Our Osprey Garden
Greetings!
We have had some disturbing finds while monitoring our nests in Colonial Beach. All three of our chicks in the cam nest died this year. Many more have died this year as you can see from our summary. The VA Dept. of Wildlife Resources (DWR) feels something is going on with our ospreys and will be collecting carcasses to study and try and determine why we are losing so many this year. We have many theories, climate change, food shortage, maybe the two combined. We just don’t know for sure and we hope DWR can help us understand.
***If you live in Colonial Beach, and you run across a deceased osprey be it adult of chick, please contact me so that I can retrieve it for the study. You can reach me at (540) 220-6387.***
This is a summary of our nests in Colonial Beach compared to the 2023 Season.
As I reported last month, we banded 12 chicks on June 25th and we finished our banding on July 9th with an additional 13 chicks for a total of 25 chicks. We again thank our bander, Ken Smith, Dominion Energy for reaching our chicks in their nests, and Nies’ Tree Care for providing us with their bucket truck on July 9. We also want to thank the Free Lance Star for their coverage of our banding event. We made front page above the fold bringing attention and education to surrounding areas regarding our favorite raptor, the Osprey. 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 are dedicated to assisting in providing this important information. If you find a bird banded bird, please report to the National Banding Lab Bird Banding Laboratory | U.S. Geological Survey (usgs.gov)
I am proud to introduce Peter Mecca of Colonial Beach! He agreed to write a guest column this month and I hope you enjoy!
Virginia Osprey Foundation – Bringing a Community Together
By Peter Mecca, PhD
Educator, Scientist, Naturalist
Ospreys are abundant in Colonial Beach. Their arrival each year produces excitement and signals the start of spring and summer. Town residents share their enthusiasm with one another as they witness these magnificent raptors bringing sticks and other objects to their nests, preparing a place to raise a new clutch of chicks.
While in Colonial Beach this spring, I met Joanie Millward, president of the Virginia Osprey Foundation, and her husband Barry. We discovered a common interest in natural resource conservation and community science. As Joanie and Barry described their involvement with the Virginia Osprey Foundation, I mentioned that I was a naturalist and an environmental biologist, and often do volunteer work on events similar to those supported by the foundation. When they extended an invitation to participate in the 3rd Annual Osprey Chick Banding, I immediately accepted.
On June 25th, I joined Joanie, Barry, and others on visits to five nests where we banded a total of 12 chicks. Since the nests were high above ground, Todd Dalton, a local resident who works for Dominion Energy and is authorized to use the company bucket truck, was responsible for the removal and return of the chicks to and from the nest. After showing volunteers how to handle each chick, Ken Smith, a federally permitted raptor bander, would carefully size and attach a band to the leg of the chick. If the chick were to get anxious, a volunteer would place a covering over its head to block vision, helping to calm the chick. After the chick was banded, Ken placed it into a cloth bag and gave it to Todd so he could return the chick to the nest.
As we went from nest to nest, local residents would come out of their homes and inquire about our work. All expressed sincere interest and thanked us for our efforts. Some of the residents volunteered to hold a chick while Ken administered a band. A Colonial Beach police officer, on patrol, also stopped to volunteer.
A newcomer to Colonial Beach, I am thrilled about what I observed in this town. Osprey banding is an example of a community coming together to appreciate and care for our wildlife. Residents value osprey and are willing to help protect them. The Virginia Osprey Foundation plays a vital role in wildlife conservation and I commend its members and volunteers for their efforts to monitor and manage the osprey population. I encourage all town residents to connect and engage with nature. Whether it’s stream cleanups, bird counting or bird banding, I look forward to working with residents to preserve our natural resources.
Virginia Osprey Foundation News
July has given us a much needed break. We do continue to monitor nests and record data. This is so important for researchers especially in this time of uncertainty with regards to food shortages and climate change.
We were pleased to be contacted by someone living in Richmond that wanted a golf cart nest tour. We were happy to oblige! She met up with her friend from Northern Virginia and we were able to show them nests and our beautiful town, Colonial Beach.
We were happy to provide free family tickets to next year’s Osprey Festival at the Torrey Smith back to school night at Torrey Smith Park, sponsored by Colonial Beach and Torrey Smith.
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
