install a platform.

We stumbled upon the opportunity to install a camera when the carpenter who built our platform asked if we would like to mount one. He built the platform off-site, affixed a solar-powered camera, and installed the final product from his boat. It was fairly late in the nesting season, so we didn't expect much activity, but to our amazement and delight, two birds took ownership the very next day and began building a nest. Although we didn't have eggs that first year, the nest was well into production for the following season.

I don’t have previous experience in conservation, but my mother was an avid birdwatcher and as a child, I played a small supporting role in her hobby.  Growing up, we had a hummingbird feeder mounted on the outside of our kitchen window and enjoyed watching the birds feeding throughout the summer.  In elementary school I remember making homemade hummingbird nectar on the stove, waiting for it to cool, and then refilling the feeder throughout the season. We were all sad to see the hummingbirds leave in the fall, but always looked forward to welcoming them back in the spring.  

Operation Osprey actually found me!  Ken noticed our camera when he was surveying nests on the water and got in contact with me through some neighbors.  It has been a joy to get to know Ken and his team and I look forward to continuing to work together in this conservation effort.

A few things come to mind:

• Talons and Eggs: When the male and female navigated around the nest, they would curl their talons under to avoid smashing the delicate eggs.  The juxtaposition of the talons spearing live fish and then carefully navigating around fragile eggs was unbelievable!
• Nesting Materials: The week the chicks hatched, it was unseasonably cold and very rainy.  During a break in the rain, we had landscapers in our yard laying grass seed and while they were still spreading the dry straw on top, the male flew into our yard and swooped down to grab some dry straw for the nest. I was able to see on the camera how they worked together to use the straw in the nest for added insulation for the nestlings. 
• Storm Preparation: Another amazing thing to witness was ahead of a few particularly strong storms, the pair would gather sticks and build up one side of the nest seemingly based on the wind direction.  Natural instincts are phenomenal to observe in real time!

I have an app on my cell phone and can pull up the camera feed at any time. I spend a lot of time watching the live feed, especially during the early morning hours when the male typically does the majority of the foraging. Once the female started hunting, I witnessed her jumping straight off the platform and bringing back small menhaden. I took a special interest in prey identification and collected and saved videos to a shared drive for Operation Osprey to use for fish identification data.

Additionally, I kept a calendar with notes for major milestones: the day they returned in the spring, when each egg was laid and hatched, when the nestlings started standing upright, when the fledglings began breaking off pieces of fish, their first attempts to get airborne, their first successful flight, and the first successful foraging effort.  

It’s difficult to pick just one!  The day before the first egg hatched, the female was very unsettled and agitated.  Although the male usually incubated the eggs for an hour or so each morning, as the eggs came closer to hatching, she became very protective of them.  The day before the first egg hatched, the male brought a large fish to the nest that the female took to her favorite nearby tree perch to eat.  She returned in half an hour and dad was comfortable keeping the eggs warm and didn’t immediately stand up.  She shrieked at him very loudly, attempted multiple times to give him a nudge, and when he didn’t budge she resorted to flying onto his back and physically lifting him off the eggs with her talons.  She was in a hurry to get back to her hatching chicks. 

The most rewarding part of watching our Osprey pair has been sharing the excitement with our two children.  Although there were some very difficult moments and lessons this nesting season (such as the death of two of the three nestlings), seeing the joy that the updates and videos brought to our children’s faces was wonderful.  We all knew and understood the goal for the season was that the male and female would have a successful nest and they would all leave for the winter, but none of us were ready when it actually happened.  We are all counting down the days until their return next spring!

Bringing awareness to the reproductive challenges facing Ospreys around the Bay is increasingly important. We need to spread the message that all individuals have the potential to provide important data for research—that citizen scientists are vital.  In particular, I’ve noticed with my own children that an untapped magic happens at the intersection of wonderment and purposeful engagement. I feel there's a great opportunity to engage youth in this conversation to bring new ideas and interest to the cause, as this will ultimately be their torch to carry.