Osprey Tales

Ospreys mate for life. Upon returning from South America the pairs reunite. In north America the breeding season is from April to July.

Hopefully, this week Harriett will lay 2 or 3 eggs.

The Doctor and his female Homo sapiens mate are excited.

Ospreys have high-pitched, whistling voices. Their calls can be given as a slow succession of chirps during flight or as an alarm call—or strung together into a series that rises in intensity and then falls away, similar to the sound of a whistling kettle taken rapidly off a stove. This second type of call is most often given as an unfamiliar Osprey approaches the nest. As the perceived threat increases, the call can build in intensity to a wavering squeal.

Sounds

naturesongs.com/osprJM1.wav

www.istrianet.org/istria/fauna/birds/sounds/pandion-haliaetus.wav

A dramatic decline of osprey populations between the 1940s and 1970 was caused by DDT-induced eggshell thinning.

DDT and PCBs built up in the fish the ospreys ate and made their egg shells so thin that adults crushed their progeny when they nested on them.

Public concern over DDT can be traced back to Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring.

DDT had a similar effect on eagle eggs, before it was banned in 1972.

Osprey Eggs 2 – The Oologist

The stunning beauty of osprey eggs was not lost on the old naturalists. There was gamesmanship of climbing to nests to collect the eggs. Osprey egg-collecting played a major role in the population decline in the 19th and 20th centuries. There were even journals devoted to it.

There are still museum cases full of old Osprey eggs in Europe.

Last year Harriett lay three eggs, April 5^th, 6^th and 7^th.

Osprey eggs are considered one of the most beautiful of all bird eggs. They have long been admired for their unusual coloring.

Rich browns                                             Swirls of dark mahogany.

Cream colored with dots                             Cinnamon.

Still in the picture

The Doctor found the eagle nest today. It is only ¼ mile from Harriett’s.

Last year eggs were laid April 5^th, 6^th and 7^th.

Harriett continues to configure her nest. The walls are stacked neatly and intertwined. The interior is lined with a base of soft grass.

Jonathan brings in some Spanish moss.

The Doctor’s third platform ——- Jan, 2019 to present.

“Thank you, Doctor,” said Harriett.

The Doctor’s second platform.

The Taj Mahal

Destroyed by Hurricane Florence – September 7, 2018

Urban development, road building, agriculture, logging, erosion, water pollution and more are destroying the natural habitat of osprey. Man-made artificial platforms have been helpful.

The Doctor’s first platform – 2014

Hurricane Arthur