Our Osprey Garden
Greetings!
The Osprey Garden in Colonial Beach is in full swing! We have observed chicks in at least 30 nests in all stages of development. To our delight, the fire dept. nest, with our nest cam, has hatched three chicks, however the 3rd chick only survived for two days which of course made us sad but is not unusual, nature is hard sometimes. The other two chicks appear healthy and lively. We can observe the male osprey bringing fish to the nest for the female and the chicks. Many fish are brought to the nest throughout the day, six , seven, or maybe more on some days. In addition to those fish, the male must keep himself nourished in order to provide for his family.
The Foundation has started its 3rd Annual Osprey Chick Banding. On June 25th, Ken Smith, Federally Permitted Raptor Bander, banded 12 chicks out of five nests.
Dominion Energy provided the bucket truck so that we had access to the chicks. We plan to do more banding this month as there is a huge variance in size/age of the chicks and some were still too small to band.
We are so fortunate to have Ken and Todd (Dominion Energy) to assist with this important process. The data obtained from banding birds is useful for scientific research as well as management and conservation projects.
Colonial Beach and the Virginia Osprey Foundation is dedicated to assisting in providing this important information.
We are sorry to report that we lost a nest during a storm that came through last week. The nest was in a tree and had been there for years. The storm snapped the tree and the nest fell killing the single two week old chick.
FACT – It will be very common now for you to observe the female in the nest with her wings drooped. She is “mantling”, in this case, shading her chicks which are unable to keep themselves cool from these extremely hot days. She will stand for hours in this position to keep her chicks safe and as protected from the sun as possible. In the meantime, the male will bring multiple fish to the nest where the female feeds her chicks and herself, this is their only form of hydration.
You can view our nest cam at https://www.youtube.com/@virginiaosreyfoundation
Virginia Osprey Foundation News
June was a busy month for us! On June 1st we participated in Save the Bay Day, joining 62 volunteers in Colonial Beach on land and in water, cleaning up trash, https://www.facebook.com/CBSavetheBayDay!
On June 8th, The Virginia osprey Foundation participated in The Colonial Beach River Festival Grand Parade! Our decorated Golf Cart with our mascot on the back was a huge hit!
We joined the Cooper Library on June 10th and took children on an Osprey Walk down to the Boundary St. nest beside the Municipal Pier. There we learned about the osprey family of four that lives in that nest. We returned to the library for crafts and to watch the Live Osprey Cam. The children loved seeing papa osprey arrive at the nest with a huge fish for mama osprey that was incubating the eggs.
On June 15th we partnered with CB Cruisin Tikis for an “Osprey Cruise”. The cruise was very well received. If you would like to book an osprey cruise or just a cruise on our beautiful Monroe Bay, please visit the website Colonial Beach Tiki Boat Cruise | Cruisin' Tikis Colonial Beach (cruisintikiscolonialbeach.com a proud partner of the Virginia Osprey Foundation!
As mentioned above, on June 25th, , we began our 3rd Annual Osprey Chick Banding Program, we will be doing another round in July, if you see us out, please stop by and learn more!
The Bird Banding Laboratory (Est. 1920), an integrated scientific program, supports the collection, curation, archiving, and dissemination of data from banded and marked birds. These data allow for developing effective bird science, management, and conservation. The lab, in collaboration with the Canadian Wildlife Service Bird Banding Office, administer the North American Bird Banding Program. Bird Banding Laboratory | U.S. Geological Survey (usgs.gov)
Thank you everyone for your support and especially your love of our Osprey. Together we can make a difference for our Ospreys and our Environment through Education and Community Outreach!
If you have an osprey story that you would like to share through our newsletter, please email me at ospreycbva@gmail.org
SAVE THE DATE
7th Annual Virginia Osprey Festival in Colonial Beach
April 12, 2025
Featuring
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Mark Smith
