I was very much involved with Bald Eagle and Osprey restoration in the greater Chesapeake Bay region in the 70s and early 80s. We went from a paucity of birds and nests of both species (I could get all my banding done in under two weeks with days off) thanks to DDT. During the course of those many years we investigated the same questions/ comments I'm reading here today. The upshot was that this many decades later the Chesapeake region of three states boasts a very vibrant population of both.
We worried about density of platforms and found inter and intraspecies tolerance to be quite high no matter how we spaced them. Opting for the more is better approach seems to have worked. We had a myriad of concerns from power poles to hunting blinds to navigational aides and more. We also tried many designs. The irony of all this is while Osprey did take to some of our designs/locations, they pretty much nested where they darn well pleased. I remember one dock complaint that had a nice platform made of a tobacco ric base that was mere feet from the end of the dock that the pair selected. We also had Osprey nests within 50 meters of each other which made our job that much easier. Eagles were another matter as they definitely nested where they pleased, usually within very good fishing grounds. We had several nests near a nuclear power plant outflow where the warm water attracted many fish. Getting in there to band is another very long and funny story. Great Horneds seldom made use of Osprey nests and we never saw one in an Eagle nest. they much preferred last season's Red-tail nests which suited their desire for mostly hidden, high, deciduous or pine tree nests with a long view in at least two directions. We've found the same around here. Osprey also chose to nest near good fishing and yes, fish population was the dynamic that allowed for more or fewer pair of both species in any one area. Best, John -- John and Sue Gregoire Field Ornithologists Kestrel Haven Avian Migration Observatory 5373 Fitzgerald Road Burdett,NY 14818-9626 Website: http://www.empacc.net/~kestrelhaven/ "Conserve and Create Habitat" On Thu, March 27, 2014 12:54, Margaret Boynton Shepard wrote: > In the "good old days" before DDT and decline of fish populations, Ospreys > nested at > very high densities where food availability allowed. Gardiner's Island, for > example, > once had several hundred nesting pairs. Another few platforms locally would > probably > be a good idea. > > -- Margaret Shepard > Lodi > > From: bounce-113701089-3494...@list.cornell.edu > [mailto:bounce-113701089-3494...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Robyn Bailey > Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2014 12:34 PM > To: Bill Mcaneny; 'Dave Nutter'; CAYUGABIRDS-L > Subject: RE: [cayugabirds-l] How close to one another will Ospreys nest? > > 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> > [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: > Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and > Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > Archives: > The Mail > Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > BirdingOnThe.Net<http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> > Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! > -- > > -- > > 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/ > > -- -- 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/ --
