On Osprey Time

  An intense intruder chase, courtesy of Coleman Sheehy Jr. Both male and female Ospreys defend their nests if disturbed to ensure the survival of their eggs and chicks. At the Salt Point Natural Area and elsewhere around Cayuga Lake, breeding Ospreys can be observed chasing avian intruders away from their nests, often in dramatic chases. If you have been watching the  Salt Point Osprey Nest Cam 2025 Live   you may have seen homeless Osprey intruders flying by the nest to the consternation of Ursula and Orpheus. Unmated intruders, both young and old, who have not found nesting sites and mates for a variety of reasons and are looking for openings in existing sites. They fly about the colony, inspecting the nests for lost mates and harassing nests with weak, older birds hoping to displace them in a fight. Ophelia, Orpheus’s faithful mate of ten years and mother of 27 of his fledglings, was replaced in 2022. Ophelia arrived at her nest four  days after Orpheus and was m...

  Ursula (top) and Orpheus reestablishing their mating bonds, courtesy of  Cindy Sedlacek. Spring arrived tenuously in the Finger Lakes in late March as Ospreys returned from their arduous 3–5-thousand miles spring migrations exhausted, hungry, and looking for their nests. Ospreys migrate as individuals but reestablish their colonies as soon as they reach their breeding grounds. Hundreds of Ospreys settle into their nests and begin refurbishing their homes with fresh branches and twigs. By May most nests will be reclaimed, and new nests will extend north toward Lake Ontario and east and west of Cayuga Lake. A  successful female hunts over the lake near Stewart Park, courtesy of  Cindy Sedlacek. The strong tendency of Ospreys, males especially, to return to breed in or near their birth nests is referred to as philopatry. Female Ospreys also demonstrate philopatry, but if nest sites in the area are limited, she may look elsewhere for other populations to join. By ...