On Osprey Time

  Male intruder testing the occupants of the nest, courtesy of Cindy Sedlacek. April through July can be stressful   months for nesting Ospreys in the Finger Lakes, as marauding unmated Osprey intruders (or ‘floaters’) go from nest to nest searching for nest vacancies and weaknesses in the colony (technically, a semi-colony). Intruders serve an important part in Osprey society by filling nest vacancies where partners have perished. Intruding Ospreys are indicative of healthy, growing populations such as those around Cayuga Lake. They also have a way of disturbing a peaceful morning. Intruders are birds without nests ranging from young birds hatched two years before and older adults and make up about 30% of the colony. However, these highly aggressive birds are doing more than just checking the situation out. They are making full-on assaults to take over nests, severely testing the physical strength of the resident Ospreys and their tenacity and determination to remain on their...

  A white-chested male balancing on limb, courtesy of  Gary Seloff . Having an Osprey nest platform right off your deck is rather heady stuff for hawk lovers, especially an Osprey aficionado like me. My husband and I went with the “if you build it, they will come” philosophy, erecting a 35-foot Osprey platform last fall just offshore in Cayuga Lake. The months passed slowly as the leaves dropped and winter white caps buffeted the empty nest platform. Watching Ospreys requires patience I reminded myself. They are stubborn and exacting, demanding precise criteria for their nesting sites. The birds must have a clear view around their nests with no tall trees nearby to prevent nocturnal ambushes by great horned owls. Similarly, the poles should be wrapped in flashing to block nest access from climbing predatory snakes and racoons. Two perches arising from the nest box allow the adults to guard the nest when the nestlings take up much of the nest. Seeding the new nest is crucial to...

  Orpheus (L) and Ursula at their Salt Point Nest March 26, courtesy of Cindy Sedlacek. The following is a sneak peek at what this Osprey summer will entail. Our northeastern Ospreys return to their breeding habitats just after the early spring thaw. This year’s first Osprey was seen in Cayuga Lake Basin on March 15, an early date many attribute to  the mild winter. Most nest occupants will have returned to their nests and reunited with their mates by this weekend. These returning Ospreys have just completed their 2,000–4,000-mile migrations from their wintering areas along the coasts of South America and in the wild Amazonian tropics. The range of landscapes that a cosmopolitan Osprey can experience in its lifetime is staggering. In general, the older breeding males arrive on their nests followed by their mates in a few days. After that first wave of older Ospreys arrive, unmated adults and second-year birds migrating north for the first time after spending two years in the S...