Blog #356 Raptor Conservation Trends

Migrating adult male Osprey at Hawk Mountain, courtesy of Bill Moses. 

Earlier in 2021, millions of Americans who appreciate birds in their yards and parks  were aghast when news reports announced that about 3 billion birds had been lost over  the decade. However, these studies largely overlooked raptors. What is happening to  their populations? 

Although Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons have recovered from near-extinction  during the DDT era of the 1960-1970s, the status of Ospreys and other raptors have not  been well documented, primarily owing to financial constraints. Annual surveys of  breeding bird conducted across the country collect vital data on many bird species, but  most do not sample raptors sufficiently to ascertain population trends. 

Recent analyses by the Raptor Population Index Project (RPI), a partnership of Hawk  Mountain Sanctuary, Birds Canada, Hawk Migration Association of North America  (HMANA), and HawkWatch International, show declines in some migratory hawk  populations and increases in other species. The updated RPI analyses examine this 

past decade of migration counts for 26 raptor species from 76 sites stretching from  Panama to Canada. One study found that one of the most-commonly observed  migrants, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, has declined 47%. Declines in Northern Harriers,  Northern Goshawks, Rough-legged Hawk, and American Kestrels also have been  detected. HMANA also reports widespread increases in Bald Eagle as well as turkey  and black vultures. Increases in Bald Eagles may play a role in recent Osprey declines  at eastern inland sites. 

Data from the last ten years show that many raptor populations appear stable, but monitoring should continue to detect any changes. Hawk Mountain founder Rosalie  Edge said it best: “the time to protect a species is while it is still common.” 

How are Osprey Faring? 

RPI’s Ten-year Osprey Migration and Winter Trends. Note decreases around the Great Lakes. 

Migration counts of Ospreys over ten years (2009–2019) suggest mostly stable  numbers across North America with 65% of sites showing stable counts and 30%  showing a decline. In the East, patterns are similar with 60% of sites showing stable  counts in the last decade and 35% declining. Most of the Gulf sites reported stable  Osprey counts, whereas 35% of Central Region sites had increasing trends and 100%  of the West Region sites were stable (see trend map above and pie charts below). 

Pie Charts showing Regional Osprey Population Trends

Osprey declines during the past decade focus around the Eastern Great Lakes and  Appalachians and not along the Atlantic Coast or farther west. Twenty-year count trends  show similar mixed trends varying among regions. Although the highest average counts  occur at coastal sites such as Cape May, New Jersey, with 3,700 Osprey per year,  notable declines have occurred at sites such as Quaker Ridge, Connecticut, averaging  525 osprey per year with a 3.3% per-year decline in the recent decade. Many  researchers suggest the increasing population of Bald Eagles at inland lakes may be  limiting nesting sites for Osprey in inland lakes. Along coastlines, Osprey often cluster in  colonies and maybe better able to stave off competition and predation by Bald Eagles.  More research is needed to understand the reasons for the observed decline. 

The Christmas Bird Count winter survey data on resident and migrant Ospreys in  southern coastal states from Carolinas to Florida and west to Texas and to California,  Oregon, Washington. Except in Washington where Ospreys are declining, coastal regions show mostly increasing or stable 10-year trends for these populations. The  Osprey is currently listed as a species of Least Concern throughout its range by the  IUCN Red List (International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species), as it is vulnerable to threats such as habitat loss, increasing competition with  bald eagles, bioaccumulation of heavy metals and contaminants in their food, collisions,  and entanglement. 

For more information on recent RPI results and population status updates for raptor  species, trend graphs and maps, visit the RPI website (http://www.rpi-project.org/) or  contact one of the partners. 

Eyes to the sky! 

Candace 

Candace E. Cornell 

Friends ofSaltPoint 

Lansing, NY 

Cayuga Lake Osprey Network 

NY cec222@gmail.com

EYESTOTHE SKY! 

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