Welcome to another Kings Park Focus on Nature Blog.
When I consider what animal found on Long Island most inspires me to appreciate nature I immediately think of the Osprey. Superlatives such as graceful, and majestic easily come to mind when sighting this handsome bird of prey. Happily, seeing an Osprey has become a more common, though no less exciting, experience in recent years as their numbers have increased. The higher populations of this awesome bird species highlights a celebrated success story in wildlife conservation – the comeback of the Osprey from endangered status. Pandion haliaetus, also known as the Fish Hawk, is a large bird with a wingspan topping out at 71”. Seen from below the sharply angled wings and relatively short tail present a distinctive silhouette. You may hear an Osprey before seeing it. Its call is a loud “chirping” sound which seems incongruous coming from so large a bird. The underside of the adult bird is white, sometimes streaked with brown, while the upper side of the Osprey is dark brown and black. A distinctive dark brown eye patch sweeps back from the beak, framing piercing yellow eyes. Juvenile birds possess dark orange eyes which transition to yellow as they mature. From as high as 100 feet, with those keen eyes, Pandion haliaetus can spy fish, which are its preferred prey. As it’s locking on to its target, it will hover briefly, then dive at a high angle towards the fish. The Osprey plunges into the water feet first. Anyone who has done a “cannon ball” at the pool knows getting water up your nose is unpleasant. The Osprey species has evolved nostrils which can be closed when it hits the water to prevent intake of water. The bird’s talons are uniquely adapted to help it catch its fish. The sharp talons pierce the prey, and specially designed pads on the feet help it keep its grip on the slippery quarry. After striking the prey the Osprey emerges from the water with the fish gripped in a unique fashion. It positions two of the four toes on each foot pointed forward, and the other two pointed back. Wrapping its toes around the fish in this manner helps keep the Fish Hawk’s flip – flopping meal secure. An excellent location to see Ospreys hunting is at Blydenburgh, a Suffolk County Park in Hauppaugue.
The Osprey is a world wide species, and the only member of its family, Pandionidae. While populations throughout the world vary in their life history, our resident Ospreys are migratory. They arrive in our area in the spring, flying up from wintering grounds in the Southern United States, and Central and South America. Incidentally, I’ve noted from reference to my nature journal that they tend to appear in our area right around the time the DEC stocks our local streams with trout in the first week of April. Maybe that’s a coincidence, but I’m not so sure! Ospreys build large nests of branches and other materials in old dead snags when possible. Man-made, purpose-built nesting platforms for Ospreys are readily utilized. You can see several examples of these being used at Sunken Meadow State Park, for example. The nesting sites are re-used each year by the male and female, which typically pair up for life. There may be up to four eggs. These may or may not all survive, depending on the availability of food and the hunting skills of the parents.
Pandion haliaetus may live as long as ten years and have few natural predators. In our region nestling and sub-adult may be preyed on by Great Horned Owls. Historically, the major threat to Ospreys were the effects of pesticide use, specifically the widespread application of DDT (dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane). This product was used to control mosquito populations. It does not degrade quickly, and it’s uptake into the food chain results in it’s becoming concentrated in fish – the main food source of Ospreys. Biologists noted that high concentrations of DDT in Ospreys resulted in thinner eggshells, which would break prematurely. This effect also impacted the Bald Eagle. The decline of the eagle alarmed biologists and swayed public opinion in favor of banning the use of DDT. Decades later, both the Osprey and Bald Eagle have rebounded because of the ban on this pesticide.
The Ospreys return to Long Island is symbolic of how nature is impacted when we don’t consider the long range effects of our actions. And this magnificent creature is also a symbol of how well nature responds when we are responsible stewards of the natural world.
See you on the trails!
