Our Osprey Garden
Greetings!
Our skies and nests here in Colonial Beach are fairly deserted. There are still some osprey left but not many. A good portion of them have begun their migration to South America. I know we all miss their song and miss seeing their beauty everyday. We will await our friend Luis, in Venezuela, to report on sightings accompanied with pictures that I will be sure to share with all of you. I also want to congratulate Luis, he has been awarded a grant from The International Osprey Foundation.
He will be working with some of the fish farms in Venezuela and studying the interactions between osprey and the farms.
Below: Luis is seen interviewing one of the owners in the photographs. Photographs courtesy of Luis Saavedra
We will be looking at platforms and prioritizing those that need repair or replacement. We have some proceeds from the festival that will be used specifically for that! We will have things ready for their return next March.
On another note in preparing for their return, I was very disappointed as I am sure all of you were that we were not able to get our nest cam at the Fisheries up and running. It was installed on the platform, however, due to availability of internet and issues in connecting, we were unable to finish the job. As soon as we are certain the ospreys from that next have left, we will be removing the camera from that nest and placing it on another nest to be determined. We will start the process right away to ensure it is working and ready to go when the first bird arrives next spring. I want to give a huge shout out to Dominion Energy for their assistance and Traffic Systems for their generosity.
The Virginia Osprey Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit is off and running. We are in the process of transitioning our website over to the Foundation. We hope to provide you with educational opportunities throughout the year. I am excited to say that ALL profits from the 2024 festival will be used for our ospreys, other wildlife, and education. We are developing some programs so stay tuned for details.
Board of Directors
Joanie Millward, President
Jenny Grimes, Secretary
Donna Ryan, Treasurer
Cindy Ligon, Board Member
Pam Narney, Board Member
Michael Academia, Science Advisor
Deb Newman, Web Designer/Marketing
Osprey Festival News!
Save the date! April 13, 2024
Our festival committee is hard at work to bring you yet another fun and educational festival. We have another great committee this year, Jenny Grimes, Cindy Ligon, Pam Narney, and myself.
Our Documentary Film Screening will be coming sometime this fall, we are still working with the Director of the film, Bill McKeever.
Reminder!! We still have hats available for a donation of $25, Virginia is for Osprey Lovers T shirts for a donation of $10. We also have stickers available for a donation of $2.
The Osprey Festival was mentioned in the article,
"The Best Things To Do In Colonial Beach, Virginia"
There’s more to this coastal town on the Potomac River than its celebrated flip-flop lifestyle, including award-winning wines, family-friendly festivals, and a rich presidential history.
By Erin Gifford is a travel and outdoor writer based in Virginia with 20+ years of writing and editing experience. She has also written three guidebooks on hiking trails in Virginia. Published on September 1, 2023
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