Hi All, To add my two bits to the conversation, I have seen a third Osprey circling over both the "Portland Point" nest and the "Salt Point" nest, while both parents and young were occupying the nests. My thoughts at the time were that it was possibly a floater adult (or two separate floaters) who had not found a nest site yet, and was looking for one to take over. Maybe the bird(s) did not have a take-over in mind, but there are nevertheless additional Ospreys in the area that are looking for places to breed. The new platform on the hill above Myers is meant to provide a nesting site for the third "hoverer" who likes to visit the other two established pairs.
With regards to Stewart Park, I have heard that an Osprey was seen trying (unsuccessfully) to pile sticks on top of a light post in a ball field. That sounds to me like they are trying to build a nest there anyway, and that maybe they could use a platform. At any rate, discussions are underway for whether a platform could go there as well. According to Paul, they were thinking of the point of land across the inlet from the old boathouse, visible for interested parties but well away from Stewart Park activity. Like Bill, I think they are just limited by food availability and are not particularly territorial. I don't find the platforms to be an eyesore; on the contrary, it thrills me to see a raptor on the rebound, once rare in our community, but now coming back with a little help. And, like Geo mentions, part of the benefits to more platforms is that it may help avoid power line fires, which are dangerous for both birds and people. So bring on the Ospreys (or Bald Eagles, or Great Horned Owls)! Best, Robyn Bailey Lansing From: bounce-113699659-15067...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-113699659-15067...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Bill Mcaneny Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2014 11:26 AM To: 'Dave Nutter'; CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: RE: [cayugabirds-l] How close to one another will Ospreys nest? Hi All. My first thought is of the 6 or 7 nests on adjacent power poles along Rte 5/20 near the Montezuma NWR. Also, I have seen at least two active osprey nests on the same power tower in N Carolina. At Caumsett State Park on L.I., an osprey platform was occupied one year by a Canada goose family. Near Sandy Hook, NJ, a platform was used as a nest site by a Great Horned Owl. The owl nesting was done by the time the ospreys showed up. On L.I., there was a nest of house finches immediately below an active osprey nest. My point is, I don't think proximity to other nest platforms is a deterrent to ospreys and may even provide some surprise nesters. Is there a down side? For the ospreys, the limiting factor would be food availability. If the fish supply dwindles, the birds will go elsewhere. For humans, the presence of more raptors means more opportunities to observe how the natural world works, and that is not a bad thing. My vote would be for more platforms. Bill McAneny, TBurg -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
